Valanora Times
Where do we stand?
The conclusion of the regular season of the NSCAA allows the teams a moment to breathe before diving head first into the conference tournaments, where those teams that did not win the regular season and the automatic berth into the Ultra 64 will be looking to ride their luck to a conference tournament win and the other automatic berth that conference play allows. Two schools from the Eternal Empire have already punched their tickets to the Ultra 64 by the way of winning their conference regular season, as Turbani Tech and Everlin University were able to overcome the other fifteen schools in their respective conferences to be crowned champions. Across the board, Vanorian schools did fairly well during the regular season and most of the schools, if not all eight of them, will be looking at their tournaments and believing that they have as good as shot as any of the other teams that are playing off against as to be lifting the trophy at the end of the next four days of desperate, high intensity basketball and all the prizes that comes with being able to successfully navigate that stretch.
Turbani and Everlin won their championships in completely different fashions and it speaks a lot to the variety of play among the schools, even if most Vanorian school of thought when it comes to the sport is to live and die by the three point line with dazzling guard play. Turbani allowed the fewest points in all of the NSCAA this season, one of two teams from any conference not to allow over two thousand points during the double round robin. They built themselves a solid defensive scheme that made you have to battle for every single possession and work for every point that you put on the board. Their scoring was built off the fast break from the turnovers that they forced their opposition to create as well as quick transition from rebounds up the court. Everlin just happens to be the only other team to allow under two thousand points but despite that good defensive record, it was stellar offensive work that they built their team around, tiring out their opposition on the offensive side of the ball with quick passing and great guard play, as their foes would be too tired out in the second half of the game to keep up with the highly conditioned Everlin side.
Both South Caddonia and the University of Hondo will be a bit disappointed with themselves, having look at large portions of the season to be in line to join Everlin and Turbani as potential conference winners, but a few too many upsets in the case of South Caddonia and a nemesis in the form of University of Suryapur kept that dream from becoming a reality. Both teams should be sure locks for the Ultra 64 and will be likely looking to use the tournament to get a bit of confidence put back into them as well as jockey for a better seed once the championship tournament does come around. We can not miss out on what Mar Sara Tech did though, as they went from looking like they were going to miss out on the Ultra 64 with a month left in the regular season, to being a soft lock for the tournament winning their last ten games and looking a completely different team than what we saw in the first half. A win in the first round should be enough for the Raiders to punch their ticket but getting to the semifinals of the Five Star Conference tournament will make that a hard lock for the team to get in.
If there is a team with work to do, it is the Rockets of Raynor University, though much like Tech, they are in a far stronger position than we thought they would be going into the tournament. Winning eight of their last ten games, the Rockets were able to get to the magic twenty win mark that is normally a safe lock for the championship tournament, however this year looks to be the bubble line. They face Northern Grey County Provincial University in the first round of their tournament, knowing a win makes their case a bit stronger for the Ultra 64, but they would really need another win to feel comfortable. Unfortunately due to being the fifth seed, they are likely looking at Chittorgarh University from Pratapgadh in that second round. All the teams from Pratapgadh have had stellar seasons and the Rockets know that it will be an uphill battle should the two teams meet, but a win there would be enough to secure their spot in the championship tournament, which is a big achievement for a side that looked completely out of it five weeks ago.
Sabinal State and the Rinaldi Naval Academy are both soft locks for the tournament, both with twenty two wins to their name and getting the third and fourth seed respectively in their tournaments as a result. For them, they are going to be like Hondo and South Caddonia, using the conference tournament to try and improve their standing with the selection committee and hopefully get a higher line. Both teams also could do with a big win against a higher seed, with both schools having struggled against the better teams in their respective conferences. A win over any of the higher seeds for either school would do wonders for not only their standing in the selection committee's eyes but also their psyche as they get ready for the madness that is the Ultra 64.
