NSCAA 14 - Roleplays

[Kharakia]

"GOD DAMN YOU PEOPLE SUCK!" Coach Darel Jons yelled at his players. "IF YOU DON'T START PLAYING BETTER, AND WE END UP IN A DOUBLE-DIGIT CONFERENCE PLACE, I SWEAR TO BURNAAK I WILL CAST YOU IDIOTS INTO A GOD DAMN FIERY INFERNO!"
"We're sorry coach," Carlos Blanchika, the backup shooting guard, said. "We just need to adjust our game plan-"
"I DON'T NEED TO ADJUST ANYTHING," Darel screamed at Blanchika. "AND NONE OF US EVER HAVE TO TAKE ANY ADVICE FROM YOU, CARLOS. YOU'RE AVERAGING 6.3 POINTS AND HALF AN ASSIST ON 25 MINUTES A GAME!"
"Jesus Christ, leave Carlos alone, coach," Sekoya Farkas stood up for Carlos. "The only reason he has no stats is because we don't pass him the ball."
"SIT THE HELL DOWN SEKOYA! YOU ARE SO GOD DAMN LUCKY I CAN'T SWEAR AT YOU THAT MUCH OR I'LL GET FIRED!" Darel reamed Sekoya.
"We just went 1-3, it's a bad stretch. We're still at 500, and there's still 22 more games left to play. It's really not that big of a deal," Morely Moreson tried to reason with Darel.
"You know what Darel, you're right. I'm overreacting," The coach admitted. A look of bewilderment arose on Sekoya's face, as the coach had never done that before. "I'M JUST KIDDING YOU DUMB PIECE OF-" Darel was interrupted by the team manager, Yakub Gihiyo, bursting in through the door.
"What's up, Yakub?" Morely asked.
"Nothing, just that we got a deal with the KPB," Yakub said. "If we finish the quals with more than 20 wins, we get a deal with them for a new stadium." And the pressure for Plistel University was on.

[The NASCAR Cup Series]

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CLUB CLOSED?
Auto Club Technical Institute to undergo "major renovations", basketball team at risk

Settled in the mountainous lands of Fontana, the Auto Club Technical Institute, formerly the Fontana Technical Institute, was the culmination of the Cup Series and its rampant expansion across the plots of yore. It was meant to be gigantic, as all other new universities were, and that size, along with its focus on technical jobs like electricians and mechanics, made it a breeding ground for blue collar sports besides racing. It was one of only a handful of schools to pick up the game of basketball, and as such entered the NSCAA in their 12th season along with the rest of the pack. Two seasons in and the experiment worked like a charm - They made the NSCAA Tournament last season and were three points away from upsetting Old Mountain University and becoming the second Cup Series team in as many seasons to beat Goliath as a 16 seed David.

The Gates, Smythe and Thomson era, however, will likely be the last chance that the ACTI basketball team will shine on a multiversal stage.

The plans were drawn up during the Club's first NSCAA season, but Auto Club Technical Institute is set to undergo what it calls major renovations, renovations that could take two to even three years to complete. During that time, ACTI will downsize considerably from the sprawling campus it once had to a more compact, intimate environment, surrounded by freed up land for warehouses and other technical jobs. The plans call for over half of the buildings to be demolished, including most dormitories, while keeping key buildings and facilities like the Auto Club short track which hosts weekly collegiate racing. One of the buildings in the firing line? Auto Club Arena, home to the Club's basketball team.

Even despite the team's 6-2 start, including winning all but 1 of their games at home, the current plans for the new university mean that the team, containing fresh faced breakout junior Carey Mac-n-Go, will have to move to a different venue in a best case scenario. In the very worst case, even if ACTI win the NSCAA Championship, they will have to close up shop and let all of that talent go to waste. A spokesperson for Auto Club Technical Institute says that "We want to focus on the next generation of students at this fine university, hence why the dramatic reduction in space. The NSCAA outfit is currently being reviewed at, and we have talked to many other universities interested in hosting ACTI home games for next season should we deem them good enough to stay."

Some of the frontrunners to land a gig hosting the Club include Phoenix University, currently undergoing a renaissance and playing host to the western NRC crown jewel Shootout in the Desert 500, as well as Vegas College, JTG University and Loudon Racing College. With the exception of JTG, the venues either have plans for or already have a 10,000 seater or above arena deemed fit for NSCAA competition, while JTG, even with a 4,700 seater venue, have big money backing them from their alumni fund to maintain hosting a big league basketball team.

Of course, there is one major frontrunner that could not only land both the right to host Auto Club home games, but potentially acquire the team should ACTI deem it surplus to requirements - The University of Daytona. Riptide basketball has been a club deal for many seasons, but the capital city institution is expected to be the main frontrunner to court the Club and potentially convert it into their full on NSCAA team, given if they have approval from ACTI themselves, of course. Daytona U president Pete Tennison is supposedly "all in" on hosting or getting the Club for themselves, saying "It would be a massive win for the city to be one of the lucky eight to participate in the madness that is the NSCAA, whether it is hosting a team or getting the Riptide in on the action as a fully fledged unit. We still, of course, wish Auto Club the best of luck no matter what direction they go towards."

ACTI's new focus, including a potential rename back to Fontana Technical Institute, is a mix of online learning and in-house studying. Future students of the institution will likely spend 3/4ths of their time doing online classes and 1/4ths of their time doing hands-on studying in the smaller campus. A Club spokesperson has said that this method could be the thing separating the Club from "Other prestigious universities" like The Legacy Institute and Hendrick State. This plan will likely take full shape when the renovated campus opens up in two to three years time, while during the renovation process classes will shift fully online. There are, however, no plans to buy back the lost land if the new concept fails.

[TJUN-ia]

HPU
Results: Bt by Marebrook by 2, Hanbat State by 13, bt South Antioch by 16, bt by Crown's College by 30.
Standings: 8th in Shango (5-3, +4PD)
After the 4-0 start, the Dragons lost steam in the 2nd fortnight and were seen being swept most of the time and not doing the sweeping. Song Qingwei has been a consistent point-scorer during this time but this team now needs to pick itself up if it wants to return to the top of the Shango.

Al-Hilal
Results: Bt Jasper Technical by 14, Southern N&N by 23, Oppio College by 4 and North Antioch by 29
Standings: 6th in Shining Sun (5-3, +50PD)
On the other side of the coin of the Banijan Conferences, the Islanders of Al-Hilal bounced back big time from a 1-3 start with a 4-0 run that included both tight wins and 20+ point blowouts (both of which were on the road). Jasmina Laamiri has been a key part of this bounce thanks to some spectacular plays from the AU rookie, but can they keep this up?

Central State
Results: Bt Crimson Royal by 4, bt by UCK by 3 and Kitara by 5, bt Antayka College by 14
Standings: 5th in Five Star (5-3, +85PD)
The Grizzlies of CenSta had a bit of a wacky time as they won by 4, lost back-to-back games by a combined 8 points and then won by 14 from out of nowhere. Shamsiya Jumakhonzoda has certainly tried to be clutch in these close-game scenarios and while you can certainly see the potential she carries, she can't do this on her own and the rest of CenSta had to make this unit cohesive if they are to remain in the top half of the Five Star.

UC-Port Town
Results: Bt by Mar Sara Tech by 26, bt Albery by 3, bt by Grande Mountain by 16, bt Pindorama State by 23
Standings: 8th in Salamantica (5-3, +41PD)
Up and down is the name of the game in Port Town as the Green Flash became the 4th TJUN-ian school to post a 5-3 record after the 1st 8 games. You could certainly tell, no matter victory or defeat, that Liza Colón Cosme is the heart of the offensive output of UCPT and that may be needed in the tests to come.

UW-Wollongmatta Bay
Results: Bt by Hangaza Tech by 16, bt NUTR by 17 and USMA by 18, bt by BCTC by 25
Standings: 6th in Woodlands (5-3, +43PD)
MAKE. IT. FIVE. A 2-2 effort by Wisdom on the Bay would see the Wallabies also go 5-3 because that record is apparently tattooed into our fucking brains. Pohiva Nukuʻalofa feels like the rock of UWWB, even at this early stage, but it also feels like everyone has to be just that 5% better if they want any consistency at this level.

UNCA
Results: Bt by Border Baptist by 12, ESAA/UA by 8 and ESC by 22, bt Belogrado by 16.
Standings: 15th in Calania (2-6, -87PD)
Another 1-3 cycle for Carlandas, a school that seemingly cannot break out of the basement no matter how hard they try. Reginalda Gonçalves is certainly trying her best here (and you can certainly feel that), but why does this season already feel like a lost cause for Los Leones?

UNPA
Results: By by RUoN by 30, bt Soria by 5, bt by Jolbonopolis by 1 and Aleppo A&M by 15.
Standings: 15th in Flying Drawk (1-7, -119PD)
HEY, THEY WON A GAME. And also lost one by 1, too. So despite being 1-7, we can actually say that Los Surfistas actually improved in this fortnight. Andressa Alves was pretty good, especially in the win, and hopefully, this is the start of a rise in fortunes for Pacifico.

CPortside
Results: Bt Natanian by 14, bt by Kizza I by 16, bt Antioch State by 27 and Morissland A&M by 16
Standings: 6th in Pink 16 (6-2, +48PD)
Wow...the M's are indeed back. Another 3-1 cycle means they are actually the best TJUN-ian team right now and it certainly feels like College of Portside has its mojo back and in a big way. Jennifer Reagan was a baller here and if they can keep this up, who knows - maybe a return to the Ultra 64 isn't too farfetched?

[Schima Bas]

Stallions remain last undefeated Basian team with efforts from new, old players alike

University of the Southern Coast | Eternal Conference: 8-0, W8
Crown’s College | Shango Conference: 7-1, W2
National College | Big Seven Nine Conference: 7-1, W1
Border Baptist University | Calania Conference: 6-2, W4
Jasper Technological Institute | Shining Sun Conference : 6-2, W2
Morissland A&M | Pink 16 Conference: 6-2, L1
Blue Crescent Technical College | Woodlands Conference: 5-3, L1
Crimson Royal University | Five Star Conference: 5-3, L1

Through the first four games, 5 out of 8 Basian programs were still undefeated.

National College
University of the Southern Coast
Crown’s College
Morissland A&M
Jasper Technological Institute

Now, that number is down to one. Max Morgan’s Stallions squad experienced a lot of ups and downs last year, starting the season 1-3 before sitting around .500 until MDs 21-30, where the team went on a tear, losing only one game in the final stretch of the season. The team made the Pink 16 Conference Championship as a 6th seed, but beat number one seeded University of Aksum in a close thriller, 79-74, cutting the nets in their inaugural season.

“It was pretty unbelievable, to be honest,” said coach Max Morgan. “You always have to have confidence in your ability and the talents of your players, but I’d be lying if I said that I thought we’d be Conference Champions. I’m impressed with the ability of our players to keep a streak like that.”

Well now the Stallions are in an inverted situation. They haven’t found trouble notching wins, in fact they’re up to eight already. Last season it took them until MD 14 to get that number of wins.

On the court, the team has looked to have much more chemistry than last year. Brandon Halbsmann, who struggled last year to such an extent that rumors were spreading that he may be cut from the team for his senior season. That pressure can shut some players down, when they feel like they’re not appreciated. Not the case with Halbsmann, whose ambition translated into a furious devotion to improve.

“He was crazy for a bit, it was nuts,” said teammate Grant Geller. “He was like a cyborg that only had basketball installed on its harddrive. You’d talk to him, like ‘Hey Brandon, you hungry? You want to grab a burger or something?’ He’d just look down and say ‘I’m hungry, but not for burgers.’ He’s not like that, usually. You couldn’t talk to him about anything else, it was like he was possessed.”

This year, we’ve started to see some of that version of Halbsmann. Coach Morgan jokingly said that they should get some students from the University’s engineering department to examine Brandon to “see what’s powering that thing.” The tall shooter put on some muscle in the offseason, and has been able to supplement his 3-point-plays with some momentum-shifting steals.

In addition to their point guard, other players have stepped up this season to make the team’s start the best of any Basian school. Jasper Tech transfer Jimmy Graves has been living up to the high expectations he set last year, and seems to be flourishing in Dos Arbores.

“He’s one of the biggest transfers we’ve ever brought in. It’s not often someone like that squeaks under the radar of the big schools during their high school careers.”

If this team has any downsides, it may be that it has too many ambitious names. There were fairly audible grumbles within the team about their pre-season tournament performance. After beating Border Baptist 68-63 in the first round, National College and Farris Di Arnhem dismantled them 78-63. The stallions never held a lead in that game, and recordings of the post-game coach talk were leaked to the public. Players shouted at one another, placing blame on everyone but themselves. While the team has had great success in the first eight games, who knows how long it can last?

Managing a team with incredible potential, but high volatility is a difficult task. Morgan is going to have to control the wild stallions, without it turning into a season-destroying stampede.

[South Newlandia]

Wait, are we good at this?

Shocking to most, the Egrets have rocketed out to a 7-1 start. That’s certainly not what most observers had expected from the small South Newlandian college where basketball is a third-rate sport, but we’ll get into the keys to their success shortly.
In fact, the Egrets were a couple of flipped plays away from joining Loyola-Istria, Hondo and Talladega in the 8-0 club. In their third game, facing the now 6-2 Jolbonopolis of Quebec, they had a great game on Eqinox Hill. However, in a tight, back-and-forth fourth quarter, it was Estelle Younes-Tardif who prevented the Egrets from winning. She had three blocks in the fourth quarter alone, and demonstrated that she has ice in her veins when she calmly knocked down both free throws to make it a four-point game, putting the game out of reach.
Nevertheless, the Egrets start is nothing short of impressive. One good example is their matchup with Richardson in the eighth game of the season. With Ranorian and South Newlandians already getting along well usually, this game was even more special considering the Egrets are starting two players from Winterfell. Given that they were 6-1 and playing at home, some optimists actually had the Egrets ahead of the Ranorian powerhouse, who will be humiliating EVU on the football field in a few weeks time.
Surely, no one expected the Egrets to cruise to an easy 26-point victory, giving their Snow Bear friends an easy, relaxing fourth quarter free of stress.
At a point differential of +166 through eight games, the Egrets are in elite company, with only two Banijan teams in Northern Moravica and Loyola-Istria (really?? The Egrets just can not get away from those guys, clearly) soaring equally high. The reason the Egrets are doing so well? The obvious answer is that they haven’t actually beaten any teams with a winning record thus far, enjoying a delightfully easy schedule barring the Jolbonopolis game they lost. However, it might not be so simple.
The other part of the reason is that the Egrets have no real weakness on their team, and have been quite good on both sides of the court.
Really, stop laughing. Coach Volgelstein, who is no stranger to leading an Esportivan team to success, has his team playing delightful basketball, and proved that Richardson were wrong to fire him. That’s a theme with coaches that end up in South Newlandia, so they really should have seen it coming.
More importantly, the entire squad has stepped up. Liu and Girogino are splitting enough time to feel fresher than competing point guards, and the Nova Anglican in particular has really punched above his weight. The freshman has been a surprisingly good shooter from three, forcing defenses to adjust.
Kigonga Luswa, meanwhile, has been staying away from negative off-the-field headlines. The other freshman starting for the Egrets might just have been their best player, routinely flying up and down the court, be it absolutely breaking the ankles of RU SF Billy Patterson before taking an easy layup, flying down the court to deny Jolbo’s Gladys Ntwali points in transition with an amazing block, or finishing with a thundering slam dunk to put back a Liu shot that rimmed out. His potential is clearly enormous, if he can keep his grades up; and even there, he seems to have been making progress. Perhaps, the South Newlandian campus has given him the surroundings he needed to thrive; one of his sparse off-the-field headlines was him being sighted trying to talk to a wild bird that had gotten lost on campus.
Center Darterrius Hudson of Hannasea doesn’t have a long highlight reel, but if you watch the games, you can see the enormous value he brings to this team. The sophomore has been very reliable both on defense and when it comes to rebounding, while also embracing that the best ability is availability. He knows that the Egrets do not have another good center on the team and that he’ll likely need to lead the team in minutes; which, so far, he does. That playstyle obviously necessitates slowing down at times.
Of course, we so far have omitted the two leaders of the team. On the court, that’s Shooting Guard Annie Becker, who seems to be able to do it all lately, playing excellent on both sides of the ball. Her stats indicate she may be getting a bit lucky from three-point range right now, but maybe, it’ll be sustainable.
Off the court, perhaps the biggest reason for the Egrets’ success, the leader of the team is Power Forward Niklas Schäfer. While mostly standing out as a defensive specialist on the court, he has become a great mentor and elefriend? Egrefriend? He and Kigonga Luswa have become great friends, is my point, with the two often seen hanging out together. The senior Schäfer, who also stands out as a great student, seems to be helping Luswa with his schoolwork as well as refining his basketball abilities. The two forwards have also developed a fantastic connection, as seen in the third quarter against Richardson. With Schäfer in possession, he doesn’t need to communicate a plan to Luswa, who simply knows he’ll have a ball to pick up right under the rim in a moment. With the pass arriving right on time, Luswa puts it in for an easy two points to make it a seventeen-point game.

What’s next for the Egrets? They have a tough schedule coming up, with currently 8-0 Hondo coming to town on matchday 12. The games after that feature back-to-back games against one of the best schools in the sport in ULI; and Talladega. Those will be the games Ratzupalfu will really be tested again, and it likely will not be easy. Their breakneck pace is definitely going to slow down.

[Cassadaigua]

College basketball ratings strong thus far,
by Kenzie Sherman, Concord Heights Times

Cassadagans have been tuning in to the early conference games of the 14th NSCAA Tournament, even when schools are involved that our fans have never heard of before. There could be many reasons for this, and that goes beyond the whole, "basketball fans will watch basketball games no matter what" school of thought. If you want to watch basketball right now, you have plenty of opportunities to do so. While places like Northern Moravica University (Banija), Mar Sara Tech (Valanora), or Elmanden District University (Drawkland) may be far away from Cassadaigua, our fans have gotten familiar with those colleges, and thus they are interested in watching them play basketball. You can credit our long time participation in the tournament for that, more than anything else. If you don't believe me, I asked people in a local bar why they were interested in watching Elmanden take on Schima Bas' University of The Southern Coast. It couldn't just be because Brattleboro Technical Institute is also in this conference, could it? Maybe in Brattleboro, you can see that being a reason, but in Concord Heights, there's more to do. Hailey Buckner was one of the people crowded together at the pub's several large TV screens, and she told me that, "I love Elmanden, they're really good, and those Schima Bas schools last time were pretty impressive. I knew this would be a good game." But what is the actual appeal? Buckner told me it was simple, "I'll watch New Lakeland play Victoriaville in soccer or baseball. Why would I do that, they play in Western Cassadaigua? I do it because I like watching the skillsets of the players. You're missing out if you're just focused on your own schools and not the locations from all around the world." Amy Humphrey, who was seated near Buckner went on to say, "In the tournament, sure I want to root for a Cassadagan school to win it, but right now, I don't have to root for Brat Tech, so why would I? I'd rather enjoy all of the games!"

Thus far, there have been a total of eight games played throughout all of the conferences, and we're just starting to get a feel right now about how our schools may do. Drawkish and Banijan schools are expected to be at or near the top and they are finding their way there, but I think that we also forget a little about the colleges from TJUN-ia, or Ranoria. We'll be right there with them, and pretty soon, we'll starting having enough games played between our eight to really see how they are stacking up within their conference. My next report, which will come after the twelfth games are played will begin to look closer at the way each of our programs are handling things thus far.

[Valanora]

Through the first month of the NSCAA, the results have been quite varied for the different schools representing the Empire in the competition, which leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth of the players for the schools who are suffering more than their countrymen in other conferences. If there is a single consistency for the Vanorian representatives though through the last several editions of this tournament, it has been the University of Hondo, who remains the last unbeaten team from the Empire having easily replaced four of their five starters that made the semifinals of the last edition. Whatever the coaches are doing over in Hondo, the rest of the schools from the Empire will be wanting the secret to so that their own results can begin to improve as we march towards the midway point of conference play. It is at this point where teams should really start to understand their strengths and weaknesses and be making the sort of adjustments that they will need to start to be more competitive moving forward, or in the case of team like Hondo maintain that strong start and dominance that they have enjoyed thus far.

Something that has been a bit of a change between the teams representing the nation this edition of the tournament and teams that have entered into previous editions of the tournament is that there has been a better recruitment of those players with a bit of height and strength to them. While in general Vanorians are not going to be as large as most of their contemporaries, particularly exceptionally specimens like which come out of Drawkland for instance, there has been a bit of a shift in the average heights of players coming out of academies and high schools. While this is a good thing, allowing the Vanorian schools to be able to compete with the rest of the teams physically at a level bit more of an equal edge, the ability to actually have an interior game for teams that have not had that capability before, it does not look initially like it is going to have a drastic impact on the way that Vanorian teams tend to play the sport. If there is a noticeable switch in play, it is perhaps a change to where more zone coverage is being used when not in the fast break, allowing the big to be in the center guarding the rim better.

Eiril Rørvik has been the real difference maker for Hondo, with the shooting guard averaging twelve points through the first eight games with over sixty percent shooting from the field. The sophmore continues the trend of great shooting guards for Hondo, but unlike the previous two seasons, it is not a one person show even if she is the focal point that has been the engine that has gotten Hondo going for the most part. It is impressive that Hondo has been able to replace almost the entire starting line up and still managed to have a perfect start and it all has to go to the coaching staff, who has trained the underclassmen to be able to step into these positions and find success where they might ought to have struggled. Getting them game time in previous years has also shown its dividends, even if it is sometimes a difficult decision to split the playing time when the starters are having good games. It has all truly come good for Hondo now and if things continue as they are, there is no reason why this university can not start to be considered among the blue bloods or why they should not believe another deep run in the Ultra 64 is not beyond their reckoning.

[Valanora]

This is the opening cutoff for MD9-12.

[Ranoria]

@SportsCritical Why do people waste their time on these silly spectacles?

[The NASCAR Cup Series]

||||||NASCAR SCENE

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HOT DUECE
Penske College only one of 3 undefeated teams remaining across the NSCAA

The atmosphere being generated across Mooresville for the Penske College Deuces have reached an absolute fever pitch. Sure, they aren't quite the #1 team in college basketball quite yet (That honor, as decided by the NCS nationwide NSCAA poll, goes to the Loyola-Istria Blue Thunder although they have a loss to their name in the brutal Flying Drawk), but they are only one of three teams remaining across the NSCAA with a spotless, clean record. One. Of three. Out of one hundred and sixty. Being very good at college racing is one thing for Penske College is in their DNA, in fact they're one of only a select few schools to do late model, stock and "open wheel" racing. College basketball? That's another story.

Just the season before, Penske College were nothing more than mediocrity. At times below 500 even through the back half of the Eternal Conference campaign, they finished a straight 15-15 heading into the tournament, right in the middle and needing a miracle to head to the NSCAA Tournament. That miracle, of course, didn't come - They did get a conference tourney win against Fabula de Forma in the first round, but were no match for Elmanden District University in the quarter-finals. They barely even slid into the DCIT, the poor teams tournament featuring the "best teams" who didn't make the big dance, earning the 19 seed. Out of 22 competitors. Like before, the won in the first round but then lost to Universidad Carlandas in the last 16.

So why this sudden change? Most point to one man and one man only - Corntoter Langford. The sophomore forward, like a good driver sliding into a car that can wheel it around with the right guy, has electrified the Deuces offense to the point where Donnie Thwaite is seen as a sixth man option on a good day. What once was a midpack team has become one who, alongside Southern Coast and Hangaza Tech, have a goose egg next to the loss column. Some scouts from other Cup Series schools have reportedly said that he might be on the radar of professional teams with how he has turned around the fortunes of PC.

"He has the drive and ambition of an all-NSCAA athlete in only his sophomore season", one Talladega scout has said to NASCAR Scene. "His speed, his cunning ability to know where the ball should go, those pick-n-rolls and immaculate layups... He could play in the EBA in two seasons time, if not one seasons time. He has the ceiling of a basketball legend, and I think he's on the road to reaching it." As of right now, Penske College hasn't said that he has been getting offers from professional teams, instead insisting that "He will always be a Deuce from now until he graduates."

Truth be told, Langford's demolition of the Shining Sun alongside his Deuces teammates has made them a dark horse for lifting the NSCAA title, but not without hiccups on the road to 12-0. Their fourth game of the season was against conference heavyweights Al-Hilal, a match that, thanks to a last-second Jasmina Laamiri three, went into overtime, with Penske escaping from Rusty Tires Court with a win thanks to an Al Huxley masterclass. Things went close again on matchday 7 away from home at a promising Drawk Corps U team led by Tom Chalk's impeccable coaching and a one life left attitude that, heading into the game, got them at 6-0 alongside Penske. They only won by 3 thanks to Todd Oaklen botching his shots. Apart from a nailbiter away from home at Politechnica Soria, all their other games have been relative blowouts or comfortable affairs.

However, there are still 2 teams left on their slate before the halfway point begins that will determine if PC are contenders for the NSCAA title or pretenders. We haven't seen Corntoter and the Deuces take on New Lakeland or Jasper Technical even once, as they sit second and fourth respectively inside the Shining Star Conference, although NLU are two wins back from this electric Penske College outfit. Most outfits don't really have a grasp for how the NSCAA season would roughly shape out until the halfway point, especially with the NSCAA selection committee watching the ebbs and flows of every conference. Great games against these two crucial, quadrant 1 opponents could elevate Penske College to the 1 seed column alongside Loyola heading into the second half of conference play.

But you know college basketball. Everybody has to get at least one loss in their books. Right?

[TJUN-ia]

HPU
Results: Bt Flanelis by 42(!), bt by MPI by 12, bt Old Mountain by 1 and CHBS by 16
Standings: 6th in Shango (8-4, +51PD)
The Dragons of Hongxai only slipped at home to MPI in this 3rd cycle, with the other 3 games all telling great stories - scoring 118 points on Flanelis, a walk-off at Old Mountain and a good win over a good team like Concord Heights Beauty School. Ma Rui was the one who walked that OMU game off and she's certainly been a threat so far in a Shango that continues to toughen up.

Al-Hilal
Results: Bt Nahda Academy by 2 and Osheana State by 38(!), bt by Yutak State by 5, bt Drawk Corps by 37(!)
Standings: 3rd in Shining Sun (8-4, +122PD)
While 8-4 in the Shango gets you 6th, 8-4 in the Shining Sun got the Islanders to 3rd as Al-Hilal only slipped once in a cycle that included two absolute demolition jobs...including one done on fucking Drawk Corps. Sayeed Abdulla can both make and break a game for this Islanders squad and if they want the good times to flow at the Royal Center, then he will certainly play his part in that outcome.

Central State
Results: Bt Larashen by 37(!), Al Hamrah City by 10, bt by Cold Hill by 32(!), bt Cavsar by 22
Standings: 4th in Five Star (8-4, +122PD)
The Grizzlies of CenSta both won and lost a game by 30+ points in this fortnight as they returned a 3-1 record out of this cycle, with Cold Hill the ones to kill them and Larashen the ones who got destroyed at Arena Doblesti. Shamsiya Jumakhonzoda was once again brilliant but Igor Kuchayev was certainly a threat too and if this team can continue to click, then the U64 is certainly up for grabs.

UC-Port Town
Results: Bt Arbea by 2 and Jbeil by 18, bt by Vricksinburg State by 13 and Sadeg State by 41(!)
Standings: 8th in Salamantica (7-5, +7PD)
Literally, a cycle of two halves for the Green Flash as Port Town started off so clutch and then fell off a cliff by way of Sadeg State. Kendra Braithwaite was still fighting whether she was up 10 or down 20, but losing by 41 is never a good look for anyone and UCPT knows it.

UW-Wollongmatta Bay
Results: Bt Capuletta by 20, NUFM by 27, bt by The Carleton School by 7, bt Antioch Tech by 1
Standings: 5th in Woodlands (8-4, +84PD)
This cycle would end up being pretty good for Wisdom on the Bay as they managed to only lose once, despite a tight one on the road at Antioch Tech nearly derailing this 3-1 fortnight. Maalosi Fakailoga was a key part of that, both assist-maker and points-scorer in his own right and you can certainly feel the Wallabies are finding their true flow as the games go on.

UNCA
Results: Bt Southern by 3, Al Nassr by 15 and Brusnia State by 3, bt by Cemmendy Tech by 31(!)
Standings: 8th in Calania (5-7, -97PD)
Hey, Los Leones are actually respectable now. Sure, Cemmendy Tech did send UNCA to the shadow realm but before that, they were actually playing some clutch basketball and they deserve this 3-1 cycle. Samantha Cruz showed her stuff here and continued the upward momentum Carlandas is currently heading...the question is, can this continue.

UNPA
Results: Bt Tecnológico de Montesur by 10 and Endborough by 10, bt by Kharakia City by 5 and Richardson by 19
Standings: 12th in Flying Drawk (3-9, -123PD)
Los Surfistas actually won back-to-back games for the first time this season and while yes, things did fall off towards the end of this cycle, UNPA is actually starting to feel more and more competitive as the games go on. Rafaelle has been a massive part of this uptick in fortunes in the UAS, but they need to keep going if they want to get out of this hole they are currently in.

CPortside
Results: Bt Madoka State by 9, Ranoria State by 10, Raikennax by 29(!) and Lynchana by 31(!)
Standings: 3rd in Pink 16 (10-2, +127PD)
Holy fuck. Ladies and Gentlemen, the M's are officially back! College of Portside went on a 4-0 run this cycle, including 2 30-point drubbings that helped send the Mariners into 3rd in the Pink 16. Hernando Jotara was just a baller here on both sides of the ball and now...who knows how far this team can go.

[Cassadaigua]

Checking out our schools,
by Kenzie Sherman, Concord Heights Times

We are almost halfway, believe it or not, into the conference play of the NSCAA Tournament, so let's take a trip around the tournament to see how our eight schools are performing after twelve games.

Eastern Starksville College (11-1, 1st, Calania Conference)- So, how's this for the first time playing in the NSCAA tournament? Eastern Starksville's run to the elite eight as a mid major was impressive enough, and fans were hoping that they would be able to carry that momentum into the NSCAA. Thus far, they have passed the test with flying colors, but this group knows that the ship can come crashing down at any moment, so you don't want to get a big head over things that have happened. With Cemmendy Tech and Turbani Tech right behind them in the standings, there is still plenty of work left to do. Hailey Wotherspoon is averaging 25.2 points per game right now, which is the best of any Cassadagan that is participating in this tournament. The Junior is just taking it one game at a time, "I have always taking a lot of pride in my physical conditioning, so I know I can handle this workload. Every game is a new chance to shine, so make the most of it!"

New Lakeland University (10-2, 2nd Shining Sun Conference)- The one time champions of the tournament obviously do not have anyone left on their roster from the NSCAA 9 winners, but head coach Kelsey Stratton does have that experience. This squad that made the final four in Cassadaigua this year, and won the national championship three years ago seems to be looking good right now within the Shining Sun Conference. Penske College, from the we don't do NSSCRA but still call ourselves Nascar nation is undefeated right now, and one of the three schools that New Lakeland has not played yet in the conference. The Tycoons got themselves a nice fifteen point win over another NSCAA regular, Raynor University, recently, but that one probably has not hit their best stride as of yet. At 8-4, we can expect that Drawk Corps University will be a bigger threat, too.

Concord Heights Beauty School (8-4, T4th, Shango Conference)- Got off to a quick start, capturing their first four games before a loss to University of Brusnia set them back a bit. They've only been a .500 team since that point, but I do believe that they will be able to turn it around again. Both offensively and defensively, they are within the top five of the conference, and their +134 point differential is better than anyone that they are in the fourth place tie with. Coach Cate Hesson has been in the NSCAA Tournament and knows how long this can be, but also knows that you don't want to fall back into a bubble position. "Depending on your persepective, we're fourth or eighth, or anywhere in between. The thing is, fourth makes you pretty safe to get into the Ultra 64 and eighth has you on the bubble, at best. It's not like we have to dramatically make things over like someone who might you know, actually need a makeover, but we'll be looking to find some small areas where we can get better results. Getting into the Ultra 64 is what it is all about."

Brattleboro Technical Institute (8-4, T4th, Eternal Conference)- The Brats aren't leading the conference, but most reports say they are playing pretty well, overall. That was until their most recent game, where they lost 88-75 to the then 3-8 University of Caxambu. "That was inexcusable," center Jessica Nugent said after the game, "we got into foul trouble early, and I don't think the refs were helping us out too much, but you have to adjust to what they are calling. We know better than that, and just played a real clunker of a game. If it's our only one, then we can get by." I feel pretty confident that they will be able to put that behind them as after all, that's just the nature of sports. I will say, though, I do think the officials in that game were a little too happy with the whistle on our own team. But that all evens out over the course of a long season.

Grande Mountain University (8-4, T5th Salamantica Conference)- Grande Mountain University has become a little notorious recently for getting off to a slow start in the NSCAA tournament, so really I don't think there is anything wrong with them sitting at 8-4. The bigger problem with that is that this record is only good enough for a share of fifth place, and that is something that is going to keep them on the bubble if they don't pick it up just a little bit. Offensively, they have been average though have made up for it a little bit on the other end of the court. After graduating three starters last year, they have done a good job keeping the program ticking at a high level at home, but now these new starters are beginning to learn the growing pains of the expanded schedule that NSCAA games provide. They're doing as good as can be expected.

Brattleboro University (7-5, T6th, Woodlands Conference)- What many people outside Cassadaigua probably don't realize is that enrollment wise, Brattleboro University has almost twice the student population as Brat Tech. The sporting program has never been as good, but this year, they are able to join their in-city rival in the NSCAA Tournament. Four of the five starters are either freshman or sophomores, so they will be hoping to make additional trips over the next couple years but what this also means is that these kids are just now beginning to experience the added workload that this competition begins. Freshman Courtney Messier admits, "I have never played more than like forty games in a year. That was in high school plus a slate of AAU games. Now the regular college season was okay, and now this. Plus all the demands of being a student to go with it. It's tough to balance, but I can do it. We all can. I think the best is yet to come for us."

University of Concord Heights (6-6, 8th, Big Seven Nine Conference)- A little hard to figure this one out, but the reigning national championship are only able to play .500 ball right now. Some are wondering if the team is having a hard time getting "up" for the NSCAA's after taking home the title in Cassadaigua just a few weeks before this began. No one is making excuses, and this is not a school that you ever want to write off. Courtney Larkin has struggled, averaging only 13 points per game, so you might have to look no further that. However, coach Nicole Phillips does not want people to take that low hanging fruit, "Courtney is only averaging thirteen a game because us a group are not doing the little things. Courtney can shoulder some blame, but so does everyone else. And that starts with me, I obviously need to go a better job. The good thing is, look, we know we can turn this around."

Victoriaville Medical Institute (3-9, T11th, Flying Drawk Conference)- We're not doing as well in the Drawkish conferences for some reason, but the play of VMI has been pretty stunning. Surely, they are a lot better than this? Well, at least there is still time for them to turn it around. With so many things that seem to be off, we cannot pinpoint one or two things that need to happen. The whole thing needs to get better. Can they finally get in a groove? We certainly hope so!

[Banija]

Presenting - the NSCAA 14 crossword puzzle!

The creation of the said puzzle is my RP for the night, so please grade accordingly, and solve away! Just two notes

#1 Ignore apostrophes (aka the phrase "Alabama's arena" would just be "Alabamasarena"
#2 Ignore spaces (aka "Northern Moravica" would be "NorthernMoravica")

Enjoy!

[Cassadaigua]

Here's the opening cutoff for MD 13-16!

[South Newlandia]

“Man, why are they making me do math, Nik. I hate this, I don’t want to do algebra. I just wanted a sports management degree, man.”
“What do you think management means, Kig? It’s going to involve some math, broskie.”
“If I’m going to need to do actual algebra by hand, I’m not sure I want to get into management after all. I knew coming in Ratzupalfu wasn’t just going to be a free degree, but this sucks.”
“Well, maybe you won’t need to do the algebra by hand, Kig, but for one, I’ll be good to double-check if your results are right, and for two, part of getting a degree is proving that you can get work done even if it’s boring and kinda doesn’t have a purpose. C’mon, bro, want me to take a look at this with you? We can go play some ball after we’re done with homework, maybe shoot a couple free throws. It’s getting late.”
“Look, this first task, I gotta figure out if two lines intersect, and where they do it if they do. We got 3x squared minus 2x plus 5 for one, and -8x plus 11 for the other. How do I do that?”
“Ah, bro, Algebra I. Memories. Feels like it was yesterday when I was taking that same class.”
“Stop grinning like that, Nik, and help me, please. Actually, before that, explain to me what even the use of this stuff is.”
“Well, that first curve is a parabola, and those tend to show up at all kinds of points. A basketball shot, for example, travels like that. Maybe not the most applicable thing ever, but its useful sometimes.”
“Alright, whatever you say, bro.”
“So, a parabola and a straight line can have two intersection points, or one, or none. First step in this is to set the two equal to each other and then simplify. So, 3(x^2)-2x+5 = -3x+7. Move the second part to the first side, so we get it to equal zero at the end.”
“That’d be 3(x^2)+x-2=0, right?”
“Right. Next, we gotta use the quadratic formula. My old teacher used to call it the midnight formula, because if we woke us up at midnight, we still should be able to know it. Weird dude. Anyway, -b(+/-)sq(b^2-4ac), and all that divided by 2a.”
“Uuuh, so that’s -1(+/-)(sq(1^2-4*3*(-2)), all that divided by 3 times 2 equals 6. That middle part is negative 24, so 1+24, is equal to 25. Square root of that is 5. So we got -1(+/-)5 divided by 6.”
“Yup, that’s right, Kig, well done! Now you can get the two solutions to the quadratic.”
“the plus one is 4/6, or 2/3, and the minus one is -6/6 equals -1 exactly. What’s next?”
“So we know now that the two lines intersect at those two points on the x-axis, so we can input the points into either one. We’ll go with the straight line obviously.”
“So 2/3 into -3x+7, that’s -2+7, that’s five. So the first point is (2/3 / 5). And negative one into there, that’s 3+7, which is 10. So (-1 / 10). Is that it?”
“Yup, awesome work! Let’s quickly put -1 into the parabola, just to double check. “
“Fine. (3*-1^2)-(2*-1)+5. Negative one squared, that’s one, times three is three. Minus negative 2, we’re at 5, and plus 5, that’s 10. So it all adds up.”
“Awesome, Kig! You’ll be passing that class in no time, you got this. Alright, lets play a round of HORSE and then watch some game tape. Loyola-Istria as prep and then some of Nostsian to fall asleep.”
“Thanks, Nik. You know I’d be screwed out here without you.”

[The NASCAR Cup Series]

||||||NASCAR SCENE

---

INTRODUCING THE PENMON FORMULA
How do some of the conference leaders rank just after the halfway stretch of the regular season?

It's a question that's usually asked and answered pretty well in the hard knocks sport of college football - Which team is actually the best? The question has been answered for much of the history of the NSCF by the OSPI formula, but it has been since been announced to be phased out instead for a newer formula. For college basketball, that hasn't really been answered. Some may point to the Selection Committee as the one who ranks teams, while numerous other polls have been conducted to "screw around and find out". Basketball hippies at Penske College have, however, found out a "solution" that can rank, at the very least, every conference leader based on their results throughout the season leading up to the NSCAA Tournament.

The PenMon formula (Named because some guys from Penske College thought up of it on a piece of paper in English 204 class on a Monday) takes into account the 16 team nature of modern NSCAA conferences and uses it to its advantage. Each conference is split up into 4 quadrants - Quadrant 1 is the top 4, Quadrant 2 is 5th through 8th, Quadrant 3 is 9th through 12th and Quadrant 4 is the bottom 4 in a conference. If you win against a team from Quadrant 1, you get higher points than beating a team from any other quadrant. The PenMon formula is as follows.

For every win:
((1+(m/10)/(q))*a
Where:
m = winning point difference (Does account for overtime)
q = quadrant opponent was in (As of the matchday just gone)
(Quadrant 1 = 1, Quadrant 2 = 1.5, Quadrant 3 = 2, Quadrant 4 = 2.5
a = advantage (.9 if home, 1.1 if away, 1 if neutral)

The PenMon formula's advantage (Or disadvantage) is that, from matchday to matchday, it fluctuates up until the conference tournaments, due to the fact that teams can change which quadrant they're in on a game to game basis. A team in Quadrant 2 one day can go into Quadrant 1 the next, giving a team who beat them a better PenMon point grab than if they stayed in Quadrant 2. For that reason, we'll only focus on the conference leaders for this example of the PenMon formula in action, as they all have the same records - At least 3 Quadrant 1 teams and 4 teams from each of the remaining quadrants, plus an extra game. Here's the breakdown of the results for two teams picked at random from the 10 conference leaders:

University of Kitara (BNJ) - Five Star Conference
Total: 23.862
Q1: 3.900 Q2: 5.540 Q3: 9.597 Q4: 4.825

The Legacy Institute (NCS) - Shango Conference
Total: 22.133
Q1: 3.060 Q2: 10.866 Q3: 5.495 Q4: 2.712
If there's any discrepancies, make sure to let us know. Manual calculation can be hard!

Kitara's demolition of Quadrant 3 opposition heading into the halfway point majorly helped their PenMon rating, and so did TLI when it came to the Quadrant 2 teams. When it came to the three Quadrant 1 opponents, however, the close games meant that not a lot of points were put on the board for either team, although Kitara got close to 4 points total when all was calculated. The dynamic nature of PenMon, however, exposes how fluid these rankings can be. A single team bouncing from one quadrant to another could boost or tank a team's PenMon stock. At the very least, however, this is an experiment. Math used to see which team is (Technically speaking) better than another. Will it catch on? Who the hell knows.

[Banija]

OOC Note: This is an extremely opinionated writer with extremely biased opinions. As the writer is a graduate of the University of Moravica, he is particularly biased towards the University of Moravica, and particularly biased against Northern Moravica.

The Coulibaly Corner: Your one stop shop for everything college football!

Hey guys! Welcome back to my corner of the internet for everything college football! I, of course, usually cover the NSCF, especially the two Banijan schools, as well as domestic college football here in Banija. But I'm a U of M grad, aren't I? The University of Moravica are the dictionary definition of a basketball school, especially these days. Two NSCAA Championship game appearances. An Ultra 64 #1 overall seed. And an absolutely heart wrenching loss to Loyola-Istria in last year's Elite 8, who then went on to win the whole damn thing.

Bastards.

As a U of M grad, I always pay attention to the NSCAAs. Now, this blog always gives you a different perspective. Sometimes, I wake up, and I like to throw fire on things. Piss everybody off at once for no reason. And sometimes, I just like to take a look at things. Today, we're gonna rank the football schools in the NSCAA- how good are these football schools doing on the hardwood?

P.S. Loyola-Istria hasn't won a playoff game in 6 seasons, and it's about to be 7 seasons- almost no chance they even make the playoffs, let alone win a game once they're there. There ain't no way U of M would be in the NSCF for 7 straight seasons and never once at least win a playoff game. Someone tell A-MV to transfer to Slobochia!

Random Ranking- How good are our NSCF schools on the hardwood?

Active NSCF Schools in NSCAA 14
Celestia - 5
Loyola-Istria (BNJ)
Northern Moravica (BNJ)
Ratzupalfu University of Nature (SNL)
Elephant Valley (SNL)
Universidade de Soria (LIS)
Big 8 - 4
Richardson (RAN)
Cold Hill (RAN)
LeBois Santura (CAD)
New Cardonia State (CAD)
Horizon - 2
Cavsar University (DRK)
Sadeg State (DRK)
Mineral - 1
UC-Baker Park (CBP)
Note: There are 8 TJUN-ian schools in the NSCAA, but none of them are TJUN-ia's two NSCF schools, Trent State & Green City
Woodlands - 3
N&N Palæontological-Centred Research University Dinosaurs (NTN)
Crimson Royal College (SHM)
Crown's College (SHM)
Note: There are 8 Quebecois schools in the NSCAA, but none of them are Quebec's two NSCF schools, USC & Saguenay
Zephyr - 2
Raynor University (VAL)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
Former - 2
New Lakeland (CDG)
Brat Tech (CDG)
My Alma Mater - 1
University of Moravica (BNJ)

That's 20 schools- including 17 schools where their gridiron programs are active in the NSCF this season! A good enough sample size to start checking on records. And a good point in the season- just over the halfway mark.

 # Aggregate Table                               Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)              16   15   1  1447 1056 +391
 1 Northern Moravica University (BNJ)             16   14   2  1389 1023 +366
 1 University of Moravica (BNJ)                   16   14   2  1353 1095 +258
 2 Cold Hill University (RAN)                     16   14   2  1253 1075 +178
 2 New Lakeland University (CDG)                  16   13   3  1291 1034 +257
 2 Ratzupalfu University of Nature (SNL)          16   13   3  1351 1097 +254
 3 Crown's College (SHM)                          16   13   3  1307 1112 +195
 3 Elephant Valley University (SNL)               16   12   4  1306 1120 +186
 3 Sadeg State University (DRK)                   16   12   4  1250 1097 +153
 4 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)                            16   11   5  1306 1152 +154
 4 Crimson Royal University (SHM)                 16   11   5  1273 1158 +115
 5 Raynor University (VAL)                        16   10   6  1251 1185  +66
 5 Brattleboro Technical Institute (CDG)          16   10   6  1308 1164 +144
 5 Cavsar University (DRK)                        16   10   6  1270 1116 +154
 6 Richardson University (RAN)                    16    9   7  1261 1204  +5
10 University of the Commonwealth (CBP)           16    7   9  1259 1299  −40
11 New Cardonia State (CAD)                       16    6  10  1187 1282  −95
13 LeBois Santura University (CAD)                16    5  11  1226 1304  −78
13 NTN Palæontological-Centered Research U (NTN)  16    4  12  1123 1324 −201
16 Universidade de Soria (LIS)                    16    3  13  1120 1339 −219

Of course, the ranking isn't perfect- huge fluctuations in strength of schedule, depending on your conference. But here we go- a reasonably accurate depiction of how the NSCAA's 20 football schools are doing. But what do these numbers mean? Let's take an interesting dive...

14- The number of football schools who sit with 10 wins or more

If you subscribe to the theory that you're going to need probably a minimum of 20 wins to qualify for the Ultra 64, you're going to want to be sitting with at least 10 wins now- or, if you aren't, at least be armed with a plan to catch fire in the second half of the season, and quick. It's not an exact science- but generally, most seasons, if you've got at least 20 wins, including a conference tournament win, you're almost assuredly going to the Big Dance. You've got, at that point, around a 90% chance at that point. So at this point in the season, you're going to want to have 10 wins.

There are further ways to dive into this number. But 70% of the football schools are on track to get to at least 20 wins, and there's another, Richardson University, who sit at 9-7(didn't they start 4-0? Maybe the Blue Thunder are really out here as the destroyer of worlds?) What's the reasoning here? It's nothing to do with the sport of football, really. It really comes down to this- in their respective schools, these schools probably have the biggest sports brands across their country. Even if not necessarily the biggest basketball specific brands, their deep pocketed alumni bases and business connections allow them to recruit in their own countries, at the top or near the top, every single year.

Think about Loyola-Istria and NMU. Historically, not so great at basketball. But this extra financial muscle from the NSCF was spread across their sports programs. They're getting more and more national titles, and Loyola-Istria, of all schools(fucking HELL it pisses me off every time I write it) was the first school to win the NSCAA championship, just last cycle. Northern Moravica has done something similar. They've never made it past the Sweet 16 in the NSCAAs- yet, they're playing like gangbusters this season, sitting at 14-2 as they chase a top 4 regional seed in the Ultra 64.

Expect the unexpected- here come the South Newlandians

Nobody expected much out of the South Newlandian schools in this competition. Least of all South Newlandian fans themselves. But they've gotten ready for this competition. These schools, understanding their experience in gridiron, were smart about program building and roster construction. They hired foreign coaches- RUoN got their hands on Markus Vogelstein, who coached RU in NSCAA 13, winning a conference title. He also coached Hannasea to a gold medal at the Olympiad, and took their NT to a IBC championship game.

These coaches were given free reign to recruit across the multiverse for players- and they did exactly that. Neither of their starting 5s features a single South Newlandian. They both struggled mightily in the Orange Sky Classic, the preseason tournament in Banija, to start the season. But they're both out here, kicking ass. Despite Vogelstein once again being defeated by the Blue Thunder(he can't escape them, can he??), he's got the Egrets rolling. Sitting at 13-3 and second place in the conference, they've got as good of a chance at any at winning a conference title this year.

EVU sit at 12-4, and might be even more excited. They jumped out to an 11-1 start, and now they've beaten NMU at first try- something their gridiron team could not do, in either gridiron or basketball. Similar strategy to RUoN. Faraba Savaneh is a former Banijan NT star, and he coached Loyola-Istria in the NSCAAs before, having prior experience. Put together a squad of Banijans and Chromatiks, and they are competing. They hit a little rough spot(losing 3 of their last 4), but a buzzer-beating corner three by Antionette Alikova to beat NMU really has them dreaming. Could they make a run?

Loyola tormenting all of its rivals

MD6: University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ) 96–63 Richardson University (RAN)
MD14: Ratzupalfu University of Nature (SNL) 71–80 University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)

The first one, was a slaughter. Going into that huge rivalry game, RU were sitting at 4-1, and the Blue Thunder were 5-0. And then, the Blue Thunder beat them by 33 points. Kicked the shit out of them. Destroyed them. They jumped out to a 19-5 lead in this one, with the Egrets starting a shocking 1/12 from the field, with the Blue Thunder's ferocious defense. And when you're down 19-5 with 11:22 left in the game, and at that point you're already taking a timeout, you know its over. The home stadium was packed to the absolute brim, and the crowd was rocking, serenading their players as they piled on and on. It's sent RU into a tailspin- they were 4-1 heading into that game, lost, and then since that game, they sit just at an even .500, sitting at 5-5.

"It was a game where it was simple- we destroyed their confidence, and showed them exactly who was the best basketball team in this rivalry, hell, in this conference." Madi Jata, Loyola's head coach said. And then, we'll talk about the other rivalry here- ULI v. RUoN. Another gridiron based rivalry, thanks to their days in the NSCF. This game, of course, was a lot closer. But think of the storylines here. RUoN are coached by Markus Vogelstein. He won the conference tournament with RU last year, to take the last surprise bid to the Ultra 64. He leveraged that to getting a job with one of the top NTs in the world, Hannasea, and went to an IBC title game, while earning an Olympic gold medal.

His credentials, to say the least, are impeccable.

And yet, he simply can't seem to escape the Blue Thunder. Blue Thunder swept his RU squad in NSCAA 13, going 2-0, with RU fans giving him all sorts of grief. And even at the international level, he's got all sorts of accomplishments. But he experienced an early elimination from the most recent IBCs at the hands of Banija, who were led by, guess who- Loyola's former star PG! And then, to add insult to injury- they fired him for it! So his last memory coaching the Hannasea NT would be Obasie Khoza, as well as other Loyola-connected Banijan coaches shit talking him on the sideline, as the game ended.

Off to RUoN, asked to program build- knowing he'd be given a long leash. Immediately building a program capable of winning their conference- he's got a legitimate chance of becoming one of just a few coaches to win a conference title with schools from two different nations. ANd even beyond that- RUoN is good enough to make a run at the Ultra 64. Yet, while it was close, he once again couldn't get the job done against Loyola-Istria- it's like he's seeing ghosts. It's a personal rivalry at this point, and Loyola's got the upper hand. He's got another shot at them- will he finally be able to beat them? Or is it just going to be one of those things- death, taxes, and Vogelstein losing to anything that's Loyola-adjacent?

[TJUN-ia]

HPU
Results: Bt N&NPCRU by 13, bt by AN de Grandeville by 1 in OT, bt Brusnia by 15, bt by The Legacy Institute by 32(!)
Standings: 6th in Shango (10-6, +46PD)
Are the Dragons of Hongxai starting to lose some steam in the Shango? Beacuse that's how this cycle felt as an OT loss and a crushing defeat to Legacy led HPU to a 2-2 cycle. Gu Ying was certainly running her ass off for this team and making big plays, but will her efforts be enough to keep this season on the right track?

Al-Hilal
Results: Bt by Keewatinook by 11, bt Politechnica Soria by 27 and Niccostrato Naval Academy by 4, bt by Raynor by 6.
Standings: 4th in Shining Sun (10-6, +136PD)
Yeah, this wasn't exactly the best cycle for the Islanders of Al-Hilal either as they went 2-2 - including a 4-point win against NNA and a 6-point loss at Raynor. Consisancy seemed to be a bit lost here and while Issa Al Hayam certainly helped in points-scoring opportunities, more may be required in order for AHU to get back to their very best.

Central State
Results: Bt UCBP by 12, bt by SJMU by 3, bt New Cardonia State by 23 and Rinaldi Naval Academy by 16
Standings: 3rd in Five Star (11-5, +170PD)
The Grizzlies of CenSta both continue to be a consistent force in the Five Star this season, moving to 3rd and double-digit wins despite a slap in the face by Sextíliu José Marques of all teams. Lina Chernomyrdina is still a consistent option for CSU to have out in the paint and you can certainly tell a 20-win season can certainly be on the cards for this team...if they don't fuck it up.

UC-Port Town
Results: Bt by Moravica by 9, bt N&N Sci by 17, Sargaara by 8 and Hoteel State by 35(!)
Standings: 8th in Salamantica (10-6, +58PD)
Moravica woke the Green Flash up as UC-Port Town managed to roll in the next 3 games to move into double-digit wins in a tough Salamantica. Kendra Braithwaite certainly feels like a big deal on both sides of the ball and no matter what happens now, things are looking OK so far in Port Town.

UW-Wollongmatta Bay
Results: Bt Tsear Polytechnic by 19, Brattleboro by 3, Arbea AS&T by 2 in OT and Campo Belo by 3 in OT
Standings: 3rd in Woodlands (12-4, +111PD)
This UWWB Auditorium certainly got its money's worth as Wisdom on the Bay won back-to-back OT classics to complete a 4-0 cycle that shoots them into 3rd in the Woodlands - and for good reason. Pohiva Nukuʻalofa was just UNSTOPPABLE in this cycle and with a 20-win season now looking pretty good at the moment, Wollongmatta Bay is certainly happy with how things are going for the Wallabies in the Manufano Islands.

UNCA
Results: Bt by Zakuta State by 18, bt Portura State by 12, Küsbon College by 12 and Turbani Tech by 9
Standings: 8th in Calania (8-8, -82PD)
8-8. LOS LEONES IS 8-8. That loss to Zakuta State woke this team up hard and after an incredible run, Carlandas now actually feels respectable for the very first time this season. Reginalda Gonçalves is a revelation for a team that was in desperate need of one not that long ago and now they are at an even record, the sky's the limit for this program.

UNPA
Results: Bt by Victoriaville Medical 18, bt Futsworth College by 22, Cascade Tradesmen by 10 and Hondo by 3
Standings: 10th in Flying Drawk (6-10, -106PD)
Los Surfistas actually seems like a team on the right track with an upset win over Hondo on the road the cherry on this 3-1 cake for Pacifico in this cycle. Andressa Alves and her quick play tactics are certainly making this 6-10 team not really feel like a 6-10 team and if that can continue, maybe a winning record isn't out of the question after all.

CPortside
Results: Bt by Auto Club by 11, bt CAMA by 41(!), Iskwat State by 8 and TCLU by 14.
Standings: 2nd in Pink 16 (13-3, +179PD)
Yeah...the Mariners of the Collage of Portside have turned into a bit of a machine and their form seems to be brilliant at the moment in the Pink 16, with only Auto Club causing a stir for the JagBase school. Katarina Kolsovakina was key in this cycle in producing the chances the M's could thrive on and yeah...things are looking good in Portside right now.

[Schima Bas]

Stallions Lose Thunder, Drop Three Straight Games

National College | Big Seven Nine Conference: 14-2, W6
Border Baptist University | Calania Conference: 13-3, W4
Crown’s College | Shango Conference: 13-3, W3
University of the Southern Coast | Eternal Conference: 13-3, W1
Blue Crescent Technical College | Woodlands Conference: 12-4, W2
Morissland A&M | Pink 16 Conference: 12-4, L1
Crimson Royal University | Five Star Conference: 11-5, W3
Jasper Technological Institute | Shining Sun Conference : 10-6, W1

After starting the season 12-0, Max Morgan’s Stallions squad has experienced a week of setbacks. Before its game with the mudslingers of Universitade Eldora, the team had a few key losses that affected squad’s quality.

Chevy Grandis, starting Center, was out with fellow starter Brandon Halbsmann, and the two decided to get burgers to eat for dinner. Well, something must have gone wrong during the cooking process, because when the two had finished, Grandis started to feel [i]very[/u] unwell. When he got back to his room, he didn’t emerge for a while, before he asked to speak with coach Morgan.

Campus was abuzz the next day with news that Chevy Grandis would be out for the next 4 games. All good right? The stallions are stacked this year, and have plenty of stars on the starting lineup. Not all right. In practice the day after Grandis’ unfortunate food incident, Grant Geller took some heavy contact in a scrimmage, and injured his leg on the way down. Geller informed the media the following day that he had a fairly persistent ankle sprain.

“The team doctor says it shouldn’t be more than 2 games, but I hope to make it back for our game against Military College of Krbustan,” said Geller. “It’s not what I envisioned, but what can you do?”

Geller functioned as a middleman between some of the bigger names on the roster, namely Brandon Halbsmann and Jimmy Graves. In the argument that followed the team’s loss in the pre-season tournament, Geller was the one that was finally able to cool heads in the locker room.

With Geller out for three games, Morgan had to move players around. Not only to maintain the team’s quality, but to prevent an all-out meltdown if the worst situation arose.

Well, the result hasn’t been great, proving that the Stallion’s stellar start might have been too much pressure for the team. They’ve lost three games in the last four, and they’ve fallen to second in the group, meaning they’ll have to prove that these last losses were exceptions. While a meltdown hasn’t exploded yet, the grumbles from the team are coming back.

With Geller back, the team bounced back to its past form, winning confidently 106-65. They’ve got one more game until they’re back to full strength? But has the team overcome its shortcomings? Or has it only pushed it down in an attempt to silence the whispers inside and outside the program?

[South Newlandia]

Later

“Man, I can’t remember the last time I went out to play basketball this late. It’s like, almost midnight, right, Nik?”
“Twenty minutes to midnight, yeah, Kig.”
“Alright, just one game of HORSE then. I’ve rarely felt so full of energy, I’m not going to lie. C’mon, loser has to find a cute animal video to watch. I hope it’s a snow bear cub!”
“Let’s go, that sounds like a deal! Alright, you get to start. Whatcha got, Kig?”
“Alright, let’s start this simple. Just a simple jump shot from one, two steps beyond the arc. Watch me!”
“Did that just swish?”
“Haha, I think it did, Nik! Your turn!”
“Alright.”
“Just missed it, a little short, that was pretty close!”
“H for me, that’s unfortunate. Okay, my turn, toss me the ball real quick, please.”
“Sure, Nik!”
“Alright, let’s keep this simple. Just a classic dunk, let’s get it. […] Bam!”
“Awesome stuff, my turn!”
“Yeah, that was a little easy, here you go, your ball again, Kig*.”
“Hmm, what do we do. Let’s do a no-look free throw, no?”
“Bro, do you like, ever miss?”
“Appears not! Your turn! […] Damn, you made it too? Insane, Nik!”
“That was fun! My turn again*. Shooting from the other half, but rim and backboard also count.”
“Is that hard, I never tried to do that before.”
“I don’t know, but I’m gonna try it! At this rate, we might be here all night – it’s lucky we don’t have any classes in the morning.”
“Well, Nik, technically I have Bio tomorrow at 9, but I was planning on skipping that anyway.”
“Nah bro, you’re not.”
“Huh?”
“You’re not skipping that class. You know you gotta keep those grades up. We’re not starting to skip classes, that’s how the grades start doing one of those horny-eagle-death-spirals. C’mon, we’re going to bed.”
“C’mon, man, I’m sure it’s fine.”
“I’m standing my ground, here, Kig, you’re going to bed now. You win technically, I guess, but you need to be well rested for class tomorrow.”
“Ugh.”
“Bed time, bro. Come on. We can play more ball later this week.”

*South Newlandian HORSE rules.

[Cassadaigua]

Choosing Brattleboro University,
by Courtney Messier- PG

Being recruited by so many great colleges within Cassadaigua is an honor but also pressure filled. It is my dream to play professional basketball and to do so at the highest of levels. Growing up in the town of Berkshire, which is in the northern part of the nation, or what used to be, anyway. With the expansion into the Cooper River region, I can't really say i grew up on the northern border anymore, but you get my point. Anyway, like I saying, where I grew up, there is not one dominant athletic college and even though there are plenty in the area that have academic prestige, it is not my intention to have an office job or anything else that would require a college degree. I know that sounds snobbish, and while I am at Brattleboro University, I am going to be making the most I can out of the opportunity to get a good education but that is not my end game. I plan on playing professional basketball and to hopefully make a lot of money while doing so.

The only thing on my mind, when this all started, was where I could go to start right away. It was appealing to me to go to Grande Mountain University, since they had graduated three starters, including the person who handled my spot on the court. Of the eight Cassadagan schools in the tournament, six of them reached out to me (only Eastern Starksville and Victoriaville Medical did not). I would not visit the Beauty School, because I have absolutely no interest in that. Thanks but no thanks, Cate (Hesson, the Beauty School's coach), but I'd just be wasting your time if I made a campus visit. Eastern Starksville College is a mid-major, so I am gathering that they just operated under the assumption that I wouldn't go there. Victoriaville Medical may not have contacted to me because I did essentially rule out their main line of expertise when I was in high school. When I first visited Brattleboro, it was actually to go to Brat Tech. Brattleboro University had not really begun a lot of talk with me, so Tech was first. It's a nice campus, and the people that I met there are nice, but they could not promise me a starting spot for at least two years, and I didn't really want to start on the bench. The school might not want to admit it, but they do offer some simpler majors that could've held me over for four years.

With them out of the picture, I visited a couple of schools that are not in the NSCAA, and the paid a visit to New Lakeland University. Nothing bad to say about that, and I felt good that I could start there, but it would be a battle. I wasn't going to back down from that, but there were still more options. Next was Grande Mountain University, the closest of the current NSCAA schools to my hometown of Berkshire, and what was my #1 when the whole process started. They offered me a starting spot right away, at the time telling me that I would have started over Jamey Owens. The campus is a little older than other ones I had been too, but it was still close enough to home to where I knew my parents would be able to watch me play from time to time. I flew directly from Grande Mountain to Concord Heights and visited with UCH people the next day. I never really felt like this was a reality, after all Courtney Larkin is still just a junior and plays my position. But, I would have been foolish to turn down a trip and campus visit at the University of Concord Heights and did not want to rule them out.

Things were winding down, so I thought, and I felt comfortable enough at the time to make a non-binding verbal commitment to Grande Mountain University. The next day, I was offered two campus visits, one at Rutland University and the other at Brattleboro University. I was prepared to tell both of them no, that I already made up my mind, and that I wanted to rest the next weekend that was coming up. I did turn down the offer at Rutland to visit, but Shannon Douglas talked me in over the phone to go to Brattleboro University. When I went to Brat Tech, I thought at first the city didn't win me over before I realized I never really visited the city, just a school consisting of many people that I probably do not have much in common with. I like the school, itself, better than Tech, but it was the talk that Shannon Douglas gave me as an individual that really inspired me. Not only was I being offered a chance to start right away, but I was also being given the opportunity to bring a program to prominence. That hit me, and while I didn't commit right away, I knew then that maybe I wasn't ready to formally make a binding, written commitment.

My only regret in this is that I did not tell Grande Mountain right away that I was reconsidering. When it came time to officially make the written agreement, that is when I told Sarah Edwards that I was choosing someone else. I do feel bad because that did set GMU back to recruit someone else, but they ended up fine. The opportunity to be the driving force of bringing Brat U to bigger and better things was uplifting. With such a young core, there is potential that we are around for a long time and hopefully surpass Tech as being the best school in Brattleboro. The toughest thing about this is that Brattleboro is a long way from Berkshire, but I know my parents are at home supporting me. They've been able to attend a couple games here, though.

The first step is complete. We made it all the way to the elite eight in the CCAA Tournament, and now are playing in the NSCAA. The goal now is to get to the Ultra 64, as only once you are there, can you think about winning the whole thing. Personally, I have plenty of time, as this is only my freshman year!

[Ranoria]

Dormitory of freshman shooting guard Franklin Jones

“Frankie, what the hell are you doing?” Franklin looked up from his studying, and grinned at his girlfriend of about a month, Edda - her dark attire and darker hair almost matching the cold of her eyes.

“Hey babe!” Be shot her a grin, used to her cynical mask by now, “Just cramming for an exam tomorrow.” She spun the spare key to his dorm around, and around, and around, chewing her gum emphatically as she went. “Is something wrong?” He finally asked.

“Frankie,” she snatched the key in midair and pocketed it, then sat down next to him, “Do you,” she leaned in until she was just next to his ear, practically whispering now, “know why I broke up with Rylan?”

Franklin flinched when she popped a gum bubble next to his ear, “You uh, said he wasn’t meeting your needs?”

She hissed and stood back up, grabbing that ear now, “And do you know what my needs are, Frankie?”

“Ow! Edda! Quit!” He jerked his head back and rubbed his ear, “What's gotten into you?”

She stepped back now, examining him as he metaphorically licked his wounds, “My needs are summed up by being with someone who’s on track to be a superstar athlete. It gives me status, it ensures my financial security, and it makes sure my worthless sister with her millionaire husband and her perfect family is jealous of me. If you don’t beat Loyola-Istria, can you give me any of that?”

Now you have to understand, for most people, they’d recognize that this was a bad situation, they made a mistake, and they’d cut their losses and move on. But poor Franklin Jones was eighteen just out of high school - he was a bit enamored.

“I-I…” he stammered, but was cut off by her cold stare.

“I don’t care about your grades Frankie. You should be practicing. First one in, last one out. You’re a freshman, your courses are a joke anyway. You’ll survive until after the game. Four matches between that one and now? You’ve got just enough time to sharpen up.”

He still didn’t respond, flabbergasted at the scolding he was receiving.

“Edda, I, where is this…”

“Make it happen, Frankie.”

Edda spun on her heel and left, leaving him absolutely flabbergasted.

---

---

Prior to Richardson’s rematch against Loyola-Istria

Billy Garrett’s eyes swept over his team. Downtrodden. Demoralized. He had perhaps made a mistake in placing the Loyola-Istria game so high in their list of goals this season. To hell with the conference, the ultra 64, any of that rubbish- they wanted to knock off the Blue Thunder. After a strong 3-1 start, they’ve struggled since, with a 6-6 mark ever since and a 9-7 overall.

Sure, after his success on the domestic front, he wouldn’t lose his job over this, but his predecessor had been fired largely because of his losses to Loyola-Istria on the NSCAA front.

“Gentlemen, we’ve gotta turn this shitshow around. You sick of the cafeteria staff refusing to serve you?”

A muttered assortment of “yes sir” “yeah,” and nods.

“Are you tired of professors grading you harder than they have any right to, tired of tutors refusing to give you any one on one attention when you go for help that they’ve offered?”

More enthusiasm this time - the second most influential Garrett to be involved at this school knew he had them now.

“Then for god’s sake, go out there and beat the brakes off Loyola-Istria!”

[Valanora]

Online survey of Vanorians with regard to the NSCAA

Q1: What team do you like the most out of all the universities that are playing in the NSCAA and representing the Eternal Empire.

A: 55% - Hondo, 20% Raynor, 15% Mar Sara Tech, 6% Sabinal State, 4% Other

Q2: What system of play do you like watching the most?

A: 40% Half court press, 36% Fast Break, 24% Half court setup

Q3: Which nations schools do you pay attention to the most outside of the Eternal Empire?

A: 63% Banija, 11% Drawkland, 9% Cassadaigua, 8% Ranoria

Q4: When do you start watching the games in the NSCAA?

A: 62% Conference tournament, 31% Ultra 64, 5% Start of regular season, 2% Halfway through regular season

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

The NSCAA season has reached its halfway mark and after a slow start the six representatives from Baker Park are finding their way against the top squads of the multiverse, but needing further progress to rise to the level of Ultra 64 consideration.

Lynchana (4-12) have the worst record thus far, as their lack of front line size has presented problems that their athleticism cannot compensate for, while University of the Commonwealth (7-9) have begun to come to grips with the first year learning curve despite the relative inexperience of the lineup.

Osheana State and Endborough College (both 7-9) have shown flashes of strong play but will definitely need to string together a decent winning streak to overcome difficult early season setbacks.

Ezra and Endover (both 8-8) are in the best position right now, although still a ways off from turning heads and gaining respect from their conference foes.

It's the small differences that can make or break a season, as each team's record in games decided by 10 points or less shows; the Wildcats have won all five games where that spread has com into play, with a +26 differential and Bulls have split their six games and have scored six more points than given up; the Falcons have also gone .500 in eight games by that margin with a +13 margin, while UC have split 10 games with an overall margin of just a point to the bad. EC and LU have struggled with close games, as the Germans have lost five of seven and are -11 while the Knights are 2-3 and -14 behind in scoring.

EC are the only school that have a winning record at home, winning five and losing three, with Endover and Ezra having the same record in games played outside Baker Park.

[Cassadaigua]

This will be the opening cutoff for MD17-20!