2010 NSC Prelim Brackets Released

Tournament Director Mike Sorice has sent us a copy of the brackets to host here on the site.  That copy may be found here.

DAVIES: Maggie Walker A, fresh off their victory at HSNCT are the obvious favorite in this bracket to make the playoffs, and Stevenson, Northmont, Detroit Central Catholic B, and Alpharetta will have to try to knock each other off as they fight for the remaining spot.  My predictions: MW A and Alpharetta make playoffs, DCC B and Stevenson in the 2nd bracket.

GLACKENS: State College A looks to rebuild confidence and momentum in the Glackens bracket, after a series of heartbreaking losses at HSNCT to Maggie Walker. Rockford Auburn, Quince Orchard, and Dorman B will be in the same predicament as the other teams in the Davies bracket: too many good teams fighting for one spot in the top bracket.  Look for Auburn to win out the fight to join State College A in the playoffs, but Dorman B could certainly upset them to take the spot away.

HENRI: Dunbar A, Lisle, and St Joseph (NJ) A each get to play a Southside A eager to prove that it deserves its lofty reputation after missing HSNCT. Look for Dunbar to fair the best of the three to grab the second playoff spot from this bracket.

LAWSON: St. Anselm’s is in a similar predicament as Southside A.  They want to come out and destroy everyone to prove themselves after not attending HSNCT. But look at the tough run they have ahead of them: defending champion Charter School of Wilmington, 2008 champion Walt Whitman, and a Hoover team that looks to improve on a disappointing performance this past weekend in Chicago.  I could easily see Hoover getting the upset over the other two, both of which have declined heavily since their victories, to make the playoffs at their first NSC.

LUKS: LASA had an incredible showing at HSNCT, while Thomas Jefferson A has to be disappointed in their low finish. Montgomery Blair has been impressive in a few performances this year, including a very strong showing at last month’s Maryland NAQT State Championship. Carbondale has consistantly performed well in Illinois, but can they perform well enough to make the NSC playoffs? The second space in this bracket is one of the most wide open, but TJ A has to remain the favorite to snatch it. Frenchtown will look to make their presence felt as they represent their home state as the first Montana team to attend NSC.

PRENDERGAST: By now, everyone should be familiar with the powerful force that is Dorman A.  Detroit Central Catholic A finished HSNCT tied for 7th, but recently has had stronger appearances at NAQT than at PACE. Kuo-Kai will leave a storm of angry comments if I fail to mention Walter Johnson here, but I’m not sure how much faith I can put in them after sparse appearances this year, missed with a quick exit from the HSNCT playoffs.  But their numbers are strong enough to make me think they can beat everyone they need to to join Dorman in the playoffs.

SHINN: duPont Manual A is certainly an extremely competent team, whose success is inversely proportional to how many negs they rack up from their style of play.  Georgetown Day School, on the other hand, should not have to worry about being overaggressive, because Matt Jackson usually managed to catch himself and avoid trouble this year. The only concern with Matt  is I’m not sure how much he has had to come from behind this year, and believe that he showed an inability to put top teams away on nationals level questions this past weekend. Mission San Jose A, St. Ignatius, and Blake are all both very good teams, with MSJ A being the closest to taking a playoff spot in this bracket. I’m split as to whether MSJ A or duPont A get a playoff spot, as either would be completely believable.  While it is maybe 92% certainty versus 95-97% certainty elsewhere this is probably the bracket where the top seed has the least certainty to make the playoffs, and that’s not a knock on GDS, just how good the other teams here are.

SLOAN: Hunter A and Torrey Pines are very close in overall talent, and may provide one of the best games of the prelims.  Richard Montgomery A, after an adventurous appearance at the NAC last year, returns to PACE NSC eager to put up a fight.  Seven Lakes A has showed incredibly radical progress over the last few months, including finishing tied for 11th  in Chicago. But I can’t see either one knocking off Hunter A or Torrey Pines A, who slide into the playoffs.

Needless to say, I am extremely excited for this weekend.  I look forward to an exciting weekend, and wish every team in the field the best of luck. See you Saturday!

EDIT: I have been informed that Mission San Jose is no longer attending the tournament. This of course makes duPont Maunal the favorite to take that playoff spot, and gives GDS much more breathing room. Also, I have been informed that the Dorman C team will not be in attendance.