2012 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament - Prediction Challenge

[ClarkC]

#1 USC vs. #4 UCLA USC wins doubles, wins 4-1
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #62 Clay Thompson USC in 2
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #16 Nick Meister UCLA in 2
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. Dennis Novikov USC in 2
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. #84 Marcos Giron DNF
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #46 Adrien Puget DNF
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Dennis Mkrtchian USC in 2

#3 Virginia vs. #7 Pepperdine UVa wins doubles, wins 4-0
1. #4 Jarmere Jenkins vs. #8 Sebastian Fanselow DNF
2. #39 Alex Domijan vs. #30 Finn Tearney DNF
3. #2 Mitchell Frank vs. Alex Llompart UVa in 2
4. Drew Courtney vs. #109 Mousheg Hovhannisyan UVa in 2
5. #82 Justin Shane vs. Hugh Clarke UVa in 2
6. Julen Uriguen vs. Jenson Turner DNF

[athleticstennis]

USC 4-2
USC- Doubles point
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #62 Clay Thompson - Johnson in 2
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #16 Nick Meister - Meister in 2
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. Dennis Novikov - Nguyen in 2
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. #84 Marcos Giron - DNF
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #46 Adrien Puget - Puget in 2
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Dennis Mkrtchian - Quiroz in 2

Virginia 4 Pepperdine 1
Doubles-Pepperdine
1. #4 Jarmere Jenkins vs. #8 Sebastian Fanselow - DNF
2. #39 Alex Domijan vs. #30 Finn Tearney -AD in 2
3. #2 Mitchell Frank vs. Alex Llompart - Frank in 2
4. Drew Courtney vs. #109 Mousheg Hovhannisyan - DNF
5. #82 Justin Shane vs. Hugh Clarke -Shane in 2
6. Julen Uriguen vs. Jenson Turner - Uriguen in 2

[ClarkC]

5 out of 6 (including me) predicted USC would win the doubles point, while the split was 3-3 in the UVa-Pepperdine match. Yet, the USC-UCLA doubles point was a coin toss, while UVa won easily.

[Satsuma Illini]

This playing two courts at a time indoors really played havoc with with predictions. Oh well.

[TopDawg]

Scoreboard through the Semifinals:

Top Dawg 237
Satsuma Illinois 232.5
Clark 229.5
Clemson Tennis 225.5
athleticstennis 216
Art Rust Jr 215.5

Even though I lead it'll come down to Satsuma and Clark because they both had the correct finalists so they'll get those points along with the points if they get the champion. As with the semis pick the individual match winners. 1 point for the correct winner and another 1 point for the right score. Just because you picked 1 team before the tournament started doesn't mean you have to pick them in the finals.

#1 USC vs. #3 Virginia
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen

[TopDawg]

Virginia 4 USC 3 - UVA takes #2 & #3 dubs
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins - SJ in 2
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan - AD in 3
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank - Nguyen in 3
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney - Courtney in 3
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane - Hanfmann in 3
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen - Uriguen in 3

[ClarkC]

Are they playing on 6 indoor courts (Atlanta club), 6 outdoor courts, or 4 indoor courts? It makes a big difference in the predictions, especially guessing which matches finish and which matches do not finish.

[TopDawg]

It is sunny right now so hopefully it won't rain and they stay outdoors.

[ClarkC]

I will try to do my predicting towards the end of the women's match, with an eye on the weather!

[Art Rust Jr]

USC 4-3

USC takes doubs with wins at 1 and 2

1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins 2 sets
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan 2 sets
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank 2 sets
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney 2 sets
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane 2 sets
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen 3 sets

[Art Rust Jr]

USC 4-3

USC takes doubs with wins at 1 and 2

1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins 2 sets
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan 2 sets
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank 2 sets
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney 2 sets
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane 2 sets
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen 3 sets

Forgot to bold Sarmiento in original post.

[Clemson_tennis]

Rematch of last year's title where Daniel Nguyen beat Sanam Singh to clinch it for the Trojans. The Trojans will be going for 4 straight titles today, while Virginia is seeking their first ever national title.

It will start at 5 and will be broadcast on NCAA.com(ESPNU has elected to show Valparaiso softball or Brown lacrosse or something instead)


breakdown:

doubles: UVA has been stellar in double lately. This point will be key. So Cal has not lost a doubles point in a big match in forever. But they had not been as dominant recently. I will actually pick UVA to take doubles.

Singles: (USC players listed first)

1: Steve Johnson vs Jarmere Jenkins
Jenkins will be Johnson's biggest test of the year. He has the game to do it. But just ask yourself. Will Steve Johnson really lose his final collegiate match? He has not lost since his sophomore season(he is a senior). He is looking to make it 4 national titles in 4 seasons and become of the the great collegiate athletes of the last decade. Johnson wins 7-6 6-4

2: Ray Sarmiento vs Alex Domijan
Sarmiento slaughtered Nick Meister(UCLA) yesterday 6-1 6-1 in a very impressive display. Domijan has been hitting his stride and is starting to decimate people now. I cannot see Sarmiento winning. Domijan wins 6-3 6-4

3: Daniel Nguyen vs Mitchell Frank
Call him D$ or D-Win. Nguyen has clinched the last two national titles for the Trojans and like Johnson will be going for 4 titles in 4 years. Mitchell Frank the Freshman sensation who has lost just a single match this whole season. Nguyen has the experience and the determination. But Frank is a world class player. In the end what will win out? I pick, Frank wins 6-2 5-7 6-3

4: Emilio Gomez vs Drew Courtney
A hard one to determine. Courtney will want to end his career with the elusive title. I think he will get past Gomez by clubbing his serve to victory. Courtney 6-3 7-6

5: Yannick Hanfmann vs Justin Shane
A few weeks ago I would have put anything of Hanfmann in this match. But how things change. Now it seems it is Hanfmann who is fading and Shane who is not. The in form player wins this one. Shane 7-5 6-4

6: Roberto Quiroz vs Julen Uriguen
Quiroz has turned it on late in the year and is now a solid #6 for the Trojans. Uriguen has been injured and has not played a lot lately. Quiroz wins 6-2 6-3

So as you see I am picking UVA to win 5-2. They stop after 4 so one of the matches I have going UVA's way will not finish.

The Cavs will take home a national title today.

[athleticstennis]

USC 4 Virginia 3
USC takes doubles point.
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins - SJ in 2
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan - AD in 2
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank - Nguyen in 2
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney - Courtney in 3
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane - Shane in 3
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen - Quiroz in 3

[Satsuma Illini]

#1 USC vs. #3 Virginia Virginia wins 4-3
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins Johnson 2 sets
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan Domijan 3 sets
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank Nguyen 3 sets
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney Courtney 3 sets
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane Shane 3 sets
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen Quiroz 3 sets

Good luck Virginia!

And ClarkC!

[TopDawg]

Last minute change for me, I'm switching my pick doubles pick to USC which means I'm now taking them to win 4-3

[ClarkC]

#1 USC vs. #3 Virginia Virginia with doubles and 4-0 win
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins DNF
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan UVa in 2
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank DNF
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney UVa in 2
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane UVa in 2
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen DNF

I've gotta go with my heart, not my head. Even if it helps Satsuma win the contest.

[Satsuma Illini]

Originally Posted by ClarkC

#1 USC vs. #3 Virginia Virginia with doubles and 4-0 win
1. #1 Steve Johnson vs. #4 Jarmere Jenkins DNF
2. #25 Raymond Sarmiento vs. #39 Alex Domijan UVa in 2
3. #21 Daniel Nguyen vs. #2 Mitchell Frank DNF
4. #57 Emilio Gomez vs. Drew Courtney UVa in 2
5. #51 Yannick Hanfmann vs. #82 Justin Shane UVa in 2
6. Roberto Quiroz vs. Julien Uriguen DNF

I've gotta go with my heart, not my head. Even if it helps Satsuma win the contest.

That's kinda what I did too. My head says USC, but I gotta go with Virginia and send some good karma their way. Although I didn't have the guts to predict a 4-0 sweep like you did!

Go Cavaliers! Do the Cavaliers have a cheer call?

[ClarkC]

Originally Posted by TopDawg

Last minute change for me, I'm switching my pick doubles pick to USC which means I'm now taking them to win 4-3

Can't say I blame you. That was probably the conventional wisdom on this match. However, ....

[TopDawg]

Final results are in and I pulled it out. A Virginia win would have won it for Satsuma but the results of the individual matches tripped just about everyone up with both Domijan and Courtney losing the way they did so there were very few points scored in the final round.

Final Scoreboard

Top Dawg 249
Satsuma Illinois 244.5
Clark 239.5
Clemson Tennis 238.5
athleticstennis 236
Art Rust Jr 234.5
tennis7777777 175

Thanks for playing and maybe I'll do it again next year - it helped make things interesting.

[Satsuma Illini]

Originally Posted by TopDawg

Final results are in and I pulled it out. A Virginia win would have won it for Satsuma but the results of the individual matches tripped just about everyone up with both Domijan and Courtney losing the way they did so there were very few points scored in the final round.

Final Scoreboard

Top Dawg 249
Satsuma Illinois 244.5
Clark 239.5
Clemson Tennis 238.5
athleticstennis 236
Art Rust Jr 234.5
tennis7777777 175

Thanks for playing and maybe I'll do it again next year - it helped make things interesting.

Thanks for doing it. It was fun.