While many of you were probably watching March Madness upset after upset this weekend, I was paying close attention to the D-III basketball Final Four and championship matches. In what was an epic clash of two teams from the Midwest (of course), the Tommies of St. Thomas took out the previously undefeated Benedictine Eagles.
Anyway, this isn’t the D-III basketball blog, so let’s change directions and focus on the #4 Chicago Maroons. This week, the team from the Windy City travels out west to face four top 30 teams: #25 Stevens on Monday, #30 UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday, #22 Tufts on Wednesday, and the match that everyone will be watching, #2 CMS on Friday.
I, D3TennisGreek, will provide you with some general thoughts and preview the first three matches while D3Central will analyze the big CMS match.
There are several components to Chicago’s Spring Break schedule that I really like:
- There are no cookie-cutter matches. Because the Maroons are one of the top contenders for the NCAA title this season, preparation against good teams is key. Sure, only one team they face this week is in the top 10, but none of these matches can be overlooked. Every team will give the Maroons a good fight.
- Three matches in three days. At ITA Indoors, Chicago seemed to have run out of gas on the third day. However, the UAA tournament and NCAAs (should they advance) all consist of the three matches in three days format. By physically and mentally preparing themselves for those grinds this week, the Maroons will be well-acquainted with the challenges that come with UAAs and NCAAs.
- A day off before going up against CMS. Honestly, I would rather see Chicago play CMS on Tuesday. That way, the Maroons would have already played a match outdoors but would still have fresh legs. Going up against CMS on Friday after having played three matches the previous four days raises some slight concerns. Nevertheless, the day off on Thursday is huge. Remember last year when the Maroons played four matches in four days during Spring Break? They lost their fourth, to Pomona, 5-4. Chicago should be in fine form for CMS.
After examining the Maroons’ results and lineups this season, here’s a breakdown of what to watch for:
No. 3 doubles – Early in the season, it appeared as if Coach Tee found a winning combination for his third doubles tandem: junior Sven Kranz and senior Gordon Zhang. The duo started off with a 4-0 record, with notable victories coming against Kenyon and Whitewater. Unfortunately, ITA Indoors was a different story, as Kranz and Zhang fell to Trinity and Case before being subbed out. Since then, Tee has played Luke Tsai/Michael Selin and Luke Tsai/Bobby Bethke. Still, both of these combos have losses. So, who will play No. 3 doubles for Chicago? After ITA Regionals, I would have told you Luke Tsai and Max Hawkins. However, Hawkins has been out since January due to academic commitments. Could we possibly see the return of Hawkins this week? Tsai and Hawkins were a dangerous tandem last year, and I’m sure Tee would love to see them play No. 3. If Hawkins isn’t back, you could be witnessing several different combinations this week.
Charlie Pei at No. 2 singles – After ITA Indoors, Karnz and Pei swapped spots. Just like D3Central predicted, Pei now plays No. 2. His only losses against D-III opponents this season have been to Case’s CJ Krimbill at ITA Regionals (in a third-set tiebreaker) and Emory’s Aman Manji (who, in my opinion, is more like a top No. 2). I believe Pei has the potential of being a top tier No. 2, and this
week should tell us if I’m right.
Sven Kranz at No. 3 singles – I can’t talk about Pei’s climb to No. 2 without mentioning Kranz’s move to No. 3. Overall, Kranz was a fine No. 2 player but probably not in the top tier of that spot. He has losses this season to Trinity’s Adam Krull, Emory’s Jonathan Jemison, and at No. 3 to Denison’s Jackson O’Gorman Bean. While Kranz couldn’t get Ws off the best No. 2s, at No. 3, he should be solid.
The transition to outdoor courts – D3Central is pretty big on the difference playing indoors as opposed to outdoors. Most teams seem to adjust quickly, and given that four of Chicago’s starters are originally from California or Texas, I’m not going to make this a huge point of emphasis. Plus, the Maroons are better outdoors than indoors. Still, this is something to keep an eye on.
Alright, let’s delve deeper into the specific matches.
Monday 12 pm Central: #4 Chicago vs. #25 Stevens at Claremont, California
If you aren’t a Chicago or Stevens fan, there is only one reason to pay attention to this match – Nick Chua vs. Matt Heinrich! These former National Rookies of the Year and All-Americans are bound to put on a show. I’m not going to try to guess who will win, as Chua and Heinrich are very comparable players. The Duck’s only loss this dual season has been to Swarthmore’s Mark Fallati. Meanwhile, the Maroon has several losses but has played tougher competition. It looks like Chua is going to be Heinrich’s first top-tier opponent of 2016.
Otherwise, I don’t think this dual will be too close. Stevens barely squeaked past #28 Brandeis and #31 Swarthmore, while falling to #21 Mary Washington. They don’t appear to have a No. 5 or No. 6 singles player set in stone, yet those are some of the Maroons’ strongest spots. Overall, it seems like the Ducks may be a level or two below the Maroons. But, you never know. Stevens would have to sweep doubles, Heinrich would have to win at No. 1, and the Ducks would have to pull off one upset between 2-6. Realistically, though, I don’t seeing the Maroons winning by a margin closer than 6-3.
Tuesday 12 pm Central: #4 Chicago vs. #30 UC Santa Cruz at Claremont, California
I think D3West summed up UC Santa Cruz quite nicely in his season preview when he said, “Without a reasonably paid coach, they have just two matches against top 20 teams: Chicago and Pomona-Pitzer. Basically, their season will turn with the results of those two matches. If they win one they will be a top 15 team. If not, they will remain in the 30 range.” Unfortunately, UCSC just got beaten by #22 Tufts 8-1. This was only a few hours after Tufts barely took out Whitman 5-4. So, UCSC is going to remain in the 30 range. Since the Maroons beat both #34 DePauw and #35 Denison 8-1, expect a similar outcome against the Banana Slugs.
Wednesday 1 pm Central: #4 Chicago vs. #22 Tufts at Claremont, California
This match may be closer than some people think. Going back to the beginning of my article, I mentioned that it is good for the Maroons to play three matches in three days. While I don’t expect the first two matches to take that much out of Chicago, it will be interesting to see how physically fit and mentally prepared they are for this match. Tufts is a solid, slightly underranked team that upset Whitman and made light work of UC Santa Cruz. They do have similar doubles problems as Chicago, though, where the Jumbos have not seen much success at No. 3 in their first few matches of the season and are trying different combinations. To add to the similarities between the teams in doubles, Nick Cary and Rohan Gupte are a very good No. 1 tandem, so expect an even affair. I don’t envision a doubles sweep by either team, but even if the Maroons are favored, Tufts has the ability to go up 2-1.
Singles will not be as tight. Tufts could squeeze a couple points, most likely at No. 3 if Jay Glickman plays at the spot, but I’m having a tough time coming up with another point for Tufts. If Glickman plays No. 2 instead of No. 3, Chicago could sweep singles. I’m predicting a 7-2 Chicago win.
Well, that’s enough from me. Central, take it away.
Friday 12 pm Central: #4 Chicago at No. 2 CMS
The biggest surprise going into this match is the complete butt kicking CMS just took from Bowdoin. The doubles sweep is one thing, but Bowdoin also took 4 of the 6 singles spots for a convincing 7-2 win. Because Chicago has some other big wins already, this isn’t a must win, but it is one that is now expected. I don’t think the gap is as wide as the other bloggers may, but I do think the Maroons are favored. Here is a quick hitter match by match breakdown.
1 doubles: CMS has yet to find a consistent performer and the Chicago tandem of Liu and Chua are seasoned. Chicago takes this one.
2 doubles: 2 dubs has also been a big question mark and the talent that Chicago puts on the court is crazy. Chicago wins this one as well.
3 doubles: This is Chicago’s weak spot and although I am not truly confident in CMS at any position, I think they take this one with relative ease.
1 singles: This is a rematch of the first round match at NCAA individuals last year where Butts took Chua handily on the scorecards, but it was a very close match as I watched the whole thing. Butts isn’t oozing with confidence right now, but I am going to give him the three set win.
2 singles: Glenn Hull is a stud and so is Charlie Pei. Both hit winners from all over the court, but I am going to favor Pei against just about anyone.
3 Singles: Morkovine will likely go three sets because he always seems to, but Kranz won’t have enough to push it any further than that.
4 singles: Macey had a convincing win today over Bowdoin and Leung is someone who can look awesome at times and not so great at others. I like Chicago, but definitely could see Macey get the win.
5 Singles: Similarly to Pei, I will never pick against David Liu. The guy is crazy good. Lester Yeh hasn’t proven that he can be a rock yet so Liu gets the win.
6 Singles: Max Liu is pretty unbeatable on paper, but I have seen him play and he has zero second serve and doesn’t hit his groundies deep enough. Vemuri is still a question mark so I like Liu getting the win in three sets.
So count them all up and what do you get? That’s a 6-3 win for Chicago, but my gut tells me it will be a very close Maroon win as all matches could be contested.