THE SPICE OF LIFE: More Hot Takes

The Spice of Life: HOT TAKES Part II

Happy Thursday, boys and girls. We are back with another round of hot takes for you. Last time you got such gems as “fall tennis is meh” and “no-ad scoring isn’t a big deal.” What scalding takes do we have in store this time? Let’s just say that one blogger has a particularly frozen take about gatorade. Send us your hot takes and we will try to incorporate them into Part III of this series. 

AS: Chicago has a way better shot of winning it all than you may think. Out of 98 voters on the most recent poll, the “Chicago can win it all” option got 8 votes. That’s the least of any of the options, even less than “GAC is a top 5 team (they aren’t just yet).” Are you guys kidding me? I love how everyone brings up playoff failures when this is a team that has made a few Final 4s with basically the same set of players, went close with Emory early this year and beat Williams just this past week. Oh, they beat Williams without the help of David Liu (#1 player last year) and Erik Kerrigan (#3 player last year, very good). If they get Liu and Kerrigan back, with Tsai really making waves as a strong #2 player if not a top dog, you’re talking about 4 players who have had some set of success at the top positions leading the way. That leaves Charlie Pei, Alejandro Rodriguez, Jeremy Yuan, and others at 5 and 6. The whole playoff argument has some sense to it, but to be sleeping on Chicago is not a smart move.

NE: I respect players who care less about their individual matches once the team match has been decided. It has never bothered me if players retire from a match once their team has lost. There have been some comments lately about the end of the CMS/Middlebury match. First of all, that was a great match. Second of all, the idea that the other team clinching the team match isn’t overwhelmingly deflating is crazy to me. Those players who live and die for the team, they can be a bit on the emotional side, but those are the people I want on my team! There is a reason that matches at NCAAs are played to decision. I do understand the argument about individual NCAA implications, but 1) that usually doesn’t come into play here given that only 32 singles players qualify for NCAAs, and 2) While individual successes can be validating, it doesn’t compare with team glory. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Just ask Jalen Brunson.

CHB: Though they have GAC behind both CMU and Wash U, the Slam rankings are more accurate than the ITA rankings. As DIII tennis has become deeper and deeper, we still are relying on the ranking prowess of a few coaches, primarily from highly ranked teams. The Slam tennis rankings are far from perfect, but a combination of computer and coach rankings would probably be more accurate than our current system.

NewD3Central: It’s good that the pre match lineups and run past your team tradition is fading away. It was consistently the cringiest thing to see, and did little else than to identify who you were playing a couple minutes before you stepped out – if you didn’t already know. It’s a waste of time and I for one am glad to see it fade into non existence.

D3RegAS: Pool A needs to be trimmed down or the bracket needs to be expanded. This is a take that some people will strongly disagree with, but whatever, it’s a hot take for goodness sake. I know the spirit of Division 3 is giving all athletes a chance to compete, but at some point, I think we really need to take a look at the quality of tennis. There is a conference with an average UTR Power 6 of 30.17, with the highest being a 40. The next lowest average Power 6 is 5 points higher. Sheesh. A team that has a UTR of 40 is going to make NCAAs over a team like Pomona (UTR 71). This concept baffles and infuriates me. Something needs to be done to get student athletes who work their butts off and are in conferences such as the NESCAC, UAA or SCIAC to have a chance to compete for a national championship.  Either the NCAA needs to reduce the number or pool A spots for conferences that are traditionally weak and increase the number or pool C spots, or they just need to expand pool C so that teams who are nationally ranked don’t get left out of the big dance.

D3RegNE/C: The battle for the MIAA title is one of the best storylines in D3 Tennis this year. In life, three things are certain: death, taxes, and Kalamazoo winning the MIAA. This year however due to their punishment for NCAA infractions, the Hornets aren’t eligible for the title, meaning it’s an extremely rare opportunity for another team to win the conference and qualify for NCAAs.  Since Kalamazoo should be right back on top next year and no one from the conference is getting into NCAAs via Pool C anytime soon, 2018 really is a once in a lifetime chance for the rest of the conference. Adding to the intrigue is that the two top candidates are quite evenly matched. Calvin sits at #20 in the Central rankings but Hope is not far behind, and on Wednesday we got a taste of what this rivalry could be when they played an excellent 5-4 match, with Calvin coming up on top thanks in part to a couple three set wins at #1 and #5 singles.  Even if the circumstances aren’t ideal with Kalamazoo being banned, it’s still such a cool opportunity for these other programs to have their one shot at glory, earning a trip to NCAAs and hanging that MIAA Champions banner on campus. If I could only watch one conference tournament this year, I might choose the MIAA, because it’s a “win or go home” event with the added pressure of not realistically being able to say “there’s always next year.”

DIIIWest: As much as I disagree with the shift to no-ad scoring, I am a firm believer in a six game set on all doubles matches. If the ITA is looking at accelerating the pace of college matches, I think they can cut a big chunk of time by lowering doubles matches from an eight game pro set to a regular set to 6. Needing two less games won’t necessarily be advantageous to the less talented team and will make the beginning games all that more important. It will also reward teams who are able to hold serve more easily since a break of serve is magnified all that much more in a shortened format. The team that holds serve more routinely deserves the match, right?

AS: UC Santa Cruz is a top 13 team. This is a bit of commentary on both Cruz and everyone below 12, but I truly believe that with the right schedule, the Slugs could and should be in the top 13 teams in the nation. Pomona, ranked at #12, has a UTR Power 6 of 71. UC Santa Cruz’s just got moved up to 69. Mary Washington, at #14, has the same Power 6 rating. Cruz is a team that has shown that they can challenge the best in the business. They clearly have the heart, as they are essentially competing with a somewhat interim/nonchalant coach. This team has come to play this year and I hope they get the shot at nationals to take on a team like Trinity TX or Whitman (they play them in regular season too) so they can get a better national ranking. Seriously, who are you taking in a neutral court pickup match, Cruz or some team like Tufts or Mary Washington? Yea, that’s what I thought.

NE: Tufts should be getting more Pool-C love. Gun to my head, do I believe the Jumbos will make NCAAs this year, absolutely not. However, the deck is not nearly as stacked against them as it has been in years past. They didn’t play PP this year, which is probably a good thing considering that win isn’t meaning as much these days and a loss would’ve all but eliminated them. They snuck past Sewanee and beat MIT without trouble, proving they absolutely belong in the top 20, but not that they are fully deserving of Pool-C conversation. HOWEVER, if you can get to NESCAC season without any bad losses, YOU ARE A POOL-C THREAT. All it would take could be one upset. Tufts gets to host Middlebury this weekend, and gets to host Bowdoin at the end of the month. Inbetween, the Bos will travel to Wesleyan and Williams. One win against any of those four teams, provided that they take care of road matches against teams they are ranked above like Bates, Skidmore and RPI, and Tufts will have a legitimate argument. Tufts have set themselves up for a chance at success, and that should be getting more love.

NewD3Central: Glacier Freeze is the best Gatorade Flavor. Don’t @me. I debated even putting this in the “Hot Takes” Article considering this is a well known fact. The Light Blue Glacier Freeze Gatorade Frost is far better than any other Gatorade. Every sip makes you feel as though your in a Five-Gum commercial ready to ride a majestic wave full of iridescent blues and greens to the very origin of hydration. It’s neither too light nor too heavy – Glacier Freeze feels as though it was tailor made for you: created with your being in mind. Glacier Freeze has a preternatural ability to take you back to your childhood, “to a place where [you] know that you’re loved.” The originals Orange, Lemon-Lime, and Fruit Punch were just stepping stones towards Gatorade’s magnus opus: Glacier Freeze. Don’t even get me started on the heresy that is “Cool” Blue.

AS: Todd Helbing of Mary Washington should be considered for Coach of the Year. Since I just said that Cruz would beat UMW, I have to throw UMW a bone in this one. I don’t want to take anything away from what the Eagles of Fredericksburg have done this year because they’ve done some amazing things. This is a team that has moved up 15 ranking spots from January to April, all doing that without the strength of a huge recruiting class and the loss of some key players. UMW has taken some heat the past two or three years with the mid-season departures of Brandon Griffin and Stratton Gilmore, two of their best players at the time. Since then, the rackets have done the talking – the UMW program is tight knit and workmanlike, and doesn’t need prima donna “top” players to achieve a top 15 ranking. Isn’t it so interesting that Griffin and Gilmore were on the team (and talented) for some of the worst years of the program? Anyways, Coach Helbing has done a great job to turn that UMW culture around this year and that’s a big reason for their success. It was a risk to kick those guys off the team – but I think that “no BS” attitude has carried into this year and is paying off. Brandon Griffin and Stratton Gilmore, meanwhile? Maybe they are applying to the next season of the Bachelorette. Keep the drama on trashy television shows.

DIIIWest: Maybe a major upset is looming not so far off in the distance! A 16 seed (I already forgot the name of that school) beat a 1 seed (Virginia) in the recent March Madness tournament. In terms of DIII tennis, is there any way a “1 seed” (Bowdoin, CMS, Emory, Midd) will lose in the first round of natties? Is that even possible? Well, if we see it happen on the basketball court, who knows, it can happen on the tennis court as well. Be careful top-tier teams, the upset bug is out there.

NE: Bowdoin is CLEARLY the team to beat right now. I just don’t understand how they are #2 in the power rankings. Bowdoin has an advantage on all the other true NCAA title contenders because of their doubles. For most bloggers, the first and second wave of title contenders are some combination of Bowdoin, Chicago, CMS, Middlebury, Emory and possibly Williams. Looking at those teams not named Bowdoin, each of them have proven to be vulnerable in their doubles teams so far this year. Now, it’s still VERY early for Middlebury and Williams, both of whom started within the last two weeks. It’s also been a little while now since we’ve seen either Chicago or Emory play an important match (or at least it feels like it has been). Finally, we saw just how good a team that doesn’t play doubles can be last year in CMS. ALL THAT BEING SAID, I believe what differentiates Bowdoin from the other title contenders is their doubles play, and until we see strong consistent doubles from any of the other title contenders the Polar Bears are my team to beat…let’s hope Grant Urken’s ankle obliges.

D3RegNE/C: Middlebury has a storied tradition of having the best names in D3 Tennis. Brantner Jones, Timo van der Geest, Palmer Campbell, William de Quant, Hamid Derbani, William Oberrender, Lubomir Cuba, Courtney Mountfield, Kyle Schlanger, Jackson Frons. Want me to keep going? I enjoy how consistent Midd is about bringing in guys with cool names, and it may not be that hot of a take, but if we’re ranking the best teams in D3 Tennis in terms of name-coolness, Midd is a unanimous #1. There are plenty of other amazing names out there in D3 Tennis (looking at you, Manickam Manickam) but no program has such a concentration.

AS: The Blog Team should do ITA Rankings. Been saying this for years now, and if the task was given to us/me I would happily give up my identity to do so. The ITA Rankings are sometimes good, sometimes totally off. The fact that Whitman sits 7 whole spots behind Trinity TX and Redlands despite beating both of them is a bit ridiculous. Did you know that Whitman lost literally 0 sets in a 9-0 win over Trinity TX? I realize that was at home, but still. How do you have the #23 team beating the #16 team 9-0 anywhere? They could play on Mars for all I care. In regards to individual rankings, the spelling errors in the ITA rankings are just egregious. It’s actually so embarrassing that there are so many spelling errors. We have an informal DIII Tennis Blog that has fewer spelling errors than the ITA Rankings. Look at the Central – Johnny Wu is spelt “Janny Wu.” While pretty funny, that’s ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as his #2 regional ranking, but whatever. I’ve long had an issue with the ITA rankings but no issue with the coaches that do them. I think they already have enough on their plates – it doesn’t surprise me that the ITA Rankings are not necessarily on the top of their to-do list. Put us in charge. We promise we’ll be unbiased.