2020 Indoors Preview: A symphony in blurb major

WELCOME TO INDOORS WEEK, BOYS AND GIRLS! The Bloggers are preparing in different ways, D3AS and I have been putting in work to get our 2020 version of Indoors DraftKings ready, DIIIWest actually spoke in the group chat, and a few bloggers remain very interested in shoehorning the law. We will hopefully have many different preview items going up this week to get you all ready for Indoors, but we start tonight with a tournament primer. Usually this sort of thing falls to D3AS, and if you’re lucky you might still get his famous 10-thing article at the end of the week, but now that there is an actual NE team in the tournament, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to blurb it out. I had the urge, the urge to blurb. Let this article serve as a reminder that I am truly the blurb king. Long live the king.

EMORY

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: The defending national champs come into Minnesota ready to avenge last year’s Final’s defeat (A.K.A. the Maroon Wedding), and show the world that despite a heavy graduation they haven’t lost a step. 

Seed: No. 1

1st Round Opponent: GAC

National Ranking: #1

2019 Indoors Result: 2nd place. EU swept Whitman and PP in the first two rounds, but went down after dubs in the finals and lost multiple 3-setters as Chicago won the title. 

Where they’re strongest: Top of the singles lineup. Cassone and Mora are filthy at the top, but so are most of the field…

Where they’re weakest: The bottom of both lineups. New starters at the bottom getting their first taste of high pressure situations. Time to put up or warm the overly talented bench. 

Senior To Watch: Rex Serituk. Chex Rex looks like he’s finally going to get the playing time this year we thought he could get each of the past couple years. After a meh fall ITA, he played #5 in EU’s match against Point University in what appears to be at least something close to Emory’s real lineup. He will get his first taste of the big time as a senior, and if Emory gets passed GAC will have some big hypothetical matchups against Deis/Wash U and then Chicago/CMS. 

Freshman To Watch: Mark Sverdlov. Likely the only starting freshman, Sverdlov appears to be ahead of guys like Serituk and Kenawi. The 4-star Flordian will likely match up against a vet in Michael O’Neill to start, and then go against other talented middle of the lineup guys like Tzeng/Chen (Deis) or van der Sman/Li (Wash U) in the semis. In order for Emory to succeed this year, they need to find a guy who can win at 4/5/6, and this weekend could go a long ways in determining whether or not Sverdlov is that guy. 

X-Factor: Hayden Cassone. HE’S BAAAAAAAACK. A former Mr. $10K (top of our DraftKings pricing), Cassone is back from injury or his trip abroad or house arrest or whatever the cool kids get up to these days. He will likely top both the singles and doubles lineups, something he hasn’t had to do in the past, and we can almost certainly expect some fireworks at some point. A hypothetical finals against Parodi would be outstanding theater, but don’t sleep on his potential semi against either Aizenberg or Hillis. 

CMS

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: The Stags are the title favorites in 2020, but the last time we said that they lost at Indoors. They’re strong at the top. They’re strong at the bottom. They’re the most talented team in the field, but the name of this tournament ain’t Outdoors…

Seed: No. 2

1st Round Opponent: Case Western

National Ranking: #2

2019 Indoors Result: N/A. After their heartbreaking 5-4 defeat in the 2018 finals, CMS took a year off from Indoors.  

Where they’re strongest: Singles. It sounds crazy, but I’m still looking for any sign of a weak spot in the singles lineup. The Stags are loaded.

Where they’re weakest: I guess top of the doubles? Parodi/Freer could be very good, but as of now they are likely just an average top team in this field. 

Senior To Watch: Daniel Park. The real question is whether or not Park will even play in the singles lineup. This Stag lineup is so damn talented, that it’s conceivable one of the best #5’s in the country in recent years could be playing #7. My hunch is he’ll get in there at some point and this weekend could be another version of a tryout for #6 singles. 

Freshman To Watch: Ian Freer. The lone projected starter for CMS this spring, Freer looks most like to play in the middle of the singles lineup and atop the doubles pairings with parodi. CMS has played a decent amount of matches already this year, including some good competition in Hawaii, but this should be a whole new level for the young Californian. I’m expecting big things. 

X-Factor: Niko Parodi. You could go a lot of ways here, and while Parodi was in the running to be our top priced player in DraftKings this year, I will spoil that a little bit and tell you he is not our 2020 Mr. $10K. However, he’s damn close and with good reason. A threat to beat anybody on any given day, and likely one of the five best players in the country, how Parodi performs against some of his counterparts will be crucial to CMS’ chances of lifting the trophy. First up, he has to get to da Hopper…

CHICAGO

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: They are the reigning Indoor champs for a reason, and considering they only lost Pei to graduation (not a small loss, but it is one guy), the Maroons are hungry for a repeat. It won’t be easy with CMS in their half of the draw, but nothing worth having ever is. 

Seed: No. 3

1st Round Opponent: Kenyon

National Ranking: #4

2019 Indoors Result: CHAMPIONS!!! Chicago won three really tough matches (Case 6-3, Wash U 5-4 and Emory 5-3) to win the 2019 title!   

Where they’re strongest: Middle of the singles lineup. We’ll see where Kerrigan plays, but if Xu and Yuan are playing in the middle of the lineup that’s just nasty.

Where they’re weakest: Bottom of the singles lineup. Guzhva and Rodriguez both have played some big matches, but they have yet to win on a consistent basis in said matches. 

Senior To Watch: Erik Kerrigan. Kerrigan has proven his worth year after year in May, especially at the individual tournament, but in this field he’s still likely one of the weakest #1’s (if that’s actually where he’s slotted to play this weekend). This Chicago team, as they always seem to be nowadays, is super talented and getting a win or two from Kerrigan at the top of the lineup would be a HUGE boost. Whether he plays #1 or #2 in the quarters, he’s going to have a real tough matchup with either Zalenski or Diehl. 

Freshman To Watch: Sachin Das. Sachin might just be the real deal. Chicago has pulled some of the best recruits in the country year after year lately, but rarely do they start this high in the lineup and hold their spot. Das has played in the middle or top half of the lineup in basically every Maroon match so far this ‘spring”, and has performed well. I love his matchup against Kenyon in the quarters, and then a potential blockbuster against Meister/Freer in the semis should be fun. 

X-Factor(s): Alex Guzhva/Alejandro Rodriguez. Calling Guzhva/Rodriguez the weakest part of this team really is less of a dig at the duo and more of a testament to just how strong this Chicago lineup remains. The bottom of the Maroon lineup has seen some serious turnover during the early parts of recent seasons, but Guz and A-Rod appear to have their spots locked down (at least at this point). If these two guys can win on Saturday and Sunday, Chicago will have an excellent shot at a repeat.

BRANDEIS

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: No longer just happy to be invited, Judgement Day cometh. Despite what new Deis Coach will say, the first-round matchup against Wash U is EVERYTHING.

Seed: No. 4

1st Round Opponent: Wash U

National Ranking: #8

2019 Indoors Result: N/A. AN NE TEAM IS PLAYING AT INDOORS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A VERY LONG TIME AND I’M JUST A LITTLE BIT EXCITED! 

Where they’re strongest: Doubles. You could also make an argument for Tzeng/Chen in singles, but the Judges’ top two doubles teams are likely the best combo of any team in the field.

Where they’re weakest: Bottom of the singles lineup. Will Das play this weekend? If not, or if he’s just playing behind Vohra and Kauppila now, we’ll get to know a lot more about Deis’ lone freshman in a very short period of time.  

Senior To Watch: David Aizenberg. I talked about this in the Brandeis season preview, but Aizenberg has quietly become one of the best players in the country. He was seeded very highly at all of the NE fall tournaments, so coaches are giving the man his due, but he will certainly have his work cut out for him this weekend. I would’ve made the man my X-Factor, seeing as his projected path is Hillis and then (hopefully for Deis) Cassone and either Parodi or Xu/Kerrigan, but this way I get to talk about even more Deis players. #ROLLDEIS

Freshman To Watch: Simon Kauppila. The Judges’ only freshman on the roster, Lil’ Kaup is a fringe starter in both lineups. In Brandeis’ tune-up against Bentley, Simon played #6 singles and wasn’t in the starting doubles lineup. Pending a Das return, Kauppila has a good shot to play in one or both facets of Coach Pandians’ lineup this weekend. Wash U is strong throughout their lineup, but likely weakest at the bottom of the singles so he might just have a real opportunity to prove himself. 

X-Factor: Rajan Vohra. I wasn’t sure if Vohra would be starting this spring for the Judges, but he appears to be firmly ahead of Kauppila and playing in both the singles and doubles lineups. The junior has been a bottom of the lineup guy before and has played in some big matches, but really struggled at UAAs last year. Like Kauppila, he will have a great chance to prove himself this weekend, possibly against the wall that is Koki Takabatake in the first round. We know how good Deis’ top-4 are in both singles and doubles, but getting a couple points from Vohra could become a VERY big deal. 

WASH U

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: Will this team never not be underestimated? They have the talent, they have the experience, they have the coaching, and foolish be the blogger who thinks of Wash U merely as an underdog. 

Seed: No. 5

1st Round Opponent: Brandeis

National Ranking: #9

2019 Indoors Result: 3rd place. Wash U beat PP handily in the 3rd place match after pushing Chicago to a 5-4 last match on situation in the semifinals. 

Where they’re strongest: Top of the singles lineup. I’ve said it before, but as Jack White knows it bears repeating, Wash U’s combo of Hillis/Neves is as strong as any top combo. While these guys might prefer to play their grinding styles outdoors, we’ve seen both perform at high levels inside too. 
Where they’re weakest: No glaring weaknesses, but I’m not sure how shored up the bottom of the Bear’s doubles lineup is at this point. In order for Wash U to have a shot, they HAVE to get at least one doubles point, and #3 is Deis’ weakest spot. 

Senior To Watch: J.J. Kroot. How is this guy still in college? He must be on his 7th year of eligibility at this point? No? I guess it just seems like that because we’ve been talking about J.J. since he was a bleached blonde freshman with big dreams and a lefty fist pump that would fire up even the most apathetic wood nymph. Kroot did not have a good Indoors last year, failing to win a singles match. This year, he will undoubtedly rely on his experience & craftiness, but another poor weekend could result in putting Wash U behind the Pool-C 8 ball, as much as you can from a tournament in February.  

Freshman To Watch: Luke Smith/Sam Komis. This is certainly category fraud, as Wash U’s only freshman, Lucas Guy, hasn’t sniffed the lineup yet and doesn’t seem likely to play this weekend. Instead, we’re going with two unproven sophomores, both of whom are right on the edge of both lineups. Both have a good shot to play at #3 doubles this season, and I would think they are likely first and second in line for a Wash U singles spot should somebody like Kroot or Koki stumble. If these guys (perhaps playing together, perhaps not) can earn consistent wins at the bottom of the doubles lineup, Wash U might be able to pull off yet another surprise this weekend. 

X-Factor: Benjamin van der Sman. I remember when itsy bitsy BVDS was playing his first big collegiate matches at this very tournament a couple of years ago. He played pretty solid #2 going 1-2 with a win over Dulle (Redlands) and playing Katzman pretty tightly before getting blasted by Tsai (Chicago). He was even better last year at #4 going 2-1 with a huge win over Rodriguez in the semis (and a 7-6 in the 3rd loss to CMU in the QFs). He should be around #3 or #4 again this year, and will draw on that experience against strong players like Tzeng and (hopefully for Wash U) Esses in the semis. Don’t be surprised to see van der Sman out there grinding as the last man on for the Bears this weekend. 

Kenyon

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: Quietly one of the best 1-2 punches in the country along with a legend at the helm, Kenyon is probably the least talked about team in this entire draw, putting them and the #BenchMob exactly where they want to be. 

Seed: No. 6

1st Round Opponent: Chicago

National Ranking: #11

2019 Indoors Result: N/A. Kenyon didn’t make Indoors in 2019, which is an aberration. 

Where they’re strongest: How many times has newCentral crooned on about Diehl’s win streak over the past couple years? Well…there’s a reason for that.
Where they’re weakest: Bottom of the singles lineup. I have no idea who will be playing #6 for the Lords this weekend, and that’s not a good thing. 

Senior(s) To Watch: Austin Diehl & Jake Zalenski. Tossup here between Diehl and Zalenski, and I wanted to go with homeschooling as the tiebreaker, but both are just too important. The seniors are going to be relied on often this year if Kenyon is going to make a push into the top-10, and this weekend is no exception. As I said before, the top two guys are the strongest spots in the lineup and these two are in the unenviable position of likely needing to go 6/6 (or close to it) this weekend in singles for Kenyon to do any damage. 

Freshman To Watch: Luis Andres Platas. Another Luis A. Platas! Unfortunately neither he nor his big brother appear to have the flowing locks from a few years ago, but The Blog is always pumped to see siblings on the same team. Platas appears locked into the middle of both the singles and doubles lineup, which is no easy task given that means a likely matchup with Das or Yuan in singles on Friday. Kenyon will be looking for somebody in the bottom half of their lineup to step up this weekend, and it would be a great sign for the Lords if that somebody were a freshman. 

X-Factor: Bryan Yoshino. Bryan appears to have ditched the frosted tips/bleached top look, which is just a real shame. However, he’s my X-Factor because after two years of him playing on the Kenyon team I still know very little about him (granted this isn’t my region, but still). He got beaten in a super against Kzoo last weekend, and while I rarely fault a player for losing a super once the team match has been decided, it does not bode well heading into a weekend where at least Kenyon’s first two opponents will be known for their depth (Chicago and either CMS or Case). Yoshino also appears to have a hold on the #3 dubs spot, making him a two-way guy this weekend (and a possible value play in our DraftKings game). If the Bry Guy can defy and supply this weekend…I’ll stop rhyming in articles.

CASE WESTERN

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: Freshmen phenoms, fantastic fourballers, and fraudulent felons…oh my! Case is #12 in the country, but playing like a team not only ready to pounce into the top-10, but look to become a fringe title contender. 

Seed: No. 7

1st Round Opponent: CMS

National Ranking: #12

2019 Indoors Result: 6th place. After pushing Chicago in the 1st round, Case came out and upset their rival CMU 5-4 in the 2nd round, only to get blanked by GAC in the 5th place match. 

Where they’re strongest: Tenacious mindset blah blah blah, but the answer here has to be Hopper. He looks like the best freshman in the country, and already is in the argument for best player in the country. This will be our best barometer yet.

Where they’re weakest: Can I really say doubles? A strength for so many Case teams over the past few years, I’m not sure the Spartans’ doubles teams are set yet and that carries a certain risk in a tournament like this.  

Senior To Watch: Anthony Kanam. AK is the only senior who is a lock to start, with the other possibility being Hennessey (though he’d likely be a doubles specialist if he plays at all). Now with the benefit of starting behind Hopper and Chen, Kanam is poised to do some damage in the middle of this lineup. His first task won’t be easy as he’ll likely get Meister or Freer, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that turn into a long match. If CMS does beat Case, I think Kanam will be favored against Kenyon and have a real shot against Brandeis/Wash U/GAC on Sunday.  

Freshman To Watch: James Hopper. Duh? Do I really need to explain this one? The damn Duffer brothers can’t even kill Hopper. That said a formidable projected schedule in, Parodi, Xu/Kerrigan and Cassone loom like the demogorgon. If Hopper keeps on Hopping, I think Case has a good chance to finish 5th and notch a couple HUGE wins in terms of an NCAA at-large berth.  

X-Factor: Aaron Umen. It’s gotta be the shoes. 

GAC

Tweet-length Intro/Hype: We’ve seen it before and I have no doubt we’ll see it again, the homecourt heroes shine at Indoors. Count out the Gusties at your own peril, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t push at least two of their three matches to the brink. 

Seed: No. 8 

1st Round Opponent: Emory

National Ranking: #20

2019 Indoors Result: 5th place. A tough 5-4 loss to PP in the first round, and then seemingly easy wins over Whitman and an mentally exhausted Case squad led to win of the consolation bracket. 

Where they’re strongest: Middle of the singles lineup. Raut made the finals of his ITA, and having guys like O’Neill and Fouchier play 4&5 is pretty nice, especially doing so in what should be a boisterous bubble.

Where they’re weakest: The top of the lineup. Derbani and Aney are good players, but they would likely rank 8th in a list of #1’s and #2’s in the field. Prove me wrong, boys! 

Senior To Watch: Michael O’Neill. Four GAC seniors this year, and of the two likely to start only one has played a lot this spring. O’Neill has seen his fair share of Indoor tournaments at this point in his career, starting for the first tie in both singles and doubles last year as a junior. If he and Derbani can provide some homecourt senior magic this weekend, GAC might not finish 8th after all.

Freshman To Watch: Daniel Fouchier. The GAC frosh has been a nice surprise so far, and I don’t see that coming to an end this weekend. It seems to me that GAC is pretty solid between #1 and #5 singles, which means the farther you go down in the lineup, the better chance that player will have to win. I like his matchup (no matter if he plays #4/5/6) against an Emory player without too much experience, and I just hope he’s the kind of player who gets psyched up in front of a home crowd! Fouchy also looks entrenched in the doubles lineup, playing mostly with O’Neill so far. He will likely appear in the DraftKings value article coming out at the end of the week.

X-Factor: Indraneel Raut. My guy is an ITA finalist and could very well be playing #3 singles this weekend! If that’s the case, then he could be trouble, even against a heavily favored Emory team. Raut has some Indoors experience, playing at the bottom of the lineup last spring, and even getting a big win 7-6 in the 3rd set against Whitman in the QFs. No matter where he plays in the lineup, he will be an underdog against Emory, but if he is playing #3 his projected matchups are Esses, either van der Sman/Li or Tzeng/Chen and Pascal Lee. It’s not inconceivable that Raut has a winning weekend.