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Big South: Preview and Predictions (FREE)

Although I’ll be attending the Show Me Qualifier in Kansas City on Saturday-Monday, I’ll still be keeping tabs on what’s happening in Atlanta. The Big South Qualifier takes place there Friday-Sunday and features all the age groups competing at once. Below, we highlight 14-17 Open and share our thoughts and predictions on how it might play out.

17 OPEN

Number of Teams: 46

Number of Bids Available: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (7): OT 17 Aaron; Co Jrs 17 Kevin; Wave 17 Juliana; Triangle 17 Black; A5 17 Jing; Metro 17 Travel; Hou Skyline 17 Royal

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (12):

  • 1. Co Jrs 17 Kevin
  • 5. A5 17 Jing
  • 6. OT 17 Aaron
  • 7. Triangle 17 Black
  • 9. NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami
  • 10. Wave 17 Juliana
  • 11. Hou Skyline 17 Royal
  • 18. Momentous 17 Dan
  • 23. Club V 17 Matthew
  • 28. Metro 17 Travel
  • 41. Top Select 17 Elite
  • 50. Academy 17 Diamond

5-Star Athletes to Know:

4-Star Athletes to Know:

Outlook/Prediction: I think it’s safe to call 17 Open the premier division in Atlanta. It’s a loaded field! Six of our Top 10 teams are in attendance. The only one of the bunch without a bid is NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami. As for qualifying, there are seven teams with bids, so in theory it’s possible for only one bid to be awarded as trickle down goes to eighth place. We NKYVC is good enough to finish in the top eight. Hou Skyline 17 Royal and Metro 17 Travel are teams outside the Top 10 with bids too, so they don’t have to worry about qualifying. However, they will play a factor one way or another by creating trickle down or not. Co Jrs 17 Kevin is coming off its victory at MEQ. OT 17 Aaron captured first at Sunshine, so there are two qualifier winners here. Triangle 17 Black double qualified at both Sunshine and MEQ. The real question is which other teams are capable of breaking into the top eight? Momentous 17 Dan had a great Triple Crown result but stumbled recently at Red Rock and is looking to get back on track. We saw Boiler Jrs 17 Gold breakthrough and qualify at MEQ being ranked in the 40s, so does that mean No. 41 Top Select 17 Elite can do the same at Big South? The pick is OT beating A5 in the final. As for teams that earn their bids, NKYVC will qualify this weekend. So too will Metro, but I think the third bid goes back to the at-large pool.

***

16 OPEN

Number of Teams: 47

Number of Bids Available: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (3): Circle City 16 Purple; HPSTL 16 Royal; GP 16 Rox

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (11):

  • 8. OT 16 JP
  • 10. Circle City 16 Purple
  • 12. Mich Elite 16 Mizuno
  • 14. A5 16 Gabe
  • 23. HPSTL 16 Royal
  • 24. GP 16 Rox
  • 32. AVA TX 16 Adidas
  • 36. NKYVC 16-1 Tsunami
  • 39. Alamo 16 Premier
  • 43. Co Jrs 16 Shannon
  • 46. Top Select 16 Elite

5-Star Athletes to Know:

4-Star Athletes to Know:

Outlook/Prediction: It’s a great chance for some teams to qualify in 16 Open. The top-ranked team in Circle City 16 Purple earned its bid recently at MEQ and that opens it up for another team. With GP 16 Rox and HPSTL 16 Royal the other qualified teams, we could see trickle down go to sixth place but not beyond. However, both GP and HPSTL already had their bids at MEQ and didn’t factor into trickle down in Indy, so we’ll see if either can crack the top three and help in Atlanta. There are going to be some hungry teams in A5 16 Gabe, OT 16 JP and Mich Elite 16 Mizuno. All three probably expected to be qualified by now, they are that good. But they are positioned nicely to get the job done in Atlanta. The question is how the seeding will break for the final day and if it’ll allow all three to qualify or not. Top Select 16 Elite broke through last year as a 15s group in Atlanta to qualify, so maybe we see a repeat there? The prediction goes to OT beating Circle City for the gold. OT earns its bid, with A5 and Mich Elite following suit.

***

15 OPEN

Number of Teams: 40

Number of Bids Available: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams: n/a

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (10):

  • 10. Alamo 15 Premier
  • 12. NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami
  • 14. Wave 15 Brennan
  • 23. Top Select 15 Elite
  • 29. A5 15 Bob
  • 31. Academy 15 Diamond
  • 32. GP 15 Rox
  • 33. Triangle 15 Black
  • 43. Jupiter Elite 15E
  • 45. High Tide 15 Elite

5-Star Athletes to Know:

4-Star Athletes to Know:

Outlook/Prediction: What a time 15 Open is going to be! There are 40 teams, with none of them owning a bid yet. That means finishing top three is the only path to qualifying. Alamo 15 Premier, Wave 15 Brennan and NKYVC 15-1 Tsunami are the favorites based on the season’s results to date. But we’ve seen upsets happen at just about every qualifier this season, so expect something unusual to go down. The call is Alamo beating Wave in the final, as both qualify. The crazy part is Triangle 15 Black surprising NKYVC for the final bid.

***

14 OPEN

Number of Teams: 24

Number of Bids Available: 3

Previously-Qualified Teams (1): Hou Skyline 14 Royal

vballrecruiter.com Nationally-Ranked Teams (7):

  • 13. Hou Skyline 14 Royal
  • 15. A5 14 Helen
  • 27. GP 14 Rox
  • 29. AZ Sky 14G
  • 34. Top Select 14 Elite
  • 41. NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami
  • 49. Triangle 14 Black

5-Star Athletes to Know:

4-Star Athletes to Know:

Outlook/Prediction: We have to downgrade gears a bit for 14 Open. The field is certainly not as large as the older age groups, but with 24 teams competing at least all three bids are going out. Hou Skyline 14 Royal has its bid already and could help create trickle down to fourth place, but it can’t go beyond. It’s also not the strongest 14 Open field we’ve seen this year, so it’s a great chance for teams to take advantage of it. I like A5 14 Helen beating GP 14 Rox for gold as both pick up bids. The final bid goes to AZ Sky 14G.

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