UBB: MADISON STATE AIM FOR THREEPEAT!

Madison State beat BSU in last year’s final

NUSA | University Basketball Tournament

The NUSA University Basketball tournament reaches the quarter-final stages in the so-called ‘great eight’ stage this weekend. Following the first two rounds, there were a few shock exits- Adelphia and Alberta, of the SAC went out in the first round, whilst usual big-guns O’Connell and Wichagon went out in the super sixteen phase.

G-12 champions Madison State have won the last two tournaments and are actully 18-0 in the last three seasons of post-season play. Madison State beat Madison in the 2019 final and Bristol State University (BSU) in last year’s final. They will play BSU in the final quarter-final tie, in what should be a cracking game.

The Granada Bulldogs have been a surprise this season, being runners-up in the SAC and getting to the last eight. They are aiming for their first final four appearance in 33 years! Standing in their way are the number two ranked USG Saints, who have six championships and 18 final four appearances to their name. It will be a tough task.

Elsewhere, The Eregonia Dragons vs Madison Bulldogs and New Chester Titans and the Amorgan Irish are expected matchups for this stage of the tournament. All four teams will be good fits for the final four weekend.

The BEC – Basketball Executive Committee re-seed the teams after the first two rounds, leaving the great eight/ final four schedule as follows:

Quarter-finals:

#1 Madison State University vs #8 BSU

#2 Saint George (USG) vs #7 Granada

#3 Eregonia vs #6 Madison

#4 New Chester (UNC) vs #5 Amorgan

Final Four set-up:

#1/#8 vs #4/#5

#2/#7 vs #3/#6

2018 World Nations Cup Finals Draw

WEFA | World Nations Cup | 2018 Finals Draw

The draw for the World Nations Cup Finals was made at the WEFA Executive meeting today. All 30 nations that had successfully completed their way through qualifying joined joint hosts Spain and Portugal in the draw. The teams were selected from four ‘pots’. The only proviso being that teams from the same confederation could not be drawn together, apart from the European teams.

Notably absent from the list were the defending champions, the Netherlands. They had such a dismal campaign and became the first team not to be able to defend the cup at the finals tournament. Russia, Panama and New Zealand will also feel they were unlucky, also losing in play-offs. In North America, the US national team failed to progress.

Hosts Portugal headed Group A, along with Uruguay, Egypt and Iran. Group B, headed by highly-fancied France, also holds super-underdogs Iceland, unpredictable Ghana and Saudi Arabia.

Argentina will play in Group C, with Switzerland, Croatia and Morocco. England will play the seeds Chile, Sweden and Senegal in Group D.

As the groups were forming, Eboria and Marida’s representatives were getting nervous, as groups with Brazil, Germany and Spain had vacancies.

Marida were drawn into Group E, with cup favourites Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria. Spain head group F, joined by Colombia, Denmark and South Korea.

Eboria’s name finally came up in Group G, headed by Belgium, former world champions Italy and Australia, who will want revenge for their beating in the IC3 last summer.

Germany were the last seed drawn into Group H. They, once again, have drawn Poland in competitive play!  Costa Rica and Japan round out the group.

Marida and Eboria both have difficult draws, both perhaps can be a little bit miffed that they weren’t seeded, especially as Eboria did so well in the IC3 last summer. Even with this ‘new’ WEFA, Euro-Latin influence is still prominent. Argentina and Spain will be quite happy with those draws.

Then again, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the rest of the best. This will be on, come the summer!