It all comes down to this…
The A-League and B-League Men’s IM Basketball playoffs conclude this week in Shad, with play beginning tonight, Monday April 8th. Following are previews of the semifinal action:
A-League
NI vs. OE
NI, the #1 seed in the A-League playoff, tips off against tournament Cinderella OE, who, at the #12 seed, represents the lowest seed to make it this far in the playoffs of either league. NI has taken out OG and OD on the way to the semifinal, while OE looks to continue its streak of upsets, having outplayed #5 seed NC and #4 seed OI to make it this far. NI represents the Reiling Conference, while underdog OE hails from the Kester Conference.
NG vs. NE
Another underdog hopes to make it to the finals – #10 seed NG from the Kester Conference. Facing off against Kester rival and #3 seed NE, NG overcame #7 seed OC in the first round before stealing the glass slipper from #15 seed OK (who had knocked off #2 seed NJ in biggest upset of the tourney thus far). NE has had somewhat of a cakewalk thus far, taking out #14 Docs and #11 NB. Is NE ripe for an upset? Find out Monday…
B-League
Staff vs. OD
The brackets held in the B-League, as #1 seed Staff looks to take out #4 OD. Hailing from the McCraw Conference, Staff rolled through the first two rounds, taking out #16 NG and #8 NK along the way. Representing the Das Conference, OD’s path was a bit rougher, with matchups against #13 NC and #5 OC. Can OD take out the solid Staff team and be sure to keep the B-League title secure within the student population?
OB vs. OI
This tough game pits #2 OB against #3 OI. DeLong Conference powerhouse OB held off a feisty ND squad in 4 OT’s in the first round before taking out #7 OE to reach the semi’s. From the Das Conference, OI took a relatively easy path through #14 NB and #11 NH. This game looks to be the best matchup of the tournament thus far, but will the winner have enough energy left to carry on in the final?
