Huck Finn Preview

This tournament is shaping up to be a Big Ten Tour for the Illini. Cultimate is still using their competitive parity format, and Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana are on the menu along with Wash U and Georgia. I love good competition, and it looks like we’re gonna have to bring our A-game all weekend.

This weekend, the Illini are looking to break out of their recent slump. It’s been a tough season trying to adjust to injuries and missing players due to various circumstances, but it looks like the Illini will have a full and healthy squad for this tournament (ish). Even Chuck is flying in from Florida to get a piece of the action. Having our various “impact” players returning to the field comes with positives and negatives. Will we be able to adjust to new playing styles? Will these players be able to compete at the tournament level after being away for so long? These questions will be answered this weekend.

Huck Finn is our last tournament before the UPA series, so it is imperative that we take each point as a learning experience. If we score, we need to ask ourselves, “What worked for us?” If we don’t score, then ask, “Where can we improve?” You must make a mental effort to ask either question after every point, even if you were on the sidelines that point. Our key to advancing in the series will be our ability to review our performance and apply it to the next point. That is how you take each game one point at a time.

We have Wash U in the first round on Saturday, which provides the Illini with a good first test. They aren’t a great team, but they are a good team. We should beat them in a rather quick fashion (“should” being the key word). At our last tournament we came out pretty flat in our first game. Let’s learn from that experience and flip that mental intensity switch to “on” from the moment you cleat up.

Our next game throws us right into the fire of elite competition against Wisconsin. Like Denis said, we’re running out of time to play well against great teams. I expect this to be a close game, especially after our second half performance against them in Mardi Gras. Both teams know what to expect, so this one could go either way.

Iowa had a really strong showing at Vegas, but then flopped at Centex. They have the players and the skills to be a great team, but injuries could be their downfall. It’s all of matter of which team shows up. I expect that Jake Bradley and his boys will be bringing a good squad since the tournament is fairly close. I’ve been wanting to play these guys all season, and I’m really excited to finally get the chance.

Oh Michigan. Do you guys still have all your Mohawks? I was really expecting something different this year, but you disappointed me at Centex. Mohawks were so last year. Maybe you guys should try mustaches? Or how about capes? Yeah, capes are cool. Team tattoos? Too extreme? I know! You guys could all wear sunglasses and call yourselves team Hollywood.

I don’t know what to think of Georgia. They aren’t ranked by Cultimate’s standards, but they’ve had a historically strong program.

Indiana is the only team that I’ve ever seen Stupca actively hate, but then again, that was a year ago at Mardi Gras when we crushed them 15 to negative 3. I even threw a forehand invert upwind for a score, which is like the newb killing you in Halo. I don’t think much has changed with this team. They probably still have a kid that wears an American flag for a hat or for shorts, and they probably still act like a bunch of tools. Just remember, crushing chumps is a lot more fun than getting crushed by chumps.

I’m predicting wins over Wash U, Georgia, and Indiana. The other 3 teams are too close to call. We need to start turning some heads if we’re going to Columbus in May. Keep that in mind when your man slows up on an in cut. I think it’s worth laying out for.