[1] Virginia Cavaliers (26-4) vs. [16] Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-7) – 1pm ET – Virginia advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 4-0 win over Monmouth and a 4-1 win over Penn State while Oklahoma State beat Bryant and Arkansas 4-0. Oklahoma State will only be playing 75 miles from its Stillwater campus so it should have a good amount of fan support but it’ll take a Herculean effort to get past Virginia.
[9] Florida Gators (20-6) vs. [17-32] SMU Mustangs (22-8) – Saturday 1pm ET – Florida has now won eight in a row after shutting out North Florida and South Florida in the first two rounds while SMU is into the Round of 16 for the first time since 2001 after beating Washington 5-0 and Texas Tech 4-2.
Florida seems to be playing with a swagger and while SMU is playing well I don’t think they are playing well enough to pull off the upset. I like Florida in doubles and Hidalgo, Perez-Blanco, and Kessler in singles. SMU’s best chances are in doubles and at 2, 3, and 5. Prediction: Florida 4-0.
[5] Ohio State Buckeyes (32-2) vs. [17-32] Texas Longhorns (19-11) – 10am ET – Ohio State punched its ticket to the Round of 16 for the 11th year in a row with a 5-0 win over Tennessee Tech and a 4-2 win over Virginia Tech. Texas is back in the Round of 16 for the third year in a row after defeating Lamar 4-0 and Texas A&M 4-3. Ohio State won the regular season meeting 4-0 though as you can see from the box score below it was a much closer match than the score indicates.
Regular Season Meeting:
#8 Ohio State 4, #26 Texas 0
Jan 31, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #7 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 14.43) def. George Goldhoff (UT 13.69) 6-4, 7-6 (1)
2. #10 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.20) vs. #94 Harrison Scott (UT 13.49) 6-2, 5-7, 1-2, unf
3. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.53) vs. #19 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.95) 4-6, 6-4, 3-1, unf
4. #25 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.61) def. Adrian Ortiz (UT 13.73) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 13.80) def. #114 Michael Riechmann (UT 13.05) 6-3, 6-3
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.73) vs. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.72) 6-3, 5-7, 4-2, unf
Doubles competition
1. #22 Ralf Steinbach/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. Michael Riechmann/Adrian Ortiz (UT) 6-3
2. Chris Diaz/Hugo Di Feo (OSU) def. Julian Zlobinsky/George Goldhoff (UT) 6-4
3. Rodrigo Banzer/Harrison Scott (UT) def. #24 Mikael Torpegaard/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) 6-4
Match Notes
Texas 4-4; National ranking #26
Ohio State 7-0; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,1,4)
Official: Marcus Lee T-2:35 A-222
Projected Singles Lineups
[4] TCU Horned Frogs (26-3) vs. [13] Cal Bears (19-6) – 10am ET – TCU cruised through the first two rounds with 4-0 wins over Jackson State and LSU while Cal was equally impressive with 4-0 wins over Army and Ole Miss. Cal knocked off TCU 4-2 back on February 7th in a match that took place indoors in Austin as part of the Big 12/Pac-12 Challenge. TCU was without its #6 starter, Trevor Johnson, in that match but Cal really took it them at 2, 3, and 4. The matches at 3, 4, and 5 will all be rematches while 1, 2, and 6 will have new pairings.
Regular Season Meeting
#24 Cal 4, #2 TCU 2
Feb 07, 2016 at Austin, Texas (Weller Indoor Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #4 Cameron Norrie (TCU 14.52) def. #3 Andre Goransson (CAL 14.33) 6-1, 6-3
2. #30 Florian Lakat (CAL 13.88) def. Alex Rybakov (TCU 14.68) 6-2, 6-2
3. #39 Billy Griffith (CAL 13.52) def. #24 Guillermo Nuez (TCU 14.18) 6-4, 6-4
4. #86 Filip Bergevi (CAL 14.04) def. #109 Jerry Lopez (TCU 13.64) 6-1, 6-4
5. Eduardo Nava (TCU 13.98) vs. #54 Oskar Wikberg (CAL 13.57) 6-4, 5-5, unfinished
6. J.T. Nishimura (CAL 13.50) def. Reese Stalder (TCU 12.90) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles competition
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (CAL) def. Trevor Johnson/Cameron Norrie (TCU) 6-3
2. Hudson Blake/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (CAL) 6-4
3. Guillermo Nuez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (CAL) 7-5
Match Notes
Cal 4-1; National ranking #24
TCU 3-1; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,2,4,3,6)
Doubles Records: TCU 21-8, Cal 17-6
Doubles Records: Virginia 26-4, Oklahoma State 18-8
FYI, the number beside the player’s school is the player’s Universal Tennis Rating as of May 16th. For more details about UTR check out their website.
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Virginia 86, Oklahoma State 82
FYI, the number beside the player’s school is the player’s Universal Tennis Rating as of May 16th. For more details about UTR check out their website.
The UTR Power 6 is the combined UTRs of the starting 6 (rounded to a whole #). An individual win/loss to anyone with a UTR difference of 1.0 or greater would be considered an upset.
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #8 Ryan Shane (VA 14.39) vs. #56 Julian Cash (OSU 13.84)
2. #33 Collin Altamirano (VA 14.25) vs. Arjun Kadhe (OSU 13.97)
3. #9 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA 14.50) vs. Lucas Gerch (OSU 13.97)
4. #78 Alexander Ritschard (VA 14.37) vs. Tristan Meraut (OSU 13.61)
5. #110 J.C. Aragone (VA 13.90) vs. Lukas Finzelberg (OSU 13.86)
6. Henrik Wiersholm (VA 14.53) vs. Jurence Mendoza (OSU 13.30)
O: Luca Corinteli (VA 13.68)
Dual-Match Records:
1. Shane 14-11 vs. Cash 11-8
2. Altamirano 23-4 vs. Kadhe 14-7
3. Kwiatkowski 21-6 vs. Gerch 16-2
4. Ritschard 2-0 vs. Meraut 11-7
5. Aragone 23-3 vs. Finzelberg 12-3
6. Wiersholm 22-2 vs. Mendoza 10-1
Bench: Corinteli 10-3/Roper 2-4
Virginia is definitely the stronger team but I think Oklahoma State will keep it fairly close in its first Round of 16 appearance since 2008. I’m going to take Virginia in doubles and Altamirano, Ritschard, and Wiersholm in singles. Oklahoma State’s best chance at pulling off the stunner would be to take the doubles point and to get wins from Cash, Kadhe, and Finzelberg. Prediction: Virginia 4-0.
Dual-Match Records:
1. Shane 14-11 vs. Cash 11-8
2. Altamirano 23-4 vs. Kadhe 14-7
3. Kwiatkowski 21-6 vs. Gerch 16-2
4. Ritschard 2-0 vs. Meraut 11-7
5. Aragone 23-3 vs. Finzelberg 12-3
6. Wiersholm 22-2 vs. Mendoza 10-1
Bench: Corinteli 10-3/Roper 2-4
Virginia is definitely the stronger team but I think Oklahoma State will keep it fairly close in its first Round of 16 appearance since 2008. I’m going to take Virginia in doubles and Altamirano, Ritschard, and Wiersholm in singles. Oklahoma State’s best chance at pulling off the stunner would be to take the doubles point and to get wins from Cash, Kadhe, and Finzelberg. Prediction: Virginia 4-0.
[9] Florida Gators (20-6) vs. [17-32] SMU Mustangs (22-8) – Saturday 1pm ET – Florida has now won eight in a row after shutting out North Florida and South Florida in the first two rounds while SMU is into the Round of 16 for the first time since 2001 after beating Washington 5-0 and Texas Tech 4-2.
Doubles Records: Florida 21-5, SMU 22-8
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Florida 84, SMU 81
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #10 Diego Hidalgo (UF 14.64) vs. #73 Hunter Johnson (SMU 13.60)
2. #53 Alfredo Perez (UF 14.39) vs. #112 Nate Lammons (SMU 13.91)
3. #37 Elliott Orkin (UF 14.10) vs. Samm Butler (SMU 13.82)
4. #120 Chase Perez-Blanco (UF 14.03) vs. Markus Kerner (SMU 12.83)
4. #120 Chase Perez-Blanco (UF 14.03) vs. Markus Kerner (SMU 12.83)
5. Gordon Watson (UF 13.54) vs. Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU 13.38)
6. McClain Kessler (UF 13.73) vs. Yates Johnson (SMU 13.23)
Dual-Match Records
1. Hidalgo 17-5 vs. H Johnson 12-6
2. Perez 19-4 vs. Lammons 19-4
3. Orkin 16-7 vs. Butler 19-4
4. Perez-Blanco 14-7 vs. Kerner 11-12
5. Watson 16-5 vs. Slobodchikov 16-3
6. Kessler 13-5 vs. Y Johnson 12-5
6. McClain Kessler (UF 13.73) vs. Yates Johnson (SMU 13.23)
Dual-Match Records
1. Hidalgo 17-5 vs. H Johnson 12-6
2. Perez 19-4 vs. Lammons 19-4
3. Orkin 16-7 vs. Butler 19-4
4. Perez-Blanco 14-7 vs. Kerner 11-12
5. Watson 16-5 vs. Slobodchikov 16-3
6. Kessler 13-5 vs. Y Johnson 12-5
Florida seems to be playing with a swagger and while SMU is playing well I don’t think they are playing well enough to pull off the upset. I like Florida in doubles and Hidalgo, Perez-Blanco, and Kessler in singles. SMU’s best chances are in doubles and at 2, 3, and 5. Prediction: Florida 4-0.
[5] Ohio State Buckeyes (32-2) vs. [17-32] Texas Longhorns (19-11) – 10am ET – Ohio State punched its ticket to the Round of 16 for the 11th year in a row with a 5-0 win over Tennessee Tech and a 4-2 win over Virginia Tech. Texas is back in the Round of 16 for the third year in a row after defeating Lamar 4-0 and Texas A&M 4-3. Ohio State won the regular season meeting 4-0 though as you can see from the box score below it was a much closer match than the score indicates.
Regular Season Meeting:
#8 Ohio State 4, #26 Texas 0
Jan 31, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #7 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 14.43) def. George Goldhoff (UT 13.69) 6-4, 7-6 (1)
2. #10 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.20) vs. #94 Harrison Scott (UT 13.49) 6-2, 5-7, 1-2, unf
3. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.53) vs. #19 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.95) 4-6, 6-4, 3-1, unf
4. #25 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.61) def. Adrian Ortiz (UT 13.73) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 13.80) def. #114 Michael Riechmann (UT 13.05) 6-3, 6-3
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.73) vs. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.72) 6-3, 5-7, 4-2, unf
Doubles competition
1. #22 Ralf Steinbach/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. Michael Riechmann/Adrian Ortiz (UT) 6-3
2. Chris Diaz/Hugo Di Feo (OSU) def. Julian Zlobinsky/George Goldhoff (UT) 6-4
3. Rodrigo Banzer/Harrison Scott (UT) def. #24 Mikael Torpegaard/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) 6-4
Match Notes
Texas 4-4; National ranking #26
Ohio State 7-0; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,1,4)
Official: Marcus Lee T-2:35 A-222
Doubles Records: Ohio State 30-4, Texas 14-14
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Ohio State 85, Texas 81
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 15.18) vs. #68 George Goldhoff (UT 13.66)
2. #88 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.81) vs. Adrian Ortiz (UT 13.76)
3. #45 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.42) vs. Harrison Scott (UT 13.69)
4. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 14.05) vs. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.36)
4. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 14.05) vs. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.36)
5. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.83) vs. Michael Riechmann (UT 13.32)
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.92) vs. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.88)
O: Matt Mendez (OSU 13.55); John Mee (UT 13.13)
Dual-Match Records
1. Torpegaard 23-0 vs. Goldhoff 10-11
2. Diaz 7-8 vs. Ortiz 14-6
3. Di Feo 14-5 vs. Scott 14-10
4. Steinbach 24-2 vs. Banzer 7-7
5. Pollanen 13-5 vs. Riechmann 17-7
6. Joyce 19-0 vs. Zlobinsky 13-6
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.92) vs. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.88)
O: Matt Mendez (OSU 13.55); John Mee (UT 13.13)
Dual-Match Records
1. Torpegaard 23-0 vs. Goldhoff 10-11
2. Diaz 7-8 vs. Ortiz 14-6
3. Di Feo 14-5 vs. Scott 14-10
4. Steinbach 24-2 vs. Banzer 7-7
5. Pollanen 13-5 vs. Riechmann 17-7
6. Joyce 19-0 vs. Zlobinsky 13-6
Ohio State is a huge favorite in doubles with the Buckeyes having the highest doubles winning % of the remaining 16 teams while Texas is 14th out of 16. Ohio State will be favored on just about every court but Texas will be playing with a lot of confidence after slaying Texas A&M. Ralf Steinbach had his 12-match winning streak snapped by Virginia Tech’s Edoardo Tessaro but I think he gets back into the win column by knocking off Rodrigo Banzer at #4. I like the undefeated Martin Joyce at #6 and also look for Mikael Torpegaard to stay undefeated with a win at #1. I like Adrian Oritz and Michael Riechmann for Texas at 2 and 5 and I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison Scott is close to the finish line at 3. I’m going to take the Buckeyes but if Texas finds a way to take the doubles point it could get pretty wild. Prediction: Ohio State 4-2.
[4] TCU Horned Frogs (26-3) vs. [13] Cal Bears (19-6) – 10am ET – TCU cruised through the first two rounds with 4-0 wins over Jackson State and LSU while Cal was equally impressive with 4-0 wins over Army and Ole Miss. Cal knocked off TCU 4-2 back on February 7th in a match that took place indoors in Austin as part of the Big 12/Pac-12 Challenge. TCU was without its #6 starter, Trevor Johnson, in that match but Cal really took it them at 2, 3, and 4. The matches at 3, 4, and 5 will all be rematches while 1, 2, and 6 will have new pairings.
Regular Season Meeting
#24 Cal 4, #2 TCU 2
Feb 07, 2016 at Austin, Texas (Weller Indoor Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #4 Cameron Norrie (TCU 14.52) def. #3 Andre Goransson (CAL 14.33) 6-1, 6-3
2. #30 Florian Lakat (CAL 13.88) def. Alex Rybakov (TCU 14.68) 6-2, 6-2
3. #39 Billy Griffith (CAL 13.52) def. #24 Guillermo Nuez (TCU 14.18) 6-4, 6-4
4. #86 Filip Bergevi (CAL 14.04) def. #109 Jerry Lopez (TCU 13.64) 6-1, 6-4
5. Eduardo Nava (TCU 13.98) vs. #54 Oskar Wikberg (CAL 13.57) 6-4, 5-5, unfinished
6. J.T. Nishimura (CAL 13.50) def. Reese Stalder (TCU 12.90) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles competition
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (CAL) def. Trevor Johnson/Cameron Norrie (TCU) 6-3
2. Hudson Blake/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (CAL) 6-4
3. Guillermo Nuez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (CAL) 7-5
Match Notes
Cal 4-1; National ranking #24
TCU 3-1; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,2,4,3,6)
Doubles Records: TCU 21-8, Cal 17-6
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: TCU 84, Cal 84
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #5 Cameron Norrie (TCU 14.77) vs. #30 Florian Lakat (CAL 14.23)
2. #24 Alex Rybakov (TCU 14.44) vs. #31 Andre Goransson (CAL 14.26)
3. #86 Guillermo Nunez (TCU 13.91) vs. #85 Billy Griffith (CAL 14.34)
4. Jerry Lopez (TCU 13.78) vs. #119 Filip Bergevi (CAL 14.24)
5. Eduardo Nava (TCU 13.75) vs. #124 Oskar Wikberg (CAL 13.63)
6. Trevor Johnson (TCU 13.79) vs. J.T. Nishimura (CAL 13.53)
Dual-Match Records
1. Norrie 17-4 vs. Lakat 9-7
2. Rybakov 18-4 vs. Goransson 11-10
3. Nunez 13-7 vs. Griffith 15-2
4. Lopez 16-5 vs. Bergevi 17-3
5. Nava 9-6 vs. Wikberg 10-4
6. Johnson 17-6 vs. Nishimura 11-2
3. #86 Guillermo Nunez (TCU 13.91) vs. #85 Billy Griffith (CAL 14.34)
4. Jerry Lopez (TCU 13.78) vs. #119 Filip Bergevi (CAL 14.24)
5. Eduardo Nava (TCU 13.75) vs. #124 Oskar Wikberg (CAL 13.63)
6. Trevor Johnson (TCU 13.79) vs. J.T. Nishimura (CAL 13.53)
Dual-Match Records
1. Norrie 17-4 vs. Lakat 9-7
2. Rybakov 18-4 vs. Goransson 11-10
3. Nunez 13-7 vs. Griffith 15-2
4. Lopez 16-5 vs. Bergevi 17-3
5. Nava 9-6 vs. Wikberg 10-4
6. Johnson 17-6 vs. Nishimura 11-2
Despite the 7am pacific start time I think Cal answers the early morning call and takes the doubles point. I look for Cameron Norrie to win his fifth match in a row at #1 and I also look for Alex Rybakov to win his ninth straight match at #2. I like Cal’s Billy Griffith and Filip Bergevi to win their 6th and 7th straight matches at #3 and #4 but I think Eduardo Nava stops his three-match losing streak with a win at #5. Trevor Johnson has won 13 of his last 14 and I look for that to go to 14 of 15 with a three-set win at #6. TCU survives, barely, and moves on to the quarterfinals. Prediction: TCU 4-3
Matches aren't won on paper! That's Athletics!
Tcu falls but this match up should have never taken place in the round of 16.
The lineups have already been set for the NCAAs – if you are slotted at 1 through 5 you either play in that slot or not at all – not able to move down. The only flexibility comes at #6 – anybody listed on the NCAA roster can play at #6 even if you are listed at say #8.
What's to prevent Cal from putting Lakat at 2 to take out Rybakov again? Gorannson isn't going to win no matter who he plays.
Of the remaining teams, Okie State, UNC, UCLA, Cal, Florida, and TCU have yet to lose a point.
I agree – Cal has pretty strong from top to bottom – if everyone is on they are capable of beating just about anyone.
The Cal v Tcu match is more worthy of a quarterfinal matchup. Cal is under ranked with a 13 seed.