Drama, Drama, Drama! The Hampton and Worcester regions more than made up for the blowouts in the last round of voting with several down-to-the-wire contests. Let’s go to the video tape!
Hampton Region Recap
#5 Hampton 13 27 #4 Bangor 94 23
The Hampton region’s highest drama came via the four-five matchup between Bangor and Hampton. This game was nip and tuck throughout with several lead changes along the way. Neither of these juggernauts were able to build any separation in this rugged-style matchup. Hailing from completely different eras, each of these monster versions utilized their unique psychedelic prowess in an attempt to intimidate the other, but neither backed down as the game went down to the wire. A small run in the final two minutes pushed the modern classic over the gem from ’94, and Hampton became the second 3.0 Tweezer to make the Sweet Sixteen.
#2 Mud Island 95 23 #7 Austin 98 19
The most surprising contest of the Hampton region came in an incredibly competitive game between two-seed Mud Island and the upstart, seven-seed Austin 98. This matchup provided the most stark contrast of styles that we have seen in the tournament—Mud Island’s multi-sectioned, never-ending 50-minute odyssey versus the locked-in, smooth-as-can-be, chunky Summer ’98 funk grooves of Austin. Austin kept the game closer than anyone had predicted, and by the second half, the compact dance-version won over the crowd as the arena pulled hard for the improbable upset. It seemed as though the favored ’95 beast would fall in a David versus Goliath story, but Austin missed a couple gimmies in the final minute and somehow, someway, Mud Island survived.
#3 Denver 97 34 #11 New Haven 95 14
After upsetting MSG 12/30/16 in round one, New Haven ’95 had its sight set even higher on the well-loved, show-opening version from McNichols Arena from Fall ’97. But New Haven’s one dimensional, guitar-led run-and-gun attack proved no contest for the methodic and balanced cowfunk of Denver. This one was never close, and Denver—as expected—rolled into the Sweet Sixteen unchallenged.
#1 Raleigh 99 44 #9 Nashville 16 8
Nothing to see here, as number one seed, Raleigh ’99, steamrolled the dark-horse rendition from Fall Tour 2016 in Nashville. Raleigh moves into the next round with its true competition about to begin.
Worcester Region Recap
#4 Tokyo 00 25 #5 Bozeman 94 21
Tokyo ’00 and Bozeman ’94 played the third, hotly contested game in this half of the bracket’s second round. This four-five matchup—pitting a 30-plus minute, international rendition against a 40-plus minute sprawl from Fall ’94—became a contest of leapfrog, with neither version holding a lead for any period of time. Tokyo’s cohesion and intricacy eventually won out over the long-form, patchwork improv from Bozeman, giving this half of the second round its third four-vote margin of victory.
#6 Christiana 98 23 #3 Salem 94 19
This three-six matchup saw two beasts go head-to-head, with the underdog, Christiana winning out in yet another four-vote contest! Much like Tokyo-Bozeman, this game was as competitive as any in the tournament, as the two versions battled neck-and-neck the entire way. Just when one version pulled ahead, the other would come back, and the game entered the final minute tied up. In their last gasps, Christiana offered a slowed-down, psychedelic “When the Levee Breaks” tease, and Salem retorted with a “Norwegian Wood” jam out of an abstract space. The Zeppelin reference was just was the doctored ordered as the iconic European version pulled ahead of the penultimate rendition from Fall ’94, edging Salem by the slim margin of four.
#2 Lakewood 00 22 #7 Albany 18
Worcester’s two-seven matchup proved to be just as dramatic as Hampton’s two-seven, as Lakewood and Albany went at each other with aggression from the opening tip. The heavily favored version from Atlanta was plagued by turnovers out of the gate, allowing Albany to remain in the game with marksman-like three-point shooting. Albany’s long range bombing continued throughout the contest, as they remained within striking distance until the final minutes. Lakewood’s tournament life flashed before its eyes. The Fall ’97 version, however, never got over the hump, as Lakewood blocked it’s final two attempts to secure a narrow escape in an unexpected barnburner.
#1 Nassau 03 42 #9 Champaign 95 6
Nassau 03 was the fourth top seed to annihilate their second round opponent and waltz into the second round with zero trouble. Nassau has its sight set on the final four, but will have to now step up and play in order to get there.
*****
Sweet Sixteen Breakdown
By Year:
1994: 1
1995: 2
1997: 3
1998: 2
1999: 2
2000: 2
2003: 1
2013: 2
2015: 1
Tours with Multiple Versions
Summer ’95: 2
Fall ’97: 2
Summer ’98: 2
Summer ’00: 2
Seasonal Breakdown
Spring: 1
Summer: 10
Fall: 3
Winter: 2
Lookout for the Sweet Sixteen vote within the next 24 hours!
