TW3 and THLPG - Division Two

aka That Was The Week That Was... and...
The Handy Little Playoff Guide - Division Two

Some big happenings in Division Two this weekend as
well, having great impact on the playoff picture.

Illinois (with another ton from Rup, and a 7-fer from
Jack), IIT (with another fifty from Laxmi) and MDS (with
a 90 from Asif) rolled in their quest for the Top
Four spot. Capitol won a huge game against Suburban in
a big Top Four battle - and also proved they arent just
a one-man-army (they won despite "only" a 17-ball 31
from Satha). And a resurgent Peoria, needing to win
to make sure of their playoff spot, beat AAA in another
game that has huge implications in the Top Four as well
as the playoff battle.

Meanwhile Evanston and the Eagles both won big games,
keeping their playoff hopes alive (Evanston with a 99 LBW
for Mikey Allen! Poor guy! And the Eagles with another
big contribution from Subbu, who is in the midst of
another excellent season). The Giants (with a major
contribution from Atif) and the Advancers (with another
good performance from Suresh) both also kept their
playoff hopes alive with big wins over the weekend.

The Division Two situation at the moment is much more
complex and much more open than Division One - not
least because making the Top Four is of the utmost
importace. The situation for the Top Four at the moment
is as follows:

Illinois 52 points, 0 games left, assured of Top Four
(and probably #1 seed)
IIT 44 points, 2 games, vs MDS and AAA
AAA 40 points, 1 game, vs IIT
Capitol 38 points, 2 games, vs CCI and Jaguars
MDS 38 points, 2 games, vs IIT and Madison
Suburban 34 points, 2 games, vs Giants and Nostars
Arsenal 34 points, 2 games, vs Jaguars and Raiders

These are the 7 contenders for the Top Four spots. Some
fascinating games in prospect there - IIT has lost
only once all year so far, but face their two hardest
games now, in MDS and AAA. AAA seemingly had a Top Four
spot wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, but have lost
two straight and now finish with IIT - and a loss will
almost certainly push them outside the Top Four. MDS
has a couple of tough games, and will need to maybe win
both to retain a Top Four spot - but this is a very
strong team that has won 8 of its last 9 games (the
only non-win was a rainout!) and will back themselves
to win out. Because these 3 teams play each other at
the top, both Suburban and Arsenal retain excellent
chances to sneak into the Top Four, if they can win
against teams that are currently ranked below them
(but will be fighting very hard to make the playoffs
themselves).

These 7 teams have almost certainly wrapped up a playoff
spot already. Below them, are maybe 9 teams fighting
for the remaining 5 spots! Sometime 32 points (ie an
8-6 record) has been sufficient to make the playoffs
in Division Two.. However, last year even 9-5 only got
in on run-rate, as contending teams went on surprising
winning streaks at the end. If this happens again, the
playoff picture could yet alter radically. However, at
the moment, we have the following:

8. QC Kings 32 points, play Jolly Rovers and CCI
9. Lucky XI 32 points, play Evanston and Collinsville
10. Peoria 32 points, play Springfield
11. Giants 30 points, play Suburban and Deccan Blues
12. Evanston 28 points, play Lucky XI and Collinsville
13 Eagles 28 points, play Elgin
14 Advancers 28 points, play Nostars and Continental
15 Jaguars 28 points, play Arsenal and Capitol
16. Madison 26 points, play Springfield and MDS

QC Kings at 32 should have a great chance - they play
2 teams that are already eliminated from playoff
contention. Lucky XI looked a sure-shot a couple of
weeks ago, but have lost 2 straight - they face a
crunch game this weekend against fellow playoff
contenders Evanston (actually, Lucky and Evanston have
the same schedule - they play each other, and both
finish up with a trip to Collinsville. The winner of
this weekend obviously has the better chance at the
playoffs). Peoria is another strong team that has
gotten on a roll at the right time - they have won 5
of their last 6, and play Springfield who have been
eliminated from playoff contention already.
Giants at 30 points play a very big game against a
strong Suburban side this weekend, who are still
contending for a Top Four spot.

Then come the 4 teams that are currently holding spots
13 to 16 - but hope to move into a playoff spot by the
end of the season as the teams ahead of them falter.
The Eagles are at 28, but can only hope to get to 32 at
best, if they beat Elgin - they may then need some
other results to fall their way to make the playoffs.
The Advancers at 28 have a very good chance - they play
Nostars (who are currently out of playoff contention),
and then Continental (which has been giving up a few
walkovers in the past few games - so that could be 4
free points). The Jaguars at 28 have the hardest
schedule by far - Arsenal and Capitol, who are both
fighting for a Top Four spot. Madison at 26 will need
to win both games to have a chance - first against
Springfield this weekend, and then against a very strong
MDS in the last week of the season.

IIT and MDS is the obvious headline game this weekend.
But Giants-Suburban, Evanston-Lucky and Jaguars-Arsenal
are other very big games between two sides with playoff
aspirations. These should clarify the playoff picture
somewhat (but not very much!) by the end of this weekend.

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