AV-CTL Div. 4 Reset

Wondering how the title race for Division 4 of the AV-CTL is shaping up? Well, Keeper of the Hoops has you covered as we break down the teams, the schedules and what needs to happen from here on out for each team to accomplish its goals. Click the jump and you will find everything you need to know about how the AV-CTL Division 4 crown can and will be won.

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 5 wins, 0 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: Clearwater, Collegiate

Remaining schedule: vs. Wellington on Feb. 8; vs. Augusta on Feb. 12; @Circle on Feb. 15; vs. Clearwater on Feb. 19; @Collegiate on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: Andale proved it was the class of the league in the 1st round and it does so once again in the second-half. The Indians survive their two biggest tests at the end of the season, against Clearwater and at Collegiate, to pull off the perfect 10-0 league title season.
Worst-case scenario: Andale goes into the final week of the season with a 2-game lead then drops both games to its chief competitors and has to settle for a shared league title, which would be a huge let-down after a likely 8-0 start.

Odds of winning: 80%

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 3 wins, 2 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: Collegiate

Remaining schedule: vs. Collegiate on Feb. 8; @Circle on Feb. 12; @Wellington on Feb. 15; @Andale on Feb. 19; vs. Augusta on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: Clearwater completes the sweep of Collegiate, which would all but wrap up a top-2 finish, then wins on the road in Andale at the end of the year to possibly grab a share of the league title, an amazing accomplishment considering Clearwater is in a 2-game hole with 5 to play. 

Worst-case scenario: This time around the Indians lose to both Andale and Collegiate and stub their toe once again (the Circle game the first round) to plummet to 5-5 in the league and likely a 3rd or maybe even 4th place finish.

Odds of winning: 20%

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 3 wins, 2 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: None

Remaining schedule: @Clearwater on Feb. 8; vs. Wellington on Feb. 12; vs. Augusta on Feb. 15; @Circle on Feb. 19; vs. Andale on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: Even with the recent struggles of the Spartans, who's willing to count them out? Collegiate has the ability to complete the 5-0 sweep in the 2nd half, and do so, and if Andale stumbles anywhere else, the Spartans will be more than happy to share a league title.

Worst-case scenario: The Spartans continue to struggle to defend and repeat their performance from the 1st half, losing to Clearwater and Andale again. Collegiate has to settle for a 6-4 record and a 3rd place finish, almost unheard of in the Mitch Fiegel era.
Odds of winning: 20%

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 2 wins, 3 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: Circle, Wellington

Remaining schedule: vs. Circle on Feb. 8; @Andale on Feb. 12; @Collegiate on Feb. 15; vs. Wellington on Feb. 19; @Clearwater on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: The recent offensive surge continues into the 2nd half, which helps the O's win both of their home games and then sneak an upset in on the road against the 3 elite teams in the division (Andale, Collegiate and Clearwater). It works for a tidy 5-5 record and solid 4th place finish in the league with the potential of finishing as high as 3rd.

Worst-case scenario: The schedule does Augusta no favors in the 2nd half, as it has to play the top 3 teams in the league on the road. They drop all three of those and then stumble at home against either Wellington or Circle to go 1-4 and finish a disappointing 3-7 and in 5th place in the league.

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 1 win, 4 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: Circle

Remaining schedule: @Andale on Feb. 8; @Collegiate on Feb. 12; vs. Clearwater on Feb. 15; @Augusta on Feb. 19; vs. Circle on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: Wellington takes care of Circle again, sneaks a win in on the road at Augusta and plays the 3 best teams tough. If the Crusaders win any more than 3 games in the 2nd half, that would be worth celebrating. A 3-7 or 4-6 finish and a bump up to 4th place would be a nice finish in this division for Wellington.

Worst-case scenario: The Crusaders go through the gauntlet in the first 3 games on the schedule, which doesn't leave them much confidence down the stretch. If things begin to snowball and Wellington loses all 5 to finish 1-9 and in last place, that would be worst-case scenario.

AV-CTL Div. 4 record: 1 win, 4 losses

Notable Tiebreakers: Clearwater

Remaining schedule: @Augusta on Feb. 8; vs. Clearwater on Feb. 12; vs. Andale on Feb. 15; vs. Collegiate on Feb. 19; @Wellington on Feb. 21.

Best-case scenario: If there is going to be an upset in the division, it will more than likely come at the hands of the T-Birds. They already have a colossal one over McPherson this year and the win at Clearwater turned out to be a very nice win. Circle gets all 3 of the top teams at home and pulls off the upset on one of them as well as sneaking one in on the road to finish with 3 wins and a 5th place or even 4th place finish.

Worst-case scenario: Getting all three of the top teams at home is nice, but they're the top teams for a reason. Circle struggles to keep up, loses all three, then has to play both of its swing games on the road. A winless 2nd half of the season halts any momentum from the McPherson win and leaves the T-Birds with a 1-9 record and a last place finish in Jason Stucky's first year.