Regionals are in the air! And none too soon, I'm getting burned out. The NCAA season feels like an actual job. A job I love, yes, but a job nonetheless. But hey, at least I don't have to get up at 4:30 for any of these meets.
But anyway, let's get to my favorite from each regional. Because who cares about who the most competitive are, this is my fantasy world where all my favorites go to Nationals! (Except ASU, but they beat U of A, so I don't even really care that they're not going to regionals.)
Seattle Regional: Oklahoma, Kentucky, Washington, Utah State, Stanford, BYU
Oklahoma and Washington
UGH I want all of the top three to go!! And Stanford. And I wouldn't exactly complain about the other two going either. But ultimately, leaving Kentucky at home in favor of the other two really doesn't make me feel that bad, which tells me these really, very truly are the two I want.
Lincoln Regional: LSU, Boise State, Nebraska, U of A, Iowa State, Minnesota
LSU and Nebraska
ANYBODY BUT U OF A. I kind of wanted to pick Boise State, but then I realized I've never actually seen Boise State (which I should have by this point, admittedly) and so how can I actually determine that? This was a pretty easy one to pick. Geux Tigers and Go Big Red!!
Gainesville Regional: Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, Penn State, North Carolina
Florida and North Carolina
With this one, I want Florida, and then I kind of want everyone else to make it but I don't REALLY WANT anyone else to make it. I like UNC enough, and Morgan Lane with the full on-pike vault and beam of gold would be great to see. And it would just be hilarious to see the #35 seed beat two SEC teams. And their leos against UCLA were super fun. So yeah!
Fayetteville Regional: Utah, Denver, Cal, Auburn, Arkansas, Central Michigan
Denver and Cal
I feel kind of bad about not picking Utah because I feel like they're the top 10 team to hate this year, but Denver and Cal are two of my favorites, so TOO BAD! I also very much enjoy Auburn on floor, so if they qualified, I would not mind seeing that rotation at Nationals.
Champaign Regional: UCLA, Oregon State, Iowa, Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Ohio State
Oregon State and Illinois
This is probably overall my least favorite regional. I'm not especially attached to any of these teams, so eh. I've mentioned before (a long time ago) that UCLA isn't my favorite (and even the perfect Kyla Ross can't change that). I kind of debated picking Eastern Michigan here, but that would be another Boise State situation, so this ended up being a very easy pick. And Hodan's double illusion on floor deserves its own Nationals berth.
Morgantown Regional: Alabama, Michigan, Southern Utah, George Washington, West Virginia, Kent State
Michigan and West Virginia
I also feel bad about not picking Alabama, because I do like them and Kiana Winston's perfection and Aja Sims with the "what is this?" police siren routine. But alas, I pull for Michigan and West Virginia just a little bit more. And I have Kirah Koshinski and Zaakira Muhammad on my fantasy team, so they've just got a soft spot for me.
