Quote:
Originally Posted by smurfgirl
Chris, I'm not surprised. Connecticut has always been a very competitive regional, it often draws a few teams from outside the local area for this reason.
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Very true. I'm just surprised that all 3 of these teams signed up within the last 48 hours, adding even more depth.
So just for fun, I thought I'd do my normal predictions-type post for this event. It's certainly a rather deep event. Then again, I said WPI wasn't a shallow event...
Speaking of WPI, a large percentage of the teams have already played with each other and will likely have the advantage of experience and information. The dynamic of this regional essentially acting as "WPI++" for these teams will create very interesting dynamics, with teams possibly biased toward or against teams they've previously worked with before in the eliminations.
Now, for predictions:
230 won WPI in rather convincing fashion. Their robot is far from perfect, but with a triple autonomous, plus a few balls in teleop and hanging ability, they were able to clearly pull through. They've demonstrated that a robot running an accurate back autonomous will have an insurmountable leg up over an alliance with poor autonomy. Their strength is that their damage is dealt mostly before defense can be applied, relying on scoring in the periods with reduced defense. They'll seed in the Top 8, and will have the most options of any alliance captain for partners, so they should go very far at CT.
40 and 126 both performed well at BAE, losing in the semis to the winning alliance. To be honest, I don't know much about their robots, but they've always improved throughout the season, so one of them should repeat their semifinals appearance at least. As for other good robots I don't know much about,
694 won New York City, and they look to do the same in CT.
Want to get to Einstein? Pick the Bobcats.
177 is the most consistent team in FIRST, and their preship video and strong scrimmage performance shows this is no off year for them. They know how to win in the eliminations when it counts, and this year they've shown off another impressive robot. The only question marks regarding their performance at CT would be that they haven't touched the field since before ship, so they may need some time to get in the groove. Despite this, going deep in the eliminations is a given.
176 won the DC regional all the way back in Week 1, so they too have to deal with a very evolved game in order to succeed. Aces High certainly has some cards up their sleeve, though, so watch out for them.
A wave of teams trying for a second shot at a Championship bid have signed up for the Connecticut Regional, hoping to take the event.
1501 has possibly their best robot ever, fielding a simple three wheeled demon that secured the #1 seed at Boilermaker. A repeat of that is a possibility.
1574 is the best team from outside of the US or Canada, yet they have been unable to field their robot more than a few times this year. CT could give their team a chance for redemption.
222 performed as they often do at Pittsburgh, with a solid, gritty robot. While never the flashiest, 222 is solid once again this year.
2791 is going to suck. They won't be able to fix their bump issues, nor will they be able to side hang. Their reliable near autonomous that saved them in WPI will go away for no apparent reason, and a mid autonomous will not appear. They don't have an awesome driver. I suspect they'll do nothing better than last place.