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Three USA teams in B3 this season to root for: Visionaries, Sofuegg, and The Orchestra! I'm so stoked for international play that I'm hoping to do a brief weekly(ish) writeup.

This is Visionaries seventh trip to B3. Previous appearances in Seasons 21, 45, 47, 48, 49, & 65 have resulted in a 31-16 B3 record and four trips to the elimination rounds, including an appearance in the S47 sweet 16. This season the $1.4M crew, led by American Brett Kang, looks to have their sights set on glory. This is the USA's best hope to snag it's first ever B3 hardware.

Sofuegg is making their third trip to B3. Their B3 record is 8-8 and their best result was a round of 32 appearance in S63. They are playing a different strategy this season – keeping salary near the NBBA floor until a possible late season splurge (at least that has been the pattern of late). Their team is currently led by a pair of 35yo forwards from Japan and China. It remains to be seen what Sofuegg's chances look like. At this point, they may be able to rack up some wins.

The Orchestra is making their first B3 appearance. A $1.0M team of nearly all USA players led by American Tony Meade hopes to make a respectable showing. They claimed an international trophy in S60 Tier 10 BBM and surprised themselves and the nation with a cup win last season. Could their luck continue with a B3 run?

In the first week's matchups, we have:

Visionaries (28) vs Semilasteros (68, Bolivian Nations of America I.1 league champion S62-65)
Visionaries should sail through this one. They are armed to the teeth, and only three of their opponent's players over $100k.

Sofuegg (56) vs Traverse City West HS (239, last season's Slovakian cup winner)
Although their opponent also has only three players over $100k, this one could hinge on whether or not his opponent's $222k guard sells before the match.

The Orchestra (235) vs MARITIMO Herceg Novi (84, Montenegro's Cup and I.1 league champion S60-65)
This should be a dogfight. We'll see if the MARITIMO depth can overcome the Orchestra's hunger for its first taste of B3 victory.

Recap of wk 1: Visionaries rack up some PD. Sofuegg lays down and takes a big loss. Orcs make a thrilling comeback, outscoring their opponent 24-8 in the last seven minutes to win by 4.

Visionaries (26) vs CEI TOLEDO (76, S65 Spanish Cup winner and Tier 1 BBM Runner-Up)
Seven intimidating players with a combined salary over $1.5M face Visionaries in their next game. CEI TOLEDO could be one to watch, especially given their success in Tier 1 last season. Visionaries will have to be wily to walk away with a win here.

Sofuegg (63) vs Niðarós Vikings (523, S65 Norwegian Cup winner)
Facing a team with a total salary even smaller than theirs could give Sofuegg a chance to snag a B3 win. For those who helped A-Warrior become the winningest South Africa U21 manager, this is where SA NT leaders Machemko and Madikizela ended up.

The Orchestra (220) vs CB Schnubu (111, S65 Austrian top league champion)
Equally matched by salary, this should be another close one for the Orcs. CB Schnubu is led by American center Vincent Polk. Will they show up encouraged by their last win, or will overconfidence just set them up for disappointment?

Recap of wk 2: The Orchestra go 2-0 despite playing down a big again thanks to the loss of Spain in EBW's CT on Tuesday (#NotBitter). This one wasn't as dramatic as last week. Orcs going 31-34 from the charity stripe put them out of reach for their Austrian foe. Visionaries take a hard loss to a strong opponent. An interesting tactical scenario meant Kang struggled to produce, going 4-22 in the loss. Sofuegg took another loss as they sell their high salary players and appear to be in full on tanking status. Will they pick up a B3 win this season or not? Only time will tell!

This Week:
Visionaries (26) vs sderenati team (131, Perennial B3 competitor since their S43 B3 Championship, S65 Italy top-league runner-up)
This all-Italian team (except for one Greek scrub) is a parking spot for four Italy NT beasts with a combined salary over $900k. But there's not much else going on. Being able to field a full team with competent backups should tip the scales in Visionaries' favor.

Sofuegg (81) vs Horsens Kasuars (151, S65 Danish top league repeat champion)
Keepin' it Scandy this week. The Danish champ, led by Danish NT PF Viggo Opstrup, is the definition of depth with $1M spread over 10 players with $40k+ salary. But they probably won't even need all the depth as Sofuegg's anemic roster is set to shrink even more with Mai on the auction block.

The Orchestra (206) vs teamLINKO (8, Finnish cup and top league champions for the last two seasons)
If the BB gods cooperate, Orcs will play their first B3 game with a full roster. But they give up $400k in salary to this Finnish powerhouse. Their opponent features two Taiwanese NT starters in their 7-man B3 crew. The Orcs have found ways to win thus far, but this will be the toughest test they've faced– an uphill battle for sure.

Last edited by Rhyminsimon at 10/3/2024 11:23:55 AM

Loving your recaps, thank you!

Rough loss for me last round but one ding in the Swiss stage isn't the end of the world. Looking to turn it around this week.
And good luck to you, you drew a tough opponent. He beat me pretty comfortably last season in B3. Go Meade!

Recap of wk 3:

Sofuegg has cemented their place at the bottom of the B3 standings with a definitive 47-137 loss putting them at 0-3 (-136). Only Reptiloids, a Ukrainian team that has gone whole hog on training and has a $70k total salary stands in the way of Sofuegg claiming the title of "BuzzerBeater's Best's Worst!" If they're serious about it, they're gonna have to get rid of Alvarez and Han, their last two players with any business showing up to B3 games.

Kang, Yang, Taylor and crew cruised to a 110-82 victory over their Italian rival bringing Visionaries to 2-1 (+52) – their one loss being to the current top seed. Visionaries provided the USA's only win of the day displaying their outside prowess by dropping 3FGs at a thundering 43%. Although they led by as much as 41 in the 4th they were very sporting and featured their backups in the last minutes, allowing sderenati to narrow the gap to 28 at the final buzzer. They are currently 21st seed.

The Orchestra did their best despite their advance scouts giving them really bad information about their opponent's plans. The resulting ineffectiveness was evident on both sides of the ball, allowing four opponents to rack up double-doubles while shooting a measly 26% from the field. Rhyminsimon's locker room talk after the 70-96 loss encouraged them to learn from their mistakes and use the humiliation as fuel to prepare for next week. There may also be a scout looking for a job soon... They now stand at 2-1 (-9) and would be seeded 63rd if the bracket started today.

This Week:

Visionaries (24) vs Jokehim Maniacs (203, S65 Swedish top league champions)
With this matchup USA B3 teams fill their Scandinavian bingo card (no Icelandic teams qualified for B3). Despite the Maniacs having five quality starters, they lack depth and their highest salary player is a new acquisition. Look for Visionaries to dominate here.

The Orchestra (200) vs Vatt'ghern Gwynbleidd (35, S64-S65 Turkish top league champions, and S65 Turkish cup champions)
Another tough matchup awaits The Orcs as they face their third top 100 and second top 50 team (who is apparently a big fan of The Witcher). Their Turkish opponents' total salary eclipses their own by $170k, meaning they face an impressive starting five including NT players from Denmark, The Philippines, and Poland. But what their opponents boast in starters, they lack on the bench. Will this plucky team snag their 3rd B3 win? You'll have to tune in to find out!

Sofuegg (118) vs Batinari (220, S65 Serbian top league champions)
What's there to say? Their opponent is packing up for the season after a disappointing string of losses and an injury to one of their starters. They're trying to sell their top player. But even if he sells, they still have plenty of firepower to take down Sofuegg.

Last edited by Rhyminsimon at 10/10/2024 1:26:47 PM

Recap of wk 4:

Visionaries make it look easy, winning 115-85 thanks to a wrong double guess by their opponent... after a nerve-inducing first period. They now stand at 3-1(+82) and hold the 13th seed.
Sofuegg goes down again 37-154 further solidifying their slot as the second to last team in B3. They now are 0-4(-253)
The Orchestra win a nail-biter thanks to some last-minute heroics from the bench. Koenig and Meade both racked up 25 pts (including 7-10 from downtown for Meade!). But it all came down to the end. With one minute to go the Orcs were down 2 and gave up a jumper to trail by 4. After a timeout where Sabine replaced Meade, Koenig scored from deep and their opponents responded with a dunk leaving the deficit at 3. Another timeout let Meade replace Koenig. They ran a set play using Meade as a decoy leaving Sabine in the corner for the uncontested three to tie the game. Toney got a clutch block with 9 seconds left. After giving up an offensive rebound, Sabine forced a missed three. Meade grabbed the board before dishing it to Stevens who touch-passed it to Sabine. He hucked up a prayer at the buzzer. All the Orc fans who'd made their way to Slovenia for the game, and the USA discord went wild as they heard the sound of the ball hitting the net. Orcs win 86-83!!! Orcs are now 3-1(-6) and the 39th seed.

This Week:

Visionaries (26) vs Universitatea Cluj (81, S65 Romanian cup champions)
This week's opponent is a known quantity to Visionaries, they played 3 PL games with a 1-2 record last season, each game decided by 10 or less. Should be a similar game. Led by a pair of big men who play for the Greek and Lithuanian NTs, their $1.26M roster has a little less depth than Visionaries'. They're coming off their first B3 loss where their PF fouled out after 30. Should be a fun one to watch.

Sofuegg (153) vs Tampines Fusion (1240, S62-62 Singapore cup champions)
Tampines Fusion houses three Singapore NT players, a starter, backup, and situational player. They are, however, a team in transition, having recently added $550k to their salary. Who knows what kind of team will show up at the game. But we do know they are likely to curb stomp Sofuegg, who remains content to watch this B3 season pass them by.

The Orchestra (201) vs Llacuabamba Angels (62, S65 Bosnian top league champions)
The Angels roster is on par with the Orcs in terms of salary, but most of the salary is spent on the starting five. NT players from Taiwan, Lithuania, and Iceland (does this complete Scandinavian Bingo!?) lead the team. They are fresh off their first loss of this B3 campaign (a low-scoring affair). It should be fun to see if the Orchestra can continue their pattern of winning close B3 matches.

Last edited by Rhyminsimon at 10/17/2024 5:34:01 PM

Epic win for your squad! Let's keep the momentum rolling. Glad we didn't draw each other since we're both 3-1 and the pools are getting small... unlike the US Cup...

4 wins and you're in, let's go!

Recap of Week 5

Not much excitement this week as Visionaries made it look easy, winning 100-83 and racking up a full quarter of garbage time despite their opponent having one correct GDP guess and a 2-3 vs their LI. It looked like 2017 up in here with LI destroying a Patient despite almost everything pointing the other way. Visionaries secure a spot in the knockout phase and are currently the 8th seed in B3 with a 4-1 (99) record. Congratulations, Peluin! You make the USA proud!

After yet another come-from-behind victory this season– this time in a league game #ShoutOutToWarroad– The Orchestra ran out of miracles. Despite Meade heroically retaking the floor for the final period after an ankle injury at the top of the third, they lost 68-81 to go 3-2 (-19) in B3. They now hold the 62nd seed. With a win in either of the next to weeks they will join Visionaries in the knockout phase.

Sofuegg give up another game to become one of 4 remaining winless teams in B3. They are now 0-5 (-272) and remain the 2nd to last team in B3. Good news: they're nearly guaranteed to face the worst team in B3, so they might snag a W in the end.

This Week:

Visionaries (27) vs Sant Mateu (26, Two-time B3 champion [S21, S51] & S65 Spanish top league champions)
A tough opponent, Sant Mateu boasts seven NT players– two Spanish, two French, an Italian, a Brazilian, and the USA's own Efrain Goldstein. Similar salaries suggest that it may come down to tactics and GS for this one. Will the Visionaries see this one through to victory? Tune in to find out!

The Orchestra (190) vs BC Moonshine Drinkers (17, S65 Latvian cup champions)
Had Rhyminsimon used his old squad's name (Drunken Clams) when he rejoined BB, this would be a battle of the boozers! As it is the Orcs will just have to pray their livers don't fail them. They give up a little salary advantage against the Drinkers' starting five, a group that includes two Latvian NTers. It will be a classic battle of flash vs depth. Orcs will have to make a concerted effort if they want to secure their place in the knockout stage this week!

Sofuegg (201) vs KK Zekica (205, S65 Serbian top league runner-up)
Sofuegg's salary is half what their opponents shell out for players, so look for Sofuegg to get fried in this matchup. But who knows... sometimes weird things happen. We can always root for the USA underdog!

Last edited by Rhyminsimon at 10/24/2024 12:20:40 PM

You worked a lot of puns in to this one, nicely done.
Not so nice on your draw though, you're 3-2 and pull the world #17? Yuck. Good luck!

Yeah. If I make the knockouts it certainly won't be because I got an easy schedule. I've faced WRs 84, 118, 8, 36, 68, and now 17. Not that WR is a perfect reflection of current power.

Average and (median) WR of...
Teams The Orchestra has faced after six: 55.2 (52)
Teams Peluin has faced after six: 96.8 (74.5)
Teams Sofuegg has faced after six: 445 (219)

For reference:
All B3 teams in 6th round: 135.8 (71.5)
Top 5-0 team CEI TOLEDO faced after six: 37.5 (14.5) (inflated since they faced Reptiloids)
Top 4-1 team Sant Mateu faced after six: 104.2 (74)

Sorry for the delay on this one. Had most of a post done and then the kid deleted it.

Anyway, last week was rough. All of us lost, although there were two winnable games. Visionaries got sabotaged by a crucial injury in the first minutes, but nearly pulled it out. Orcs overthought their tactics and shot themselves in the foot. As a result, they trailed the whole game, despite closing the gap to 5pts early in the fourth. Sofuegg lost as expected.

This week, Orcs play a make-or-break game against the Uruguayan top league runner up to hopefully squeak into the round of 64.

Visionaries are trying to nab a 10-14 seed with a win (vs a 30-something seed with a loss) against beefy perennial Venezuelan powerhouse, Syngas.

And Sofuegg gets their gimme vs Reptiloids to notch one win in the round robin.

Let's go America! Also do your civic duty and go vote if you haven't and can legally! #USAUSA

Last edited by Rhyminsimon at 11/5/2024 10:37:07 AM