Esports: Ohio State Premier Overwatch teams advance to next stage of TESPA tournament

Justin Herold
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 00:55:53 +0000
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The Ohio State Overwatch participated in a scrimmage against Arkansas Tech University Nov. 19. Credit: Courtesy of Jake Blitch

The Ohio State Premier Overwatch scarlet and grey teams have both qualified for the single elimination portion of the second TESPA preseason split tournament.

Both teams finished with a 4-2 record in the preliminary round of play — the record needed to advance to the next round. The scarlet team finished this past weekend 1-1 and the gray team going 2-0.?

“We knew going in that both of our teams were good enough to qualify,” Lucas Lumbra, a fifth-year senior analyst for the premier team, said. “We had some interesting bracket luck that affected the scarlet team. All things considered, again, we’re happy with where we’re at, and we’re really just looking forward to the single elimination bracket.”

Both teams have seen significant changes to their rosters over the last few weeks but have foregone the chemistry complications most other teams would face. Senior analyst Jake Blitch said the gray team is confident in the team’s experience to beat future opponents.

“I think with this meta and getting some synergy and some match time in, we’re pretty confident in our current ability on gray,” Blitch said.?

The teams will be seeded based on their record and the record of the teams they played throughout the first round of play. The scarlet team is expected to be ranked slightly better than the gray team due to the strength of opponents they faced.?

But both teams will have to rely on their skill in hopes of lasting in the next phase of this tournament as the format shifts to single elimination. For the scarlet team, it’s their chance to prove that they are a top Overwatch team in collegiate esports.

“We’ve had multiple power rankings come out showing us in the top 25, in a lot of cases around that range,” Lumbra said. “All we really should need to do is win one tough matchup in the single elimination portion, and we will be able to go deep in that bracket.”

The gray team has seen less competitive tournament play this semester than the scarlet team. Blitch said the team will be looking to turn some heads and prove to themselves that they belong in this tournament.?

“I think we’re coming in with an underdog mentality,” Blitch said. “Especially given the fact that we have the same record as the scarlet team, it’s kinda like our chance to prove ourselves and also we had the lowest record you could to get in. Sso I think our team really just wants to prove that the second team is a good team and that they can go far.”