Buzzer Beater: Indy’s Last Stand [UFA Week 12, 2024]

The AlleyCats kept their playoff hopes alive with a tough road win in Pittsburgh

July 16, 2024 by Alex Rubin in Rankings, Recap with 0 comments

Welcome to Buzzer Beater, Ultiworld’s weekly Ultimate Frisbee Association article rounding up the biggest stories from the weekend in men’s semi-pro ultimate.

Fighting Like an Alley Cat

There’s one week left and the Central Division is dealing with a classic four-teams-for-three-spots situation. Minnesota clinched a playoff position weeks ago, but Indianapolis and Chicago both sit at 6-5 with Madison just ahead of them at 7-4. Chicago is a shoe-in given their upcoming matchup with Detroit; Indianapolis and Madison play each other this coming week in a win-and-in game.

Indianapolis played this week with an urgency befitting the situation. The AlleyCats already lost to Pittsburgh this season, and they knew another loss would knock them out of playoff contention. Losses to Chicago and Colorado earlier this season put Indianapolis in this must-win situation, but they stepped up to the occasion. After beating Detroit, the AlleyCats headed to Pittsburgh to play a Thunderbirds team that had its own outside chance at making the playoffs despite two losses to one-win teams already this season. Breaking on the first point of the game, Indianapolis kept their defensive energy throughout the game, and played with remarkable pace on offense to keep Pittsburgh’s defenders off balance.

Veteran AlleyCats players led the charge. Levi Jacobs (3A/4G), Travis Carpenter (2A/3G), and Nicholas Hutton (2D) each had standout games. These AlleyCats are really comfortable playing in tight spaces, and the quick disc movement they generate around the backfield keeps possessions from stalling. With just over two minutes left in the game, Indy took possession after a Thunderbirds throwaway looking for an insurance break. Hutton hit his huck, but the Pittsburgh defense recovered nicely and might have stopped the break attempt of a worse team. Indianapolis was able to keep the disc flowing though, sometimes backwards, sometimes sideways, but always moving, and eventually found an opening for a two-goal lead. When Pittsburgh scored again to bring the game within one, the AlleyCats just had to keep the disc moving for one minute, and they were able to do that without so much as a nervy moment.

They’ll have to repeat the feat next week in Madison to continue their season, but if any offense can face the unique Madison defense without changing too much, this small-ball approach Indy learned this season is it.

News and Notes

• Carolina crushed Dallas. Clint McSherry finished +5 for the Flyers’ D-line.
• Madison was incredibly stingy with the disc against Chicago. The Radicals only committed eight turnovers in an eight-goal win.
• New York finally looks like to be in playoff mode with a 25-16 win over Minnesota. Though the Wind Chill lost, Gordon Larson’s 5A/4G game indicates there might be a new Central Division star ready for a breakout. Oliver Chartock’s six goals led New York.
• Colorado beat LA by ten. Quinn Finer and Sean McDougall each finished the game +9 in the statistical columns. Alex Atkins matched Larson’s effort with a 4A/5G game.
• A short handed Atlanta team held on to beat Dallas 19-18. Austin Taylor’s six assists and Trip Crowley’s six goals were just enough as the Hustle overcame a two-goal fourth quarter deficit while many of their players spent the weekend suited up for the club division’s Atlanta Chain Lightning at the Pro-Elite Challenge.
• Salt Lake recovered from an early deficit to beat Portland. Chad Yorgason’s seven assists and two blocks led the way for the Shred.
• Play-in implications for next week: Carolina plays Atlanta with the South’s top seed at stake, Seattle and Salt Lake will play for the West’s top seed, and Boston/DC/New York all have playoff seeding at stake. DC and New York play each other.
• Statistics do not tell nearly the whole story of an ultimate game, but since the UFA does a great job tracking them, it’s worth a quick league leaders check heading into the final week of the season:
  • Assists: Jake Felton leads Travis Dunn by five assists for the league lead. Assuming he plays next week, the rookie Felton is likely to finish the season atop this leaderboard.
  • Goals: Alec Wilson Holliday has a four goal lead over Anthony Gutowsky. Again, assuming Wilson Holliday plays next week, he should have this one locked up.
  • Blocks: Lukas Ambrose currently leads the league with 20 blocks, but there are a few others hot on his tail. Jake Rubin-Miller has 19, Tobe Decraene has 18, Jeff Babbitt has 17, and Lukas McClamrock has 16. Ambrose clearly has the advantage with two games left and the lead, but Babbitt and Decraene also have two games, and Chicago plays turnover-prone Detroit. This one is honesty up for grabs.
  • Total Yards: Alex Atkins currently has a 729 yard lead on Matt Miller. Colorado’s season is over, but it would take a monumental effort from Miller to catch up here. Though we won’t see Atkins in the playoffs, his multi-talented offensive toolbox clearly shined for the Summit this season.

Mailbag

No question this week, but if you have a question about the UFA, send it in to [email protected] with UFA Mailbag in the subject line. You can also message me on Twitter at @StallSeven, or subscribers can DM me in the Ultiworld Discord.

UFA Week 11 Power Rankings