Round of 32
Region 4: "Team Accomplishments"
No. 2 "ASU Hockey Sweeps U of A" vs. No. 7 "ASU Football Reopens Camp Tontozona"
The Case for "The Sweep": There's winning and there's dominance. But neither of those words do justice to how the Arizona State hockey team has handled the Arizona Wildcats. In fact, it's useless to try to describe the streak of 32 consecutive victories in words, because there aren't enough superlatives to compliment the Sun Devils' play.
This year, Coach Greg Powers and company added onto their seemingly mind-blowing streak with eight more thrilling wins that included four games that came down to the wire. We've already seen Faiz Khan and Darcy Charrois make appearances in our bracket for their late-game heroics, but now it's time to honor the hockey program in general.
To put the eight-game sweep and 32 game streak in perspective, this year's class of graduating seniors never tasted the feeling of defeat at the hands of their rivals. But most impressively, the scariest part of this streak may be the fact that the Sun Devil hockey program continues to get better. In reality, losing to the Wildcats becomes less realistic with each passing year. -Kerry Crowley
The Case for "Camp T": It may seem silly to say, but for my money, so much of what head coach Todd Graham was able to do right in his first year began with the return to Camp Tontozona. The fact that Graham and the all-powerful Steve Patterson managed to restore one of Arizona State's greatest traditions in their first years on the job is something that needs to be applauded.
Getting back to the camp that Frank Kush built for the first time since 2008 was the perfect way to transition from the tumultuous Dennis Erickson era. Although it's just practice, it undoubtedly meant something to a fanbase that left fractured and searching for a true identity after the late 2000s. Need proof? How about the $160,000 raised by the ASU community to get their football team back up to that magically green preseason practice.
Face it gang, there's just something special about singing the fight song on top of Mount Kush. So if you believe in the sanctity of tradition, move "Camp T" on to the next round. - Cody Ulm