SwimSwam Pulse: 42.8% Think Texas Missing Top 4 A Bigger Upset Than ASU, Florida Wins

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which of these options would be the most surprising outcome at the Men’s NCAA Championships:

Question: Which would outcome would be the bigger “upset” at men’s NCAAs?

RESULTS

• Texas out of the top 4 – 42.8%
• ASU wins the title – 31.2%
• Florida wins the title – 25.9%

After so many years of Texas and Cal going 1-2 in one order or the other, any other outcome at Men’s NCAAs would feel like a significant disruption of the norm and a changing of the guard of sorts.

A change from the usual top-two felt like a near certainty prior to the start of the competition when looking at the scored psych sheets, which had Texas down in seventh place, and although no one actually thought they would finish that low, climbing up into first or second didn’t seem as though it was in the cards.

Not only was Cal looking like a juggernaut well on its way to a second straight title, Arizona State and Florida had rounded out their rosters and were a close second and third behind the Bears in the psych sheet scores.

Texas missing a top four (or even top three) finish would feel like a massive upset, as along with Cal, ASU and Florida, NC State and Indiana also figured to be competitive in the top of the team race. At the same time, a win for anyone other than the Bears, such as ASU or Florida, would also be fairly unexpected—mostly due to the fact it hasn’t happened in recent memory.

In our most recent poll, 42.8 percent of readers believe Texas missing the top four would be a bigger upset than ASU (31.2%) or Florida (25.9%) winning the championship.

Perhaps the biggest “upset” of them all would be Cal not winning, which in essence is what 57.1 percent voted for by virtue of them selecting the ASU and Florida victory options.

As we enter the third night of finals in Minneapolis, this is how the team standings currently sit:

1. Cal – 184
2. Texas – 165
3. ASU – 154
4. NC State – 151.5
5. Florida – 145

This is how things look when adding the projected prelim scores from Day 3:

1. Cal – 288
2. Texas – 269.5
3. ASU – 264
4. Florida – 214.5
5. Indiana – 212.5
6. NC State – 211.5

Texas has performed above expectations thus far and is right in the thick of the battle. Cal is very strong on the final day, but the Longhorns are proving everyone right—a Texas finish out of one of the top spots is just not in their DNA.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which record set women’s NCAAs will stand the longest:

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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.