LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The second Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Esports Showdown will conclude this weekend with four different gaming competition finals taking place, leading to the crowning of the 2021 SCAC Esports team champion. Colorado College won the inaugural Esports Showdown back in 2019.
Unlike the majority of other collegiate esports competitions that focus entirely on League of Legends as the primary competition opportunity, the SCAC Showdown involved gaming competition across four gaming platforms, including Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Crew as well as League of Legends.
The 2021 Esports Showdown features teams from core members Austin College, Colorado College, Schreiner University, Southwestern University, University of St. Thomas and Trinity University, along with affiliate members Concordia Texas and Hendrix College, competing in a seeded championship bracket competition across the four gaming platforms with the consolation and championship rounds all scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11. Seeding for all four brackets were based on regular season play that began back in February among the eight programs across the league. Brackets: League of Legends | Overwatch | Rocket League | Super Smash Bros. Crew
The Esports Showdown team title will be awarded based on the total number of points accumulated from tournament play. Points are awarded to teams based on team finish in each of the four gaming competitions. First place in any event is worth eight points and second place teams will earn six points. Teams competing in the consolation final will receive four points for a third-place finish and two points for fourth place.
Top-seeded Trinity and third-seeded Schreiner are set to compete in the Super Smash Bros. Crew championship final on Saturday. Trinity defeated No. 4 Southwestern, 10-0, and Schreiner upset No. 2 Colorado College, 10-0, in the semifinals to reach the championship final. The Pirates and the Tigers will meet up in the consolation final.
Colorado College, which also secured the top-seed in Rocket League, will square-off against third-seeded Concordia in the Rocket League final. The Tigers once again earned a bye as the No. 1 seed and then defeated No. 4 Hendrix, 4-2, in the semifinals with Concordia advancing into the final after defeating No. 6 St. Thomas, 3-0, and No. 2 Schreiner, 4-1, in the semifinals. The consolation final will feature Hendrix and Schreiner.
Fifth-seeded Concordia will take on seconded-seeded Hendrix in the League of Legends championship final. Concordia advanced into the final after defeating No. 4 Schreiner (2-0) in the quarterfinals before knocking off top-seeded Austin College (2-0) in the semifinals. Hendrix arrived in the final after knocking off No. 7 St. Thomas (2-0) in the quarters and No. 3 Trinity (2-1) in the semifinals. Austin College and Trinity will battle it out for third place in the consolation final.
In the Overwatch championship, top-seeded Colorado College will battle second-seeded Southwestern as the Tigers look to repeat in the best-of-three championship round. CC, which received a bye into the semifinals at the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 4 Austin College, 3-1, in the semifinals and the Pirates sailed into the finals after sweeping No. 7 Hendrix and No. 3 Concordia, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Austin College and Concordia will face-off in the consolation final.
Adding to the excitement leading into the Overwatch championship, in an announcement made earlier, the SCAC tournament champion has been guaranteed a slot in the inaugural Collegiate Esports National Championship event, which is scheduled to take place virtually April 29-May 2.
Championship rounds begin on Saturday with the conclusion of Super Smash Bros. Crew and continues Sunday with League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League championship rounds. All competition is being conducted virtually and will be streamed through the SCAC ESPORTS Twitch account. (https://www.twitch.tv/scac_esports) SCAC_ESPORTS - Twitch
