In less than five days 12 talented players will converge in Beverly Hills vying to be crowned the 2019 Singles Tournament Champion. It’s only appropriate we provide a preview of what could go down on Saturday.

THE GAUNTLET

Seemingly every tournament attracts stronger talent, increased competition, and more parity. The 2019 Singles Tournament is no different with seven of the top 10 ranked players fighting for the championship belt.

In fact, six players have a season KPM of 10.0 or better and if Tony and/or Scott Garavalia had made a regular season appearance you can be sure they’d also join that club. Saturday will essentially feature eight of 12 guys with a 10.0 KPM or better, and Coach Mike is lurking with a 9.2.

All of this talent should make for a chaotic and unpredictable tournament!

THE BRACKET

The seeding and Winner’s Bracket is shown below based on each player’s season KPM. Keep in mind Tony and Scott were placed directly in the middle of the pack since we had no other metric to rank them.

HEAVYWEIGHTS

This might be the toughest evaluation in history. The tournament will feature four players with LEG championship experience, albeit none of them have won the Singles Tournament – Barker (two titles), JV (two titles), Scott Garavalia (one title), and Galz (one title).

In addition to those players, Dibble has exploded on the scene in 2019 setting several LEG records, including highest weekly KPM and season KPM in history at 15.9 and 15.1, respectively. He’s already posted five 12-point rounds and five more 10-point rounds in only three appearances.

But, this will be Dibble’s first LEG tournament of his career and he’ll likely learn what many before him had to learn – it’s difficult to navigate one of these tournaments, which is why several of the best players had to pay their dues before winning a title.

• Barker didn’t win a title until his fourth career tournament, after finishing runner-up twice and making the semifinals another time
• JV didn’t win a title until his fourth career tournament
• Galz also didn’t win a title until his fourth career tournament
• Scott didn’t win a title until his second career tournament, and it helped tremendously that his partner was his brother and prior champion

The point is, winning these tournaments requires experience and knowledge of how to endure the intense competition, and a day full of partying.

Dibble also has a dangerous match-up coming off his first round bye. He awaits the winner of #8 Paul vs. #9 Coach Mike. Interestingly, Paul is the only player in the league to outscore Dibble head-to-head this year, and Paul pulled a first round upset in last year’s tournament when he was the #10 seed and defeated #7 seeded JV – so Paul is no stranger to playing spoiler, and he’s arguably the most improved player in the league this year.

Galz is once again the #3 seed in the Singles Tournament, earning the same seed in the 2018 Singles Tournament. After a first round bye last year, Galz faced #6 seeded Barker, and Barker crushed him 21-3 in a resounding upset.

Galz has another scary situation on his hands with a potential match against #6 seeded Scott Garavalia. The two know each other well, having matched up five times in the 2019 Preseason Kick-Off Tournament, including in the championship match where Galz led his team to an upset win over Scott’s team. This could be another championship level battle…in the second round!

If Galz does survive against the #6 vs. #11 winner, a potential match-up with Barker looms.

Barker’s road isn’t a cake walk either, facing the winner of #7 Tony vs. #10 Bushie. Tony is loaded with talent and Bushie is always tough to beat early before the Coors Light catches up with him.

Then there is JV who continues to excel to new heights every season. His accuracy has blossomed to 69% in 2019, his KPM is 12.1, and he has the best winning percentage (73%, 36-13 overall) of any player in the league. Most importantly, JV might have the nastiest killer instinct of any player. When challenged, he rises to the occasion and let’s you know about it with an in your face demeanor. It’s must see TV.

In summary, the odds-on favorites to take home the title have to be: Dibble, Barker, Galz, JV or Scott. I know, I’ve named damn near half the field, but this is one of the toughest and most balanced tournaments ever.

DARK HORSES

This list starts with Tony, the #7 seed. Tony is loaded with skill and when he’s hot, his A-game might be unbeatable. The problem is “Gramps” can’t seem to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, often racing for the nearest chair to rest his lazy ass. He’ll blame it on “fatigue,” but whatever the reason Tony has historically under-performed in tournaments.

Tony was the #1 seed in the 2018 Singles Tournament and was upset in his first game by #8 Justin, then exited the tournament quickly, finishing with a 2-3 record and nowhere close to a championship.

Is this the tournament Tony finally breaks through? He brags about his dominance in random cornhole tournaments at festivals, kids’ birthday parties, and retirement homes. Can he get off the porch with the big dogs?

Justin doesn’t get much hype as the #5 seed, but he should. He has an 11.2 KPM on the season, pulled a major upset in last year’s event and this will be his third career tournament, which is when players ordinarily make a jump to championship contention.

Justin is likely a tournament or two away from being a true contender, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a deep run.

Lastly, Coach Mike is a seasoned veteran and when his back-handed taint tickler is working, he’s incredibly dangerous. If he can get through his first round match with #8 Paul, his experience could pay off against #1 Dibble. And if Coach puts together two wins to open the tournament, anyone still in the Winner’s Bracket should WATCH OUT!

LONG SHOTS

No disrespect to Paul, Bushie, Steve-O, or Mike, but they all face an uphill battle at a run to the championship. But, that doesn’t mean they are incapable of a deep run and making noise throughout the tournament.

Paul has a semifinal appearance in a prior tournament, and he’s much improved this year. Nobody is going to enjoy playing Paul in this tournament.

Mike’s game is trending in the right direction, coming off a 10.0 KPM in week 8. However, like Dibble, Mike will also have to struggle with tournament inexperience and ultimately that likely prevents him from strapping on the belt. But, he has an upset or two in him.

Bushie and Steve-O have experience and the talent to make serious noise. But they also have beers, Moscow Mules and trips to the basement that will undo any positive momentum they muster.

PREDICTION

I’ve only written two tournament previews – the 2018 Preseason Kick-Off and the 2019 Preseason Kick-Off. In the 2018 Preseason Kick-Off preview I predicted a Barker Breakthrough, and it came true. In the 2019 Preseason Kick-Off preview my gut told me to trust that it was Galz’s time to hoist The Cup, and indeed he did.

Needless to say, my track record is pretty good. However, this prediction is the toughest yet because of the talent depth in the field. I have a strong feeling Galz wins his second straight tournament, avenging last year’s runner-up finish to Nick Winkler in the Singles Tournament.

But, another force is pulling harder to go with JV. He’s on a different level this year and he embraces moments like this, going head-to-head with some of the most talented players. It won’t be pretty or easy, but JV throws the championship belt over his should at the end of the day – mostly because he can’t strap it around his protruding beer belly.

BONUS PREDICTION

Mike Turley (the #12 seed) pulls a first round upset when he takes on #5 Justin.

Let the white trash party begin!