Garland National Qualifier Preview
By Whitney Ho
Introduction
US Quadball is officially back with its first 2026 National Qualifier located in Garland, Texas. In total, five collegiate and five club teams will be battling it out to secure one of four allocated bids to USQ Nationals in California. Texas State, Texas, SHSU, and UTSA for college and Texas Hill Country Heat and Texas Copperheads for club will represent the Southwest region. Joining them in the DFW area are collegiate team UCLA and club teams New Jersey Dice, Reign QC and Brew Cities. Each of these teams have been preparing for this weekend for months, and in a few days, we’ll have crowned two champions and four teams will have officially booked their trip to California.
*All rankings in this article are as voted on by Fast Break News.
College Teams
Texas State
No. 3 Texas State enters 2026 still at the top of the Southwest. Their most recent game was a tight loss to Creighton, 130-155, but the result served more as motivation than a deterrent. Expect this TXST team to come out hot and heavy, reminding the Quadball world they’re coming for the title.
The Bobcats will start their Qualifier against SHSU at 9:00 am, one of USQ’s named “Games to Watch.” I don’t want to talk too much about it, since I am incredibly biased due to the fact that I’m the PR, Social Media, and Marketing Executive Board member for TXST Quadball, but this time slot is familiar to both of these teams – it’s the same time slot that they opened their season in at Lone Star Cup in October, where SHSU shocked everyone and upset TXST 170-130. However, TXST clearly showed that that result was a fluke, winning at Diamond Cup 215-100. SHSU, I love y’all, but we’re coming out swinging in Garland. TXST’s next game is against Texas at 12:40 pm, followed by UCLA at 3:00 pm and finishing out with UTSA at 5:20 pm. I probably sound like a broken record, but my prediction is that TXST will go 4-0 on Day One and secure both a D1 bid and their back-to-back championship. Diamonds Up.
Texas
Even though they’re in a rebuilding year, Texas is still showing potential. I don’t think that their 0-6 record accurately represents where they stack up against the rest of the nation. They’re young for sure, but like every team, their rookies have shown great growth and their veterans have the experience, talent, and confidence to lead them in the right direction.
Texas will begin their Qualifier against UTSA at 10:20 am, followed by TXST at 12:40 pm, SHSU at 4:20 pm and finish against UCLA at 6:30 pm. I think that Texas has strong leadership in the form of Peter Mosqueda and Nico Salinas, and this is pretty exclusive information (so don’t tell anyone), but I’ve heard rumblings that Tate Kay, Kyle Louden and Peter Williams are investing in this young team and will be there to guide them in the right direction. It’s hard to predict with good integrity that Texas will be a threat to TXST or SHSU, but I expect their games against UTSA and UCLA to be great watches. Hopefully, the Longhorns will use Garland to show that they’re still here and still hungry.
SHSU
No. 5 SHSU comes out of winter break with a 3-2 official record, one loss at the hands of UTSA at Lone Star Cup and the other from TXST at Diamond Cup XIV. Captain Andrew Acosta and his partner-in-crime, Spencer Quintana, have already proven that they know how to hit a team hard and surprise them, and they look great going into the qualifier.
The Bearkats will start off their tournament against TXST at 9:10 am, hoping to come out hot to upset the defending champions. They follow up the Bobcats with UCLA at 11:30 am, UTSA at 1:50 pm and finish Day One with Texas at 4:10 pm. I’m confidently predicting that while SHSU will lose to TXST in the morning, they’ll take care of business throughout the rest of the day and go into Day Two ready to secure the other D1 bid. This SHSU team has a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see how they continue to grow in preparation for Nationals.
UTSA
An unfortunate turn of events for UTSA saw them drop out of the FBN Collegiate Rankings after the loss of their captain, Dylan Farrow, to injury. Since then, the Roadrunners have struggled to maintain their footing, ending the fall semester with a 3-2 overall record after taking a tough loss to Creighton at Diamond Cup XIV. UTSA is one of those teams that you circle on your schedule, and I want nothing more than for them to be successful at Garland so they can get the ball rolling again.
UTSA’s schedule will begin with UCLA at 8:00 am, followed by Texas at 12:40 pm, SHSU at 1:50 pm and finish out against TXST at 5:20 pm. Their most important game will certainly be against SHSU, where this must-win match-up will determine a more favorable schedule for Day Two. UTSA has a lot of rookies, but they’re dedicated, hard-working and athletic, and even though I’m going to predict that they go 2-2 after Day One, this team should never be underestimated.
UCLA
Without any remaining college teams in the west region, UCLA was forced to travel out of region for a shot at Nationals. However, they’ve been doing everything they can to stay afloat, including scheduling games against Lost Boys in the fall. UCLA heads into Garland to play their first collegiate games since Nationals 2025, where they went 3-1 in College D2, beating Michigan State 140-100, Brown 130-105 and the eventual champions, Middlebury, 135-80 in pool play before falling in bracket play to Texas 140-175 on Day Two.
UCLA will enter Garland a mystery, having recruited quite a few new players and not yet playing any collegiate competition. They start Day One off against UTSA in the 8:00 am slot and then meet SHSU at 11:30 am and TXST at 3:00 pm, finishing off with Texas at 6:30 pm. Optimistically, I want to predict that they’ll lose against TXST and SHSU but manage to topple Texas and UTSA, which will put them in a good spot for Day Two. Realistically, I think their most competitive game will be against Texas, and since it’s the last game slot, whoever fares better throughout the day and has the energy to compete at the end will win.
Club Teams
Texas Hill Country Heat
No. 2 Texas Hill Country Heat has certainly had a hot season, entering Garland with an impressive 7-1 record. Their only loss came at the hands of BoomTrain at the Space City Invitational, but Heat was able to win the series 2-1 and were crowned champions of the tournament. Last year at Garland, Heat were the runners-up to Warriors, who eventually beat them once more at Nationals 2025 in the semi-finals, ending Heat’s championship hopes. Heat will be anxious for a rematch against the former Warriors, this time wearing Reign QC uniforms, and desperate to secure their bid to Nationals 2026.
Heat opens at 8:00 am against Copperheads, followed by New Jersey Dice at 10:20 am, Brew Cities at 1:50 pm and finishes the day out with the game of the tournament – Heat vs Reign at 5:20 pm. I know I’ve sort of built a reputation for glazing Heat, which was completely unintentional by the way, but I genuinely think Heat has a great shot to win it all in Garland. They’ve already proved themselves against Copperheads many times over, and I doubt Brew Cities will be a threat. Dice will give them a good game, but I’ll take Heat in that matchup any day, and it’ll come down to Heat vs Reign, similar to last year. TXST plays UTSA at the same time on Day One, insert frowny face. Hopefully, they’ll meet back up in the final on Day Two so I can watch an absolute dog fight for Garland’s title.
Texas Copperheads
The No. 5 Texas Copperheads start their 2026 Nationals run with a record of 1-7, but as I’ve said before, and I will say it again – take this with a grain of salt. This Copperheads team is full of drive and hunger to win, led by Captain Hayden Boyes and a consistent dark horse in the club scene. Most recently, the Copperheads picked up their first win of the season, upsetting BoomTrain decisively 175-100 in the first game of Space City. Even though they went 0-4 the rest of the day, that win alone was enough to get people reevaluating how they size Copperheads up against the rest of the nation, and I literally told all of you that Copperheads were going to steal one from BoomTrain in my Space City preview. Well, I implied it. That’s basically the same thing.
Copperheads will play their first game against Heat at 8:00 am, followed by Brew Cities at 11:30 am, Reign at 3:00 pm and finish against Dice at 6:30 pm. I unfortunately think that Copperheads will finish 1-3 on Day One, their lone win coming against Brew Cities, but I would love to be proven wrong. Hayden Boyes, please destroy my credibility, I’m rooting for y’all. I think Copperheads’ most exciting game will come against Dice – both of these teams have superstar Chasers and it’ll be a fun one to watch.
Before we move on to out-of-region teams, I’ve still got some important info about this Qualifier: Garland only has two competitive club bids. That’s right, two, and USQ has clarified that bids can no longer be declined. That means both Heat and Copperheads have to either 1) place top two at Garland to get a comp bid to Nationals or 2) travel out of region and compete again to take a bid. I wouldn’t be surprised if the only purpose of Reign and Dice traveling to Garland is just to scout out the competition in the Southwest to prepare for Nationals, but it’s something to think about. Do I think Heat will finish outside the top two at Garland? Nah. Copperheads, though, may be in trouble, so if you were confused as to why they entered in the West Qualifier, now you know.
New Jersey Dice
The No. 4 New Jersey Dice will make the trip down south to Garland to survey their Southwest opponents and get another shot against Reign QC. Dice enters 2026 with an impressive 9-2 overall record, their only losses coming against Reign 130-165 and Trainwreck 125-150 at the USQ Winter Classic. Dice is a new team, a part of New York Slice’s program, and have immediately established themselves as one of the top teams in the nation.
Dice will begin their Garland run against a one-game deep Heat at 10:20 am. After that, they face Reign at 12:40 pm, Brew Cities at 4:10 pm and finish the day against Copperheads at 6:30 pm. Dice’s first two games are easily the hardest, where they will face Heat in their home territory and get a rematch against Reign. I think that while Dice will put up a good fight, they’ll unfortunately start Day One 0-2 after losses to Heat and Reign. Later, they should handle Brew Cities and Copperheads to finish 2-2 and go into Day Two as the third seed. However, Dice are a hungry team packed with superstar talent, so really, anything could happen.
Reign QC
Undefeated and No. 1 Reign QC enter Garland as the team to beat with a perfect 6-0 record. While they have some of the old Warriors' core rostered, this is still a new team, and they have yet to lose their first game in program history. However, their last stint at USQ Winter Classic was most likely a little too close for comfort for a lot of these Quadball vets – they beat Dice by a Snitch catch and barely escaped Trainwreck, winning 150-125 in the final. Reign will certainly use Garland to remind everyone who they are: champions.
Reign’s first game is at 9:10 am vs Brew Cities, followed by Dice at 12:40 pm, Copperheads at 3:00 pm and they finish the day with Heat at 5:20 pm. I think Reign will look great throughout the day, beating Brew Cities, Dice and Copperheads before meeting Heat in their final game of the day. Winning against Heat on Day One is crucial for Reign – the top seed going into Day Two will most likely come with a bye, and since Reign is bringing a much smaller roster than Heat, it would be better to have extra rest and not need it than need it and not get it. The final could realistically go in any direction, and I’m excited to see Reign play in person, even if they’re still DME-less.
Brew Cities
Brew Cities QC is making the long trip from Wisconsin to Texas to compete in this year’s Garland National Qualifier. The famous cow-print team enters 2026 with an even 3-3 record, beating Chicago United at Trick or Beat V and the Ohio Apollos twice at Rust Belt IV but falling to Chaos, Boom Train and Trainwreck. Another interesting tidbit about Brew Cities is that this year, they’ve combined with Twin Cities QC and have picked up some valuable talent that makes them a threat.
Their schedule is as follows: open with Reign at 9:10 am, then Copperheads at 11:30 am, Heat at 1:50 pm and finish with Dice at 4:10 pm. Unfortunately, in the spirit of good journalism, I have to state that I predict they’ll finish Day One 0-4, but I’m genuinely excited to see them match up against Copperheads – both teams have distinct styles from their respective regions and it will be a great game to watch. Mostly, I think Brew Cities wants to see where they stand against powerhouses like Reign, Heat and Dice, and Garland will certainly give them the answers they’re looking for.
Official Predictions
College Champion: Texas State*
Club Champion: Texas Hill Country Heat*
*(please please please please)
College D1 Bid Recipients: Texas State, SHSU
Club Competitive Bid Recipients: Texas Hill Country Heat, Reign QC
Dates: 1/31-2/1
First games begin at 8:00am CT
Stream all games on US Quadball Youtube
