Saturday, January 27, 2018

Week 9 Power Rankings

Don't worry I didn't forget! Let's dive right in.

13. McNamara (-1)
1-6
The good news for them is they didn't play that bad. In fact they were the better team in the first half of their last game. Their issue has been consistency, and it showed at the end of the game last week. This team has been very pesky, and they might be the best defensive team ever to be at the bottom of the power rankings in league history. The obvious issue is what they are doing on the offensive end. They have hope, to maybe fix it against Meyers who has been better on the offensive end than defensive, but they're playing really good, I have my doubts. Star player Peter White would help them out, but when was the last time he played week 2? They'll need him if they want a turnaround.

12. Meyers (-1)
0-7
I tried to move them and I was looking to do it, but there just wasn't space for them. They put in another gutsy effort without a key player in Alex Bushnell. They're definitely not playing like 12 ranked team and they're definitely not playing like a winless team. I see a win in their future sooner rather than later. They play team McNamara this week, and knock on wood it's starting to look like this week will be the week. They've been playing with easily the most heart in the league, and they've proved they aren't a joke. They need a source of offense outside of David Meyers, but I believe they have the roster for someone to step up. I like this team a lot and they should rise a lot in the next couple of weeks.

11. O'Wiley (-4)
3-4
I know they didn't have all of their players, and I know they played the best team in the league but that was... that happened. Their last performance was ugly there's no other way to put it. They have potential to turn around and could be right back to win column as early as this week, but for now they sit here due to the poor play. We're still yet to see them with a full squad due to injuries or people not showing up. It's mystery where this team will be at when they are at full strength, but it's obvious where they're at without all of their guys. Aggressively mediocre. They can finish the year as high as 2, but until we see them at full strength I'm leaving them chasing 13.

10. Hecht (+3)
2-6
I know they lost, and I know their record isn't great, but wow this team looked good. They play a great brand of team basketball, and they're defense is really solid. Although the press didn't work last week, I wouldn't give up on it. They just happened to run into the best press breaking and fast break team in the league last week. They rebounded the ball extremely well, and hit a lot of shots. The three pointers weren't falling, but I contribute that more to a fluke than a problem. They hit some deep twos so maybe a step or two back and they'll be in business. They play with a lot of heart and played a great team very tough, I think they are a team that gets slept on more than they should.

9. Gingras (+1)
1-6
I wanted to move them up more because they played a really good second half, and they got a win, but there are two things that still alarm me. They haven't dominated on the defensive end like I know they are capable of, and they haven't shot lights out like I know I know they're capable of. Max Phonard has been nothing but magnificent this season, however they need a few more players to start playing more consistent game, outside of him. I think this roster is capable of doing damage in this league with a very high ceiling. We'll see how they respond to the win with an intriguing matchup against Booth.

8. Majkut (+1)
4-4
They put in a heck of an effort with six players. They had some surprising appearances from a few hockey players, but also still lacked some depth. This is another team I wanted to move up more, but just couldn't.. They shot really well and at the end of the game, and proved the three ball is a weapon for them. They played as solid defense as you can ask for with six guys and they were able to keep themselves in it through the whole game. This is another team we haven't seen the whole squad together yet, and when they are they could be very lethal. I'm intrigued on how they respond against Southwick.

7. Teduits/Estes (-5)
3-4
They may not have been ready for the number 2 spot. I was excited to give it to them, and now I don't know how I feel. They did run into a hot Southwick team, and didn't play that bad, but the number two team in the league should have won that game. They some big time wins, and they have some surprising losses, so this team is really hard to rank. So why not dead in the middle? This team is still lethal on the defensive and they have scorers on the roster. I believe they are capable of holding a top two spot when the season is over, however these kinds of games are the ones they have to be able to win, and they showed some problems, that maybe we didn't know were there before.

6. Strauss (-2)
5-3
You can ask anyone on there roster, last week wasn't their best game. I find that amazing, it looked fine to me. Nothing spectacular, but it really wasn't that bad. The only thing that concerns me about them is, the past two weeks they haven't played at the elite level they have been previously. Is this a little skid, or a sign of things to come? I lean toward skid, they play too good as a team and too good on offense to not be a legitimate title threat. They have a game against a struggling O'Wiley team, and this could be the perfect opportunity to get themselves back on their feet. I'm excited to see how this team responds, because they shut me up with my pre season ranks. Also you can close your eyes and point to anyone on that roster, and they're likely in contention for freshman of the year.

5. Zolomon (+4)
4-3
This team struggled before this game. To be fair they've had 5- for the three prior weeks, and even though they only had 6 in this one, they proved they can play at that same level they started the season with. There isn't a better fast break team better in the league. Maybe Bernard/Hastings? but I don't know. The fast break proved to be a headache for team Hecht. There are two underlying issues for this team that need to fixed if they want to contend, rebounding, and half court offense. If they can figure these two issues out they become a really scary title threat, and I would be worried about how high ceiling really can be.

4. Booth (-1)
6-1
The sad thing is if they didn't have the bye, they probably would have been the number 2 team, however the two teams above them proved themselves in a big way. They have been a scary team all year, and I think this rank of 4 should feel disrespectful to them, and they should come out and fire back up to 2. We'll see how they respond, but I would be surprised if they weren't higher next week.   
2 3. Bernard/Hastings (+2)
6-2
I made a promise to this team that if they won by 10 I would give them the number two spot in these rankings. They won by 7 after a 13 seconds left garbage three to cut the lead... sorry guys. Realistically they probably are the number 2 team in the league, but I'm a man of word. They did the impossible of playing to their opponents level, but also winning convincingly. They clealry were the the better team, but they kept team Meyers around up until the final minutes. It was the most Team Bernard/Hastings win ever. They've looked great on the fast break and rebounding the basketball, they've just struggled in the half court. I'll tell you what guys, if you beat Teduits/Estes by 5 I'll give you 2.

2. Southwick (+4)
5-3
So throughout this winning streak they've been rising slowly, and despite all of the wins I haven't been sold. Well now I'm convinced. They beat the toughest of their 5 wins in their last one, and now who knows where they'll stop. Elias Jiser is having himself an MVP caliber season, while other players have stepped up as well. They have a game against Majkut to test how long this win streak can really go, but I wouldn't bet against them. If I were to point a flaw in this team it'd be the occasional defensive gaps, but aside from that they've played really well over the past games.

1.Mazni
7-0
By the way I just want y'all to know that last ranking wasn't like a chirp at you guys, it was a genuine display of respect in my own weird way. This team is in a tier of their own and could very well finish the year undefeated. Like really I guarantee it, like there is a 0% they lose a single game this year. There is no scenario that exists where they lose even once. No pressure guys.
 



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