No Limit continues to show why they deserve to maintain the prestigious no. 1 position in the power rankings. Howie Miller and Jalen Graham were outstanding once again, combining for 58 points to give No Limit the 16-point victory over Lob 203. No Limit now looks ahead at their most difficult regular season game of the Summer: facing off with The Brotherhood in Week 8. This highly anticipated matchup has “Game of the Week” written all over it.
2
(7-0)
The Monstars have been rolling, now coming off another solid win over Sportslook. Each week it’s a different Langston brother who steals the show. It was Erick Langston who went off for 22 points, shooting 9-for-9 from the field against Sportslook. The Monstars are really hitting their stride heading into the postseason, with intentions of defending their title. Don’t sleep on the reappearance of Mike Cody, who has a proven track record of being a clutch performer.
3
(6-1)
It’s been well documented that The Brotherhood suffered their first-ever defeat in Week 6. Despite the wake-up-call, The Brotherhood barely escaped suffering back-to-back losses, narrowly defeating Goon Squad in the final seconds of regulation. The Brotherhood have looked vulnerable at times over the last two weeks in games without spark plug Kevin Rivera. The Brotherhood will get the opportunity to show everyone what are they’re made of when they take on the no. 1-ranked No Limit in Week 8.
4
(5-2)
Team Moose was impressive once again in Week 7, defeating Run TMC in what was a closely-contested game right to the finish. Team Moose had their strengths on full display, playing suffocating defense on the interior, while shooting an incredibly high percentage (74 percent) on the offensive end. Trevor Chavez made his debut for Team Moose, scoring 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting. His presence could be a significant issue for many teams in the paint, on both ends of the floor.
5
(5-2)
After starting off 0-2 on the season, Sensual Chocolate has rattled off five-consecutive wins as they climb their way up the power rankings. An offense that primarily features Carmine Santorelli, the addition of his twin-brother, Nick, has given this lineup yet another dynamic playmaker to handle the ball. When Sensual Chocolate gets their entire roster to show up, there is no question that they can compete with any team in this league.
6
(5-2)
The Flint Tropics remain at no. 6 after defeating Redemption this past Monday. The Flint Tropics played their typical brand of basketball, using a full-team effort to surpass last season’s Finals runner-up. Finishing the game with four scorers in double-digits, the Flint Tropics continue to flaunt one of the deepest lineups in the league. Playing with a chip on their shoulder, they are arguably playing their best basketball of the season with the playoffs right around the corner.
7
(6-1)
The Throne have had a terrific season so far, only suffering one defeat from the still-undefeated Monstars in Week 1. Despite the 6-straight wins, the schedule difficulty has been tilted in their favor, which plays a factor in their ranking. In Week 8, The Throne takes on a Bad Boyz roster that has recently been on a 3-game winning streak of their own. In order to gain some ground in the rankings, it’s opportunities like these that The Throne must take advantage of.
8
(4-3)
Despite losing their last game to the Monstars, Sportslook holds their no. 8 position on the Week 7 power rankings. Matched up as an underdog against the defending-champions, Sportslook fought hard and held a lead at multiple points in the first half. They played efficiently on the offensive end, shooting 63 percent from the floor as a team. In the end, the Monstars simply had more weapons at their disposal, but the effort from Sportslook was impressive nonetheless. Look to seem them get back on track with a Week 8 matchup against Fry Time.
9
(4-3)
The Bad Boyz currently have a wave of momentum working in their favor, coming off of their third-consecutive win in Week 7 over the Double Dribblers. Since Week 2, Destin Simmons has received reinforcements in guys like Tre Blake and Jaylon Eggleston. With these additions, the Bad Boyz have risen from the lower tier of the power rankings, to the upper tier, solidifying their position at no. 9. Matched up with The Throne in Week 8, someone’s winning streak will be coming to an end.
10
(3-4)
From last season’s runner up in the Finals, to being ranked at no. 10 in the power rankings, things have continued to go down hill for Redemption this Summer. Redemption came into the season with high expectations. Despite having an extremely balanced roster, Redemption lacks the one elite scoring threat to open up opportunities for the other guys. Redemption truly feels like they are one piece away from being a legitimate contender. Despite their record, this team will be one no one will want to face come playoff time.
11
(3-4)
Stranger Danger’s season accurately reflects their position in the power rankings from week to week; things have been up and down. They have a high level of talent on the roster, and could be even higher in the rankings had they closed out some of their close games throughout the year. Despite losing their last game against Sensual Chocolate, the game was decided in the final seconds. Stranger Danger fell just short of completing an epic late-game comeback. This team has potential to make some noise in the playoffs coming up, as they have shown in the past.
12
(2-5)
With all the hype surrounding the new-and-improved Run TMC heading into the Summer 17 season, you can say that a 2-5 start is rather disappointing. To their credit, the schedule over the last three weeks has been brutal, consecutively taking on three of the league’s top four teams. Despite being on a 3-game skid, Run TMC showed the ability to compete with all of their opponents, yet has failed to close out games in the second half. Stacked with star players like Will Hudson and John Rullan, there is still the possibility of turning their season around when they take on Stranger Danger.
13
(2-5)
Goon Squad has had a very disappointing summer thus far. Still, this team shows up every week and will compete with the best teams in the league, evident by their action-packed battle with The Brotherhood in Week 7. Goon Squad is one of the few teams in this league who often receives little-to-no support from their bench players. Lacking depth, guys like Matt Marconi and Brandon Massaro will have to continue to carry this team if they plan on chalking up any more wins. They take on a Lob 203 team in Week 8 who has struggled similarly in terms of production off the bench, making it an appealing matchup.
14
(5-2)
Despite sitting at no. 5 in the official standings, STP comes in at no. 14 on this week’s power rankings. Due in large part to their schedule difficulty, STP has not earned any ‘statement wins’ so far this Summer. Mike Slattery has really taken the reigns of the offense, leading his team in scoring by averaging over 16 points a game. In Week 8, STP will go up against one of the league’s powerhouse teams, Team Moose. This game marks an opportunity to show the league if they are a true contender or a flat-out pretender.
15
(2-5)
Lob 203 has truly had a roller coaster of a season. After showing so much potential in Week 1 in an upset over Run TMC, Lob 203 can’t seem to find that same magic winning only one game since then. Eric Singleton has had an All-Star caliber season, but Lob 203 has been extremely one-dimensional, hardly finding success from deep. Not having a threat on the perimeter makes it even more difficult to score down low as teams can clog the paint. While it doesn’t seem to affect Singleton, his teammates have not had the same consistent success at the rim.
16
(3-4)
Flight Club picked up their third win of the season last week, taking advantage of their weaker opponent in Sometimes Y. Flight Club essentially gets the luxury of having a home-court advantage every week, constantly being supported by their electrifying fans. Jacob Miller has had a great season for Flight Club, shooting 48.7 percent from 3-point range, good for fifth in the league. Facing off with the Untouchabulls in Week 8, expect a competitive battle between two teams trying to prove themselves amongst the lower-tier of teams in the league.
17
(1-6)
The Untouchabulls have a solid roster, yet lack balance throughout their lineup. Other than Chris Rosario, the Untouchabulls have little-to-no scoring threats off the dribble. Rosario is essentially forced to be the primary ball handler and primary scorer, a role that can be overwhelming at times. The Untouchabulls have a very-winnable game against the Flight Club in Week 8, but can they hit enough outside shots to keep it close?
18
(0-7)
The Double Dribblers were without Bernard Brantley again in Week 7, putting the entire weight of the offense on the shoulders of sharpshooter Jesse Doucette. Doucette is a true threat from outside, a fact that is supported by his 50 percent shooting from 3-point territory (4th in the league). Even with Doucette’s 16 points on 1-missed shot, the Bad Boyz still blew out the Double Dribblers by 28 points. In order for the Double Dribblers to have a chance at earning their first win, they will need their best player, Brantley, to show up and help carry the load on both ends of the court.
19
(0-7)
In what would go down as the ‘pick-em’ of the week, Sometimes Y fell flat, losing by 16-points against a similarly-competitive team in Flight Club. Sometimes Y played tough in the first half, but looked gassed in the later parts of the game. Chuck Dannenberg was the lone bright spot for Sometimes Y, finishing the game with 16 points and five rebounds. Sometimes Y is poised to take on the Flint Tropics in Week 8, heading in as the clear underdog once again.
20
(0-7)
While Fry Time isn’t the clear-cut worst team in the league, they have not shown any reason to move up in the rankings. After being blown out by The Throne in Week 7, Fry Time looks ahead at another tough matchup against Sportslook. Kevin Bott has had a very productive season for Fry Time, but unfortunately has not had support from his surrounding players. Fry Time is one of the biggest teams in the league. To that point, Team Moose is the only other team in the league with less 3-pointers attempted. In order to stand a chance against Sportslook, Fry Time’s guards needs to balance out the offense by taking advantage of the three-point line more often.
(2-5)
