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Great 8 Cup coverage - Week 3

The Golden Bricks @ Snow Blizzards (D III - CR: 239)
Snow Blizzards played their regular starters full minutes in their two league games, based off of lineups used in previous cup games though, their backups are as good as The Golden Bricks starters. The Golden Bricks had a bot game, so they look to field a competitive lineup. This looks to be a pretty even matchup, but Snow Blizzards will have HCA. Normally I go with the team with HCA in a close match-up and perhaps it is just hope on my part, but I think The Golden Bricks pulls off the upset. Winner: The Golden Bricks

Hot Boyz @ Connecticut Helos (D III - CR: 514)
Both teams look to have saved their best players for this matchup, and Connecticut Helos D III salary looks like it might be just a little much for Hot Boyz. I expect Hot Boyz to hang around, and with a little luck they might be able to pull off the upset (I almost picked them to win), but I have to go with the home team. Winner: Connecticut Helos

Detroits Pistons (D IV - CR: 877) vs Matchstick Men
These teams both have similar GS problems as both teams seem to play their A team for all of their games in the week. However, Matchstick Men is a deeper and better team and is at home. Detroits Pistons hopes to be able to make up the gap with management that is actually around, but in the end it's too big of a gap to overcome with GDP and tactics. Winner: Matchstick Men

Iowa Fighting Goats (D IV - CR: 659) @ brooklyn knicks
This game hinges on if Iowa Fighting Goats is willing to blow their starter's minutes out of the water in order to play for the cup victory. If Iowa Fighting Goats plays their starters, or some combination of them, they'll win, otherwise brooklyn knicks should win. I'm guessing they won't play their starters. Winner: brooklyn knicks

larrys cable guys (D IV - CR: 509) @ The Boxers
larrys cable guys has a pricy roster, but poor GS on all of their top players. The Boxers seem ready for this fight though and look to have the defense to contain larrys cable guys. This game will come down how many extra possessions larrys cable guys can get from their FCP and how well The Boxers can score. Winner: The Boxers

I Volt @ Two Os in Goose (D IV - CR: 292)
Two Os in Goose has a pretty high country rank for a D IV team, and some pretty high salary players to go with it. Neither team has good GS, but Two Os in Goose seems like the better team. Both teams will probably play their starters, but that will not be enough for I Volt. Winner: Two Os in Goose

In your face (D II - CR: 75) @ Sinking Ships
Sinking Ships drew the hardest matchup in the Great 8 and it looks like In your face left some of their better players minutes to play in the cup. Not much Sinking Ships can do, as any team in the conference would lose to In your face. Rough draw. Winner: In your face

Big 8 Cup Coverage - Week 3

lélé @ 2 Dollar Bills (D IV - Bot)
lélé has been rolling ever since their loss to TicTacShack. And this cup match should be no different, as their opponent is a bot. Winner: lélé

TicTacShack @ 476 MonkeyKid Maniacs (D III - CR 476)
MonkeyKid Maniacs from III.15 have saved it for the cup. TicTacShack is up against a tough one. It’ll be something on the order of a miracle if they make it through. Winner: MonkeyKid Maniacs

Thunderhorse @ Washington Waves (D IV - CR: 674)
The Waves have saved a few players for this game. Thunderhorse has a few decent players with minutes to give. But unless they login, they’ll be using their default roster. So… Happy trails, Thunderhorse. Winner: Washington Waves

Baggers (D IV - CR: 364) @ MeHiCans
MeHiCans are half in the bag. Baggers have a solid B-team and an undefeated record in IV.4. Baggers have this one in the bag. Winner: Baggers

Season 41 Week 3 Power Rankings

1. Thunderhorse - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 1
With each top Big 8 team having lost to another team, there is no clear top team as each proved capable and each proved they have their weaknesses, especially when considering the injuries that Thunderhorse is currently dealing with. For now Thunderhorse remains in the top spot, but barely. The fact that they stayed in the cup might actually be bad for this team as their stars definitely need a rest.

2. lélé - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 3
lélé finally proved they belong, even if they got a little luck with injuries to Thunderhorse. lélé has to play @ Thunderhorse and TicTacShack the second time through conference play, but will not have to worry about that for quite a few weeks. With a rough draw of an NBBA team in the cup, you can beat lélé will be focusing fully on it's league games this week.

3. TicTacShack - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 2
TicTacShack beats up on bots and falls, but the change in rankings is more that lélé passed them because of their good week. Nothing new learned about TicTacShack this week.

4. The Golden Bricks - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 4
Another solid road win for The Golden Bricks, but they get rewarded for their efforts with games @ Hot Boyz and vs TicTacShack next week. Couple that with a winnable but difficult cup game and this team has to pick it's spots this week. Another good week and The Golden Bricks might be able to finally break into the top 3.

5. Hot Boyz - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 6
Hot Boyz continues their impressive early start. They look poised to be a serious threat for the rest of the season, and could overtake The Golden Bricks as early as next week. With The Golden Bricks as their only live game this week, look for this team to pull out all of the stops.

6. The Boxers - 3-3 Previous Ranking: 9
The Boxers is a team that plays the big picture, and that make it hard to get a read on what they might do in an individual game. If you get their A team then they can be dangerous, otherwise not as dangerous. A bot game this week though makes it easier for them to focus on their other games.

7. brooklyn knicks - 3-3 Previous Ranking: 7
brooklyn knicks rebounded with a solid win at Sinking Ships, but the home loss to The Boxers shows they are in a fight to be a playoff team this season. Look for this team to improve now that they are out of the cup and their star players will not be as overworked.

8. I Volt - 2-4 Previous Ranking: 5
Another week, another 2 losses. I Volt has now lost 4 straight games, but end inter conference play against the bot. Like brooklyn knicks, now that this team is out of the cup, their star players might start performing better and this team might be more in line with the team I expected them to be earlier in the season.

9. Sinking Ships - 1-5 Previous Ranking: 11
Sinking Ships continue to coast along, slowing improving their team but for now are protected from relegating from bots. They passed The Boxers in Top 8 salary this week and could be a more serious threat as the season goes on.

10. Matchstick Men - 5-1 Previous Ranking: 8
It's weird to put a 5-1 team all the way down in 10th, but my low ranking for them is because they have not logged in within the last month and they keep inching closer to their bot date. If Simone returns, they could fly back up the rankings.

11. MeHiCans - 4-2 Previous Ranking: 10
MeHiCans played a close game against a top team, but that might speak more to Thunderhorse's being weakened due to injuries than anything else. MeHiCans are also approaching their bot date and are not showing any signs of improvement.

t12. Bluehawks, BuryYourDead, Dejags, new york celts, OpTicNation
Still bots...

Saturday, January 27th

GAME OF THE NIGHT
1. The Golden Bricks at 2. Hot Boyz
The winner of this game will be in the driver's seat for first place as the only other team within immediate striking distance is the almost bot Matchstick Men. The Golden Bricks stars are almost all in strong of proficient GS while things are not quite as nice for Hot Boyz. It's always hard to be certain, but The Golden Bricks also seem to have the enthusiasm advantage. Not all is in the Bricks favor though as their week is full of competitive games while this is the only one out their for Hot Boyz. In the end though, the GS and enthusiasm difference is too much to overcome. Winner: The Golden Bricks

Big 8

4. MeHiCans at 1. lélé (rival)
lélé continues to roll and hopes to win by enough to maintain their PD lead in stay in first place. Winner: lélé

2. TicTacShack at 6. BuryYourDead (TV)
I'm sure TicTacShack's players would be hyped to play on TV, if only it was against some real competition. Winner: TicTacShack

7. Bluehawks at 3. Thunderhorse
If I had to choose between a hawk or a horse in a fight, I'd be tempted to take the hawk. But thunder versus a blue sky? Thunder wins. Winner: Thunderhorse

5. OpTic Nation at 8. new york celts
Expect a close one at least. Winner: new york celts

Great 8

4. brooklyn knicks (rival) at 3. Matchstick Men
brooklyn was unable to beat Matchstick Men in either of it's three games against them last season, but all three were fairly close. brooklyn has demonstrated the ability to put up a competent outside offense this season though and might have to rely on that to get over the hump. I expect this one to be close again, but I am picking the upset for this one. Winner: brooklyn knicks

5. The Boxers at 7. Sinking Ships
With The Boxers being out of the cup and having a bot for their other game, Sinking Ships has to be expecting to get The Boxers' A game. With Sinking Ships's new guard Eksioglu still getting acclimated to the team though, that might be too much for them to handle. Winner: The Boxers

6. I Volt at 8. Dejags
I Volt finally rights the ship and gets a game in the win column. Winner: I Volt

High drama tonight at Iceberg Arena as the Sinking Ships edged out The Boxers!

In a game with eight lead changes, it all came down to the final two minutes and exceptional guard play from Ciepielec and Eksioglu. With a little over two minutes left, a free-throw from Chisamovas put The Boxers up by one. The next two Boxers possessions resulted in Eksioglu steals. And the following two ended in Ciepielec steals. After coming up with only a free-throw on three extra posessions, Eksioglu converted the last steal into a layup to put the Ships up by 2. From there on out, the Ships' guards made Mansfield look like a bricklayer out in three-point land. And it ended up 83-88, Sinking Ships.

Nice game, Captain Mayday!

Tuesday, January 30th

INTER-CONFERENCE SERIES BEGINS

2 TicTacShack @ 1 The Golden Bricks
This is the game that will answer the question on everyone’s mind: “Is there parity between the conferences? The Shack enters the game as the top rebounding and 3-pt shooting team in the league and has the number two scoring offense. But those are bot-inflated stats, for sure. The Shack’s top 5 earn twice what the Bricks’ top 5 make. However, Gosić’s injury hurts a lot– especially since the over-worked Ogden is in rough shape. The Bricks have convincingly dominated the Great 8, with the sole exception of a hangover loss in their second game. Everybody on the home team looks ready to roll. So, even though they’ve got to weigh a cup game on Thursday, I think this one goes to the host. Winner: The Golden Bricks

1 lélé @ 3 Matchstick Men
Led by Mosconi, this season’s current leading scorer, and their brick wall of a frontcourt, lélé has secured the top rank going into inter-conference play. Their breakneck-pace will make quick work of the shell of the Matchstick Men. It’s been over a week since we’ve seen chaka. But everything still looks good. The only question on this one is the spread. My decidedly non-Vegas methods predict a 22-point victory. You heard it here first, folks! Winner: lélé

4 MeHiCans @ 4 brooklyn knicks
Cannon, Hanjiang, and the knicks will host the almost-bot MeHiCans. (Side note: Has anyone else been bothered by that “n” not being capitalized?) The Great 8’s #2 offense and #7 defense will roll into town on their hipster bicycles and bring more game than their headless opponents can handle. Winner: brooklyn knicks


3 Thunderhorse @ 7 Sinking Ships
An Israeli, a Brazilian, and 17 Americans walk into a bar, and the bartender asks them what they want to drink. They respond, “57 double whiskeys.” The bartender pours them their drinks and they get plastered. They ask for more, but the bartender cuts them off. And they start to beg, saying, “Come onnn mannn… I jush wanna few more sinking ships of whiskey.” Not funny? Okay, serious then. Despite Thunderhorse’s lackluster GS and McNamara’s injury, they just have too much talent on the roster for the Ships to be able to compete without a herculean effort. Winner: Thunderhorse

———
In other action...

5 OpTiC Nation @ 5 I Volt
Every bot needs to be charged up now and again. I Volt will be happy to electrocute OpTiC Nation, King of Bots.

7 BuryYourDead @ 2 Hot Boyz
Hot Boyz will host an episode of the Dead Robots Society podcast.

8 Bluehawks @ 6 The Boxers (TV)
The Clearing will be the site of an old school rave featuring DJ Cybersnuff.

6 new york celts @ 8 Dejags
For the 7th episode of RobotWars, producers have decided to shoot in Red territory for the first time this season.

Big 8 Cup Coverage - Week 4

lélé @ Eloping Cantaloupes (NBBA - CR 9)
Well... the cup was fun while it lasted, lélé. Winner: Eloping Cantaloupes

Thunderhorse @ Lightning Hoopers (D IV - CR 312)
First off, this matchup was clearly made by a meteorologist... It's been almost three weeks since the Hoopers' manager has logged in and their GS is in the crapper. Thunderhorse shouldn't have a problem with this draw. Winner: Thunderhorse

Great 8 Cup coverage - Week 4

Bacon Hill Beavers (D IIV - CR: 395) vs The Golden Bricks
Bacon Hill Beavers might be a D IV team, but their top 4 salary players make more than twice of The Golden Bricks top 8. Bacon Hill Beavers has been beating their competition so bad, that they can start their starters all three games and still stay in good shape. About the only thing The Golden Bricks has in their favor is HCA, but that is no where near enough to help them win. Winner: Bacon Hill Beavers

Connecticut Helos (D III - CR: 519) vs Matchstick Men
Matchstick Men looks to avenge fellow league mate Hot Boyz who fell to Connecticut Helos last week in the cup. Matchstick Men will not have any more luck than the Boyz though as Connecticut Helos makes it two straight cup victories over IV.42 teams. Winner: Connecticut Helos

Georgia PowerRiders (D III - CR: 170) vs The Boxers
This game seems like the Great 8's best chance to have someone make it to the next round of the cup. Georgia PowerRiders has a very small roster with only 9 players. If PowerRiders does not start their best lineup I think that The Boxers has a puncher's chance. Unfortunately I think the PowerRiders seem likely to start their best players in the cup. Winner: Georgia PowerRiders

Congrats to Simon on pulling out the cup upset with the CT!

Season 41 Week 4 Power Rankings

We have a new #1 this week! Also, I have a script to check for top candidates for bot promotion and since we are at the end of the first third of the season I thought I would include those results. Bot promotion candidates are determined by finding the top 16 (plus however many bots from better divisions that did not demote) teams that finished first in their conference but that did not win their respective league's playoff. Tiebreakers are wins and then PD. Obviously we do not know the playoff results yet, but currently their are 84 undefeated D IV teams. lélé is currently in 104th place overall, while The Golden Bricks is in 120th. So neither team currently looks like a lock to auto-promote


1. lélé - 7-1 Previous Ranking: 2
lélé had another strong week and kept their hold on the top spot in the conference. lélé has the top offense in the league, and while their defense can be a bit lax, so far their offense has more than made up for it.

2. Thunderhorse - 7-1 Previous Ranking: 1
Because Thunderhorse stayed in the cup, it means one more week of excess minutes on their starters, keeping their GS down. That low GS is reflected in this ranking. When their GS starts to rebound they could move back into the top spot.

3. The Golden Bricks - 7-1 Previous Ranking: 4
A big week for The Golden Bricks this week as they beat their main competition in the Great 8 and one of the top tier teams in the Big 8. They are starting to look like the front-runner in the Great 8.

4. TicTacShack - 6-2 Previous Ranking: 3
TicTacShack is on cruise control and seem willing to just continue to focus on training and it showed this week with a bad loss against The Golden Bricks. As their GS starts to normalize now that they are out of the cup, they could start performing better.

5. Hot Boyz - 6-2 Previous Ranking: 5
Despite their loss to The Golden Bricks, they still have shown themselves to be the second best team in the Great 8 which is great progress for a team that was just started last season.

6. brooklyn knicks - 4-4 Previous Ranking: 7
One convincing win and one disappointing (and a little big confusing) loss this week, but I think the win is more indicative of this team than the loss. With Matchstick Men's hold on a top 3 spot about to be up for grabs, brooklyn knicks is good enough to grab it.

7. I Volt - 4-4 Previous Ranking: 8
I Volt took care of business and thanks to their PD are back in the top 4. I know I've said this multiple times, but as their GS starts to normalize, I expect this team to climb higher in the rankings and to be a threat to win any game.

8. The Boxers - 4-4 Previous Ranking: 6
The Boxers look like they might have let a game get away while trying to balance being competitive in the cup with being competitive in the league. Their CT netted them a cup win, but they will feel be facing an uphill task in their next league game because of it.

9. Sinking Ships - 2-6 Previous Ranking: 9
A nice week for this team as their early signs of promise is starting to result in some wins. Look for this team to steal some more victories from opponents as we head into the middle part of the season.

10. Matchstick Men - 5-3 Previous Ranking: 10
Matchstick Men is finally slipping in the standings as their inactivity catches up to them. Origo and company have one final game on Saturday before it's off to retirement or new teams for them.

11. MeHiCans - 5-3 Previous Ranking: 11
MeHiCans' Princeton magic helped them steal a victory this week, but they too are quickly running out of days to prevent themselves from going bot.

t12. Bluehawks, BuryYourDead, Dejags, new york celts, OpTicNation
Still bots...