BLOOMINGTON SOUTH, MN: How good are the T-pups? Check Hawkins Week 4 Predictions

Predictions By Eric Hawkins @conanhawk

I couldn't find my last article so I might not be 100% accurate but I believe I improved and went 5-2. We finally got to see the Supersonics play and had the first player committee meeting. This week we have some great match-ups and some other match-ups that will be very entertaining.

Red Devils vs. Tropics

The Tropics have had a tough beginning to the season. They have played some of the better teams in the league making them 0-3 and now are up against the 2-1 Red Devils. The good news for the Tropics is it gets much easier from here. The bad news is that they are averaging 60 ppg while giving up 70 ppg and that is very much the opposite of what the Red Devils have been doing. If the Tropics can't find some extra points in this game they could be looking at a 0-4 start.

For the Red Devils they just need to keep doing what they are doing in this game, play physical. They use their size on defense to create tough shots and strip the ball, while on offense they use it to get easy shots. With Ned Tieche on the other side this might be a bit tougher than normal to do but it is something they should be able to pull off.

Red Devils by 10

Supersonics vs. Thunder

I don't know much about this Supersonics team but after looking at the stats from last week it seems for the most part they were a one man show. Michael Shimshock was 8-8 from the field and 3-3 from the line with 19 points while the rest of the team went 14-44 from the field and 3-15 from the line. If no one else steps up and provides a second scorer this could be a long season for the Supersonics.

The Thunder had a nice come from behind win vs. the Guerrillas last week. While the Thunder are 2-0 they seem to get stuck in some very close games against teams that don't seem to be as talented as they are. This is another week where this could be the case once more. While it would seem as they should crush the Supersonics I think this could be a closer game than one would think it would be. If the Thunder aren't careful we could see an upset.

Thunder by 7

Guerrillas vs. Lockdown

So far this season I have felt like Lockdown has been in every game so far, even if the scoreboard hasn't shown it. There are certain things that we lack that can't be taught and some that we can learn. If we learn the things that can be taught I think we could close the gap on some of these games that we have lost this season and steal some wins later this season. This can be one of those games.

The Guerrillas seems to be one of the better first half teams so far this season. They have scored 116 points in the first halves of games this season while giving up 94, but in the second half they are scoring 105 while giving up 147 points. While they are a talented team they need to close out games better. Hopefully they spent some extra time in the gym this week.

Guerrillas by 4

St. Baul vs. Timberpuppies

St. Baul had a nice bounce back win against the Riddlers. They looked like the old St. Baul teams that we are used to. They shot very well from the field and held Cory Rablin, Riddlers early star, to 9 point on 3-10 shooting. They also went to the like 20 times and made 15 of the free throws. If this is the St. Baul team we see for the rest of the season we will see that as an auto-bid once again.

The Timberpuppies are 3-0 but have had some very close games against teams that I would have thought they would have an easier time against. This makes me worry about the Timberpuppies in this game against St. Baul. Even though they were the second place team last season and are undefeated this season they have not been impressive in their victories, with the exception of last week. I have been told that this is the T-Pups way to victory though, so maybe there is no reason for me to doubt them.

This game is going to help mold the standings in Bloomington South. It is going to be great to watch these two teams full of talented players go at it. I think they match up very well but in the end I think that St. Baul will make the T-Pups leave that 2-3 zone and St. Baul will win with quickness advantage when the T-Pups are forced to go man to man.

St. Baul by 2

WatchaMaCallits (F.A.) vs. Clem's Kidz

If Clem's Kidz are going to stop the WatchaMaCallits from getting to a two game winning streak they are going to have to do it through Scott Ruhsam. This man a very good low post bruiser and the free agents don't have a player that can match up with him.

For the WatchMaCallits to win two straight they will need to start shooting a better percentage from the field. To do this they need to move the ball into the paint and stop settling for the three ball. This might be too much to ask from a free agent team.

Overall this should be a close game. I expect Scott Ruhsam to have a huge game, but in the end I expect the free agent to steal another game.

WatchMaCallits by 4

Riddlers vs. Rebels

The Riddlers run came to a halt last week against St. Baul. They have looked very impressive up to that point, but in their last game St. Baul stopped Cory Rablin from having a huge impact and the Riddlers had some struggles scoring. In this game they will need a better game from him and use the smarts of Nick Roell to control the ball to keep the Rebels out of transition.

The Rebels have a simple formula to win games and have it going well this season. The bigger guys are going to have their work cut out for them this week instead of the guards. As the Riddlers work inside out the Rebels will have a chance to show off there interior defense. If it as good as there guard defense this game is going to end in their favor.

Rebels by 8

Huskies vs. Lakers

Watching these two teams can be painful at times. While they have some good players on both teams each team seems to have troubles utilizing them at times. Maybe it is just something that will come as the season moves on or maybe it is just how each team is built, but whatever it is if these teams want to advance to the playoffs they need to find out what it is fast.

I find the Huskies to be the better team on paper and they can turn it on when they have to. If they can play like they have done in spurts this season more consistently they should be fine.

Huskies by 5