MANSFIELD, TX: Week 8 Predictions | 2 Teams Look To "Break Even"

Talks and emotions run high as we approach the end of the regular season, with 2 teams looking to finish the season off with an even record, and another team looking to get a "W" to remain relevant and keep a sense of dignity going into the playoffs. So, what's going to happen?

In Game 1 we will see the Lunch Ballers face a newly motivated We Get Buckets, who are coming off of a win from last week in overtime against The Fundamentalists. Lunch Baller Yaw Osei is doing everything in his power to keep his team afloat, leading his team in just about every category (23.8 pts, 8.6 rebs, 1.0 ast per game), but they continue to struggle as a team with communication, player loyalty, defense, and even morale. We Get Buckets has found a new leader in Chauncey Lusk, and his team seems to now be feeding off of his energy. Old school big man Butch Harris has stepped up offensively along with Lusk, adding in almost 14 points a game in addition to his rebounding (9.3) and defensive skills, not to mention his vocal presence on the court to motivate his team. Their role players seem to "know their role" a bit better now, and they are beginning to look like a team who has it together.

They say that numbers don't lie, but in this case I just can't see the Lunch Ballers, with all of the problems they are encountering, prevailing in their final match up of the regular season against We Get Buckets, even though they won their first 2 matchups against them. My prediction: We Get Buckets win by 5.

Game 2 places The Fundamentalists against the red hot UHoopaz whose last and only loss this season was to The Fundamentalists in Week 2. The Fundamentalists' big man and leader Sam Bailey has found major relief with the addition of young guard Andre Powe, who is now leading the team in points per game (26), while adding in a solid 5 rebounds and 3 assists a game. Though they were unsuccessful last week, Sam said that they were really beginning to work on things as a team, emphasizing ball movement, which was evident in the loss. Sounds very good for them, but is this enough to overcome the seemingly unstoppable UHoopaz, who have been deemed "Team Steroids" by player Justin Chandler?.

Unless something drastic occurs that changes the dynamics of the UHoopaz team, I don't see The Fundamentalists repeating Week 2 against this powerhouse. My prediction: UHoopaz win by 22.


What do you think will happen next week? Will we see an upset, or do you think that these predictions are accurate? Leave your comments below!

Leonard Frank
Ultimate Hoops Coordinator at Mansfield
lfrank@lifetimefitness.com