TEMPE, AZ: Brandon's Week 9 Preview | Its Crunch Time

This is an exciting week in Ultimate Hoops Tempe basketball! In our 9th and final regular season week, every single matchup this week will help shape seeding for the playoffs. This is a must win for every team as they strive to paint their own playoff pictures. This week will be a little different as I will not be predicting the outcomes for two reasons: 1) It’s tiring being right ALL the time and 2) something about the playoff implications makes me want to let the games and drama play out without any expectations. Lets get to the matchups!

Game 1 6:30: Bad Guys vs. Wolves
Had this matchup fallen in any other week during the course of the season I would have just mailed it in and written an ode to mediocrity about these to teams. The timing of this matchup adds some worth to the outcome, as these two teams are battling for the #7 spot. With identical records and only this head-to-head matchup left, both of these teams need this win in order to soften the blow a bit for their first round playoff appearance.

Game 2 6:30: Hashtag vs. Downtown
Ordinarily finding oneself tangled in a threesome would be wonderful. However, the threesome that Hashtag finds itself tangled in is: 1) not the fun kind 2) a precarious tightrope walk that can place them either in a coveted spot or a struggle spot come playoff time. Hashtag miraculously pulled out a victory last week in an overtime thriller that was almost unbelievable to watch. Downtown seems to be running on all cylinders finally as they look to add another “W” to their 3-game winning streak. A Hashtag win would all but guarantee a #1 spot for the Bulls, while a loss would guarantee the #1 slot for Splash Brothers. This will definitely be the game to watch this week.

Game 3 7:30: Bulls vs. Themselves (just kidding Free Agents…sort of…not really)
This should be a snooze fest and a lopsided affair. Only thing the Bulls need to do is make sure their laces are tied and stay uninjured.

Game 4 7:30: Monstars vs. Who’s Next
This game is a battle of two teams with identical records just on the fence when it comes to the top half of the league. While there is no chance for either team to make the jump to the “top half”, this game will decide who gets the 5 seed, this could be the diffence in advancing past the first round or “going fishing”. May the best team win.
As we come to the end of the regular season, I like to thank Donald Dangmuk, Borin Ngov, Jovan Wright, Atash Najafian and the entire Ultimate Hoops crew for making this one of the best and most well managed seasons in recent history!

See you on the court!
Brandon Walker
Follow me on Twitter, it’ll make you smarter: @BeeEmDubya