SUGARLOAF, GA: Week 5 Power Rankings | Separating the Men from the Boys

We are in week 5 and things are starting to get more clear at Sugarloaf. Some teams are starting to look like contenders for a championship and others are starting to look better on paper than in real life. Who, if anyone, can challenge Team Duke at the top?

1. Team Duke (4-0)
This team is looking like the 96 Chicago Bulls who went 72-10 in the regular season. With a great performance from Karon “All I Do Is Grind” Riley, who had a monster game last week with 23pts on 11-15 shooting. Team Duke seems that they are already playing at championship form at the halfway point of the season. The question is can they continue to maintain their dominance and make a statement to the rest of the league or will they just become bored.

2. Team USA (3-1)
Even though they lost a nail bitter in overtime last week against the hungry defending champions. I still feel that they are the second best team in the league. But it has remained to be seen if they are mentally built to close out games down the stretch. In last week game, Matthew “This Is My Court” Owusu hit a big 3pt shot to force the game into overtime. But as a team they turned the ball over 18 times which will usually result in a lost.

3. Team Spartans (2-2)
With there backs against the wall and was facing a 3 game losing streak, The Spartans played big with key performances from, Julien “Lights Out” Wilson and Chadam “I Live For This” Cole. These two together combined for 71pts off 61% shooting. They almost gave up the game with their numerous turnovers. The Spartans Brett Abraham had 10 turnovers alone, which is uncharacteristic from anyone on the defending champs. Either way they pulled out a very nice win. Is this the start of the Spartans getting back to championship form?

4. Prime Time Playaz (2-2)
This team is my sleeper pick and could be much better then there record illustrates, but being last in the league in rebounding shows why they are at .500. Marty Johnson and Roderick “Get Dunked On” Booker have demonstrated the tenacity you have to have to win basketball games. The question is, will anybody else on the
team help these two stars out and get them over the hump.

5. RainMakers (1-4)
With there first win in week 3, I thought the Rainmakers where going to build on that success. Being last in scoring and assists in the league, it seems that this team needs veteran leadership in the locker room to teach them how to win. Kamoni Conley is preforming at a star level, but can he get the rest of his teammates involved? This team has a solid core, but they will have to see if they can finally mesh together and turn it into wins.

6. Free Agents (0-4)
Can Olisa "Beast Mode" Vnachukwu get any help? He is averaging a double-double but the rest of the team seems to be playing hero ball. This team could be quite good if everyone would just buy into the system. This needs to start on the defensive end first, especially after last week performance giving up an
embarrassing 113pts. I still believe in this team but it has to start from within.