BLOOMINGTON SOUTH, MN: Will Nick Roells kicks be the difference for the Riddlers? Hawkins makes his predictions

Predictions By Eric Hawkins @conanhawk

So it seems I have something to learn about Bloomington South as I went 4-3 last week. Hopefully, I have learned from last week and can put what I learned into my predictions this week.

Also if there is anything that you want to see in these articles let me know as I am always up for new ideas.

Lockdown vs. Red Devils

The Red Devils have had two impressive games so far. Keeping it close versus the Timberpuppies and pulling of the upset against St. Baul. They have done this so far with size on defense, with no man on the roster under 6', and the sharp shooting of Paul Olson (39% 3 point percentage) and John Hohenstein (47% 3 point percentage) on offense. Their defense could be the key to this game. Averaging 10.5 steals a game and 3.5 blocks per game could keep Lockdown locked down.

Lockdown is led by Devin Stensrude in almost every statistical category. This team will go as far as he can take them. If he is off it will be interesting how the team will respond and see who steps up. Luckily for us we haven't had to do that yet as the recent draft tourney MVP has been on his game the last two weeks. This may be the week that we will have to see that as this Red Devils team plays some very tough defense.

For my team that have not played with me before I choose my predictions based on a non-biased view and if I don't choose my team to win doesn't mean I don't believe that we will. So after that disclaimer...

Red Devils by 10

Thunder vs. Guerrillas

The Thunder are coming off a very close game to the free agent team. Granted this is not your average free agent team but it is very unexpected for a team that got an auto bid into the playoffs last season to need to go to overtime and get a one point victory against a bunch of guys that haven't played as a team before. It will be interesting to see if this was a case of the Thunder not being as good as we thought they were or if the free agent squad is just that good. I personally think it is a bit of both, as the Thunder only had one victory over a above .500 team last season.

The Guerrillas are also coming off a very close game. The difference in their game was they were up by 19 points at the half and let the Huskies get on a huge run late. The Guerrillas tried there best to give away the game but squeaked by with a three point victory. This team has some talented player but if they don't have the mental toughness to play the entire game it won't matter. I would think that this would open their eyes and they will realize that they can't take it easy and coast to a victory even if they are up big.

So who is going to win this game? I think the Guerrillas established that when they are playing hard that they are a very good team. They will be a team that should finish at or just above .500 and as the Thunder seem to have a problem with that I would think that the Guerrillas will get this, but I do expect a close game.

Guerrillas by 3

St. Baul vs. Riddlers

As I had to get going before the second half of the St. Baul game last week I didn't get to see what was called a collapse and an eventual Red Devils one point win. They cannot afford an effort that was described to me this week. With the loss of Andrew Klobe they will have to bring their best to beat the Riddlers who are led by Nick Roell and big man Cory Rablin.

I will admit that I didn't give the Riddlers enough credit last week in my predictions. I will not make that mistake again, I'm sorry. They are 2-0 and they have beat two teams that were playoff teams last season. They are shooting the lights out (61% from the field and 50% from three) and no one seems to be able to stop Cory Rablin (28 ppg and 6.5 rpg). I look for Nick Roell to control the tempo and guide his team to another victory.

Riddlers by 6

Lakers vs. Timberpuppies

This game is going to be a game where size should show how important it is to have on your team. As the Timberpuppies have four guys at 6'4” or bigger and the Lakers only have one. This will give the Timberpuppies the advantage on the boards, shots in the paint and, as always, on defense with their 2-3 zone that seems to stretch forever. I know Scott Nelson will hate to hear it but this game should one of the more lopsided ones of the week.

Timberpuppies by 16

Tropics vs. Rebels

If the Tropics can't find a more offense this game will be a poor one to watch, unless you are like me and love to watch the Rebels run the fast break. They are shooting 38% from the field, had 14 turnovers last week and have the 13th ranked offense in the league. Against the Rebels defense that just won't cut it.

The Rebels have the 2nd ranked offense and defense in the league this season. I know that the season has only been two games so far but usually when you score a bunch of points the other team gets a ton of shots as well. It will be very impressive if they can keep this up. I expect this week to be more of the same. I think I will take the Rebels average margin of victory for this game...

Rebels by 19

Huskies vs. Blue Chips

The Blue Chips could be in for a tough season. They need to find some bench players fast. Watching their game last week you could see that they were getting winded and couldn't catch their breath as only one guy could sub at a time. It is a shame as they have a very good team but no team can be good if they are out of gas. This could be the case again this week as they play the Huskies if they didn't make any moves to get some depth over this last week.

The Huskies almost came back last week after being down by what seemed like an insurmountable deficit. I said last week that they had heart and they proved it last week. Now they just need to work on moving without the ball on offense. While watching them last week it seemed like for most of the game they had too many players that run to the post and stop there. I didn't see many picks or even good spacing on offense. They will need to fix this and get more stops on defense if they want to make another run for the playoffs this season.

As for this match-up I would expect the Blue Chips to get out to an early lead, but then start to get tired and see the Huskies start climbing back into the game. This is when the game should start going the Huskies way and they should be able to over come the Blue Chips' talent and get their first victory of the season.

Huskies by 4

WatchaMaCallits (F.A.) vs. Supersonics

As I have yet to see anyone from the Supersonics and last season they started a team in Fridley but then backed out I don't have much to go on to predict this game. So I am just going to say that this free agent squad has some very good players and had a good game versus the Thunder. They need to work on shot selection and moving the ball around but they did have some great effort and showed some good talent last week. It should be fun to see if they will live up to the hype that they have created so far and make a push at the playoffs as some people have been saying or if they fall victim to the same things that most free agent squads do, which are lazy defense and arguing about playing time and basketball theory.

WatchaMaCallits by 10 or forfeit

Clem's Kidz vs. Bye Week (week off)