WEEK 18 POWER RANKINGS

SO IT'S COME TO THIS...

Why Marcaibo-Udorn? If the A-Boms can manage to get 3 more victories than the Igs this week, Zermatt gets the bye and we have an Iguanas-Jai-Rai first round rematch. Realistically, a 5-4 should be enough to keep 'Caibo in first (and against Udorn, 5-4 is very realistic).

The Week 18 dust has settled, but the playoff seedings have not. First-round byes are still up for grabs in both conferences, and the Kings still have an outside chance of crashing the party in the World conference. This much we do know: Salt Lake, St. George and Rigby are eliminated from contention in the Wasatch, but Bayside is the only team eliminated in the World. Yes, even Richmond could make the playoffs, but that would require some very un-Richmond-like play from the Butchers this final week.

Team, Rank, (Previous), Overall, (Last Week)

1 (1) 85-61-7 (5-3-1)
Give the Gators this much: they do what it takes to win, even if a slip-up of .006% in FGs, 2 points, and 1 turnover would have cost them the top spot. And just when we thought they'd gotten their comeuppance with an injury to Duncan, he returns and is the difference in the win.


2 (3) 86-63-4 (5-3-1)
Speaking of "how'd they do that?", the Sundancers managed a 5-3-1 win despite having 5 fewer games (in fact, they were one fewer turnover and six points away from a 7-2 victory). The bad news is they'll have to try and make do without All-Star and potential keeper Kevin Durant, out at least until the Wasatch Conference Concludings.


3 (5) 85-64-4 (5-4-0)
The Iguanas' 5-4 win over hated Zermatt may just have given them enough breathing room in the race for the World's top seed. At 2.5 games, it'd take a loss and a big win from Zermatt to keep Maracaibo from the coveted first-round bye.


4 (2) 83-62-8 (3-5-1)
Well, Ryan Gomes wasn't the answer, but all hope is not lost. Only a game and a half back of the Gators, the Strats can still make a move. But if we were Nephi fans, we'd be more concerned about the health of Kevin Garnett, and what that means to their worst-to-first aspirations.



5 (4) 83-67-3 (4-5-0)
The A-Boms can only rely on a Maracaibo choke for so long. Push came to shove, and the Iguanas didn't budge. Although technically, they didn't shove Zermatt too badly. More like a little love tap. Right now perhaps the A-Boms need to worry about playing a good week's worth of basketball, and not about that first-round bye.


6 (7) 74-78-1 (5-4-0)
The Jai-Rai have all but sealed up their first-ever playoff bid, with a hearty Udorn-style 5-4 squeaker over the Kings. As with so many teams left in the playoff hunt, the big story will be how they will be able to cope without their star player. So far sans Granger: 1-0.


7 (6) 73-75-5 (3-5-1)
Now technically eliminated, the SnowBees can officially begin Phase II of their season: Playing the role of "fly in the ointment" (bee in the ointment?) to other teams—namely the Nephi Strats. Fear not, SnowBees! That #1 seed in the Consolation Bracket and inside track to the tote bag is all but yours!


8 (9) 64-81-8 (5-4-0)
A nice, modest three-week win streak to close out the season makes things a bit more respectable for the U-Dogs. The team can say a lot about their character by coming out and putting the hurt down on a Gator team hungry for that first-round bye. Can Kobe's former franchise sweep his current one?


9 (8) 68-85-0 (4-5-0)
Not exactly what the doctor ordered for New York's playoff hopes. Okay, here's what has to happen: Kings need to beat Bayside at least 8-1 (not impossible) and hope the Iguanas beat the Jai-Rai by the same score (also not impossible). Not probable, but not impossible.


10 (10) 65-84-4 (4-5-0)
Hmm, the theme today seems to be which lower-rated team will be able to play spoiler and keep the higher-rated team from that first-round bye. Bachelorette number four: The Rigby Trojans! Rigby loves long walks on the beach, three-pointers, and hanging on to the ball. But be careful, if you get too close, Rigby might also hang on to your heart!


11 (12) 66-85-2 (5-3-1)

To what do we owe the demise of one of last year's playoff surprises, the Richmond Butchers? Let's look at the numbers: They rank in the top four in five different categories (rebs, asts, stls, blks, tos), but dead last in FT%, threes, and points scored. So to answer the question we don't know.


12 (11) 60-87-6 (3-5-1)
And Bayside will conclude the regular season having never tasted the sweetness that is consecutive victories. The good news, however, is that for this week's matchup against New York, the Tigers will be at full strength (although, with the players they're trotting out there, we use the term "strength" loosely).