The Big 8 will be more competitive top to bottom than the Great 8 this year. It may another situation where only a few games separate multiple teams. I predict that Kentucky will once again be the 1 seed. My darkhorse is Superstars, should they decide to play their guns.
League Final Contender: Big 8
Kentucky Wyldcats
Kentucky -Awesome rotation with a steep drop off after that, which can cause some game shape issues, especially if they catch a deep Cup run. Miranda could see some heavy minutes. Still this is a team that competes with every team in the league when matching up their top players. Returns from making the Finals and the clearcut team to beat
Playoff Locks
Asteroidal, UT-Vols
Asteroidal - This team's salary distribution is really old. If Gavilan can stay out of foul trouble against teams with dominant bigs then they'll have a chance at moving up into the league contenders. The young players are years away from helping, and the 20 somethings aren't enough on their own. There's probably still a lot of firepower, but this is likely a team that is slipping fast.
UT-Vols - This franchise could make some noise. With a clear top end player, a starting 5 all above 25k salary, and a clearly defined 8 man rotation. Their key player, Samardzic is in his prime at 29 and Xiangjie is only 25 at 42k salary. With 13 wins a season ago this team missed the playoffs by an 8 point margin. They'll contend for homecourt in the first round.
Hoping to Win Relegation or Make the Playoffs
Pyramid of Success, Waterloo Sky High, Cockfighters
Cockfighters - Off to a good start the team appears to be built around solid defense. Vanazzi, Saar and Ripoll as a "Big 3" will keep them competitive, but they may run into another situation like their 4th against Wyldcats when they get into interconference play and teams with deeper salary teams that will neutralize their stars.
Waterloo Sky High - Some solid players, but overall they may be lacking in the depth they need to stay up at DIII. Keep an eye on Lanny Stone, a 21 year old superstar who must be getting looks from the U21 NT. He'll make major gains in season, and it could be enough to make them a factor come playoff time.
Pyramid of Success - It comes down to training and development for this team. There's talent and potential, but you can only train so many guys. This team could contend, but with 25 guys on its roster. . .
Will They Start Managing Their Team?
Super Stars
Superstars - A 100k plus player and a stong showing last season. This former DII manager hasn't asserted themselves this season. So watch out. This is a big wildcard.
Maxing Out Their Draft Investment
Timequake - This isn't a bad team. It's just not as good as everyone else. Depending upon how other managers navigate their seasons, This squad could overachieve by default. A solid backcourt extends to the wings, but their depth drops off, and it doesn't seem like the top end talent is on the same level as a franchise like the Wyldcats.
Last edited by Jbogroff at 2/7/2019 9:32:55 AM