9/10 Power House Rankings: Week 6

-By: Matt House Brown- Mega-snow day breaks seem to have benefitted the top team in the league. The Knicks are back on top and some surprise hot performances on the Middlesex court on Sunday (1/23) are keeping this YMCA House season exciting during a never-ending midterm lull.

1. Knicks (W, 47-25)- After a two-week hiatus the Knicks regain the first place ranking. They didn’t overly impress this week, just beating up on the bottom of the barrel Bulls. However, the former number one Bucks lost to the Raptors, and although the Craig (LaMantia) and the Knicks lost to the Bucks, they beat the Raptors and seemed to dominate the pace of the game despite a close finish. (4-1)

2 Bucks (L, 26-35) – The Bucks having a horrible day combined with a tremendous performance from the Raptors led to this result: the upset of the season. The Bucks played with the absence of role player sophomore Andy Mogenson and Fairfield Prep freshman Andrew Vegliante. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Bucks big man sophomore Eric Christensen fouled out of the game. This left the game squarely on Brunswick sophomore Jack Sherwood’s shoulders, and against the colossal Raptors bunch the task was too much for any one player to handle. I suspect this was just one bad day and that the Bucks will be back on track soon enough. However, it does now mean that every team in the league has a loss. (4-1)

3. Heat (W, 43-29) – With a dominating performance over the mediocre Wizards, the Heat is looking to move up this week. However, like the Knicks, the Heat lost to the Bucks, and unlike the Knicks, the Heat has not played the Raptors. Also the Knicks beat up on the Wizards even more than the Heat did this week. That being said, the Heat is playing great basketball and see few quality teams until the last week of the season, look for the Heat to rise in coming weeks. (4-1)

4. Raptors (W, 35-26) – Wow. The MVP of this week is sophomore Joe Berkowitz, (pictured above) but not quite for his on court play. The past week, in the midst of pestering Facebook IM’s from Berkowitz about how good the Raptors are, Berkowitz guaranteed me a victory over the Bucks. At the time I dismissed him as overconfident, but Berkowitz’s squad proved it on the court on Sunday. The Raptors size sets them above most of the league already and their defensive prowess has slowed the near untouched Jack Sherwood. This win has established the Raptors as one of the stronger teams in the league along with the top three that dominate the rankings. The Raptors only weaknesses are a lack in scoring and overconfidence. (2-3)

5. Wizards (L, 29-43) – The Wizards have been victims of a difficult schedule early on. In fact, the Wizards have played three of the top four teams in the rankings already this year. The Skolds brothers are too talented to not take advantage of some teams going down the stretch. That being said, they have dropped three games in a row and need to turn it around if they want to stay competitive. (2-3)

6. Bobcats (W, 42-22)- Look who showed up this week! This profound victory over a Hornets team coming off a big win over the Wizards is reason for a leap in standing. I am not sure what happened to the Hornets here, but still the Bobcats sure did capitalize. The Bobcats have been victims of a difficult schedule and I see them snagging a few more wins over lesser opponents as the season plays out. (2-3)

7. Celtics (L, 32-36)- The Celtics were edged out by the Nets this week. Although this is a bad weekend, the Celtics have topped both the Wizards and the Raptors this year. Their record is a product of an easy schedule and they need to improve to stick around as the season moves on. (3-2)

8. Nets (W, 36-32) – Despite the win this week the fiery Nets still have more to prove before they are taken seriously by the upper half of the league. They only have one true victory, the other being a forfeit. I suppose the jury is still out but I do not expect much. (2*-3)

9. Hornets (L, 22-42) – I am not sure if the Hornets are actually the second worst team in the league but the 20-point loss handed to them by the Bobcats places them here. Call it a punishment or probation of sorts. (2-3)

10. Bulls (L, 25-47)- The Bulls actually improved this week against the powerhouse Knicks. Twenty-five is a season high for them and will raise their points per game average from the teens. I still have hope that the Bulls may be able to steal a win down the stretch.