Week 2 of House Ball was probably the most confusing and befuddling week yet. Because every team played on Wednesday night, there were some huge jumps up and down throughout this weeks rankings. What left me most surprised, though, is that only two undefeated teams remain, a credit to how fairly they were drafted. Considering we have only played three games, I'm not sure how only two undefeated teams is mathematically possible, but this is house ball, anything can happen...
1. Duke (4) [3-0]: The Blue Devils have been red hot to start this season, the duo of Justin Vann de Grafff (again, my apologies) and Sean Collins have been doing work for this team. On Wednesday night they took on previous number one ranked Michigan. The Blue Devils took down Nick Green and the Wolverines with ease, shutting down their opposition with a tight zone. On Sunday morning, Duke took care of Providence with a strong offensive performance from Sean Collins. The Friars were with out Brian Minicus, which Duke took advantage of, beating the Friars by double digits. On the boards, Mike Neary has been playing a huge role for the Blue Devils. This team looks like a well oiled machine in the early going. (Ryan Griffin was at both games, I think)
2. Kentucky (6) [3-0]: The only other 3-0 team, Kentucky may not be the flashiest team offensively, but on defense, the Wildcats have been a force to be reckoned with. While the only consistent threats on offense are pretty much just Fin Batson and Alex Murray, it seems everybody has stepped in to add value for them on defense. Freshmen Tommy Reilley and Brian Wright have been blocking shots and taking names since day one, while the shifty Sam "Baño" Scribano has been forcing steals constantly. The Wildcats showed us this in both of their games this week, on Wednesday holding MSU to 28 points, and Stanford to just 20 over the weekend. One big surprise on offense was Sophomore Ryan Baird, who hit a couple of threes in their game on Wed. night.
3. Washington (3) [2-1]: The Huskies continue to look strong this season, running their high powered offense led by Sophomore Kevin Grune. In their night game, they took down the Friars of Providence in an exciting matchup. Their opponent struggled to get anything going thanks to strong defensive performances from Henry Adilleta and Max Gasvoda. On Sunday, though, the Huskies were not able to bring home the W, losing to UConn in a heartbreaker that needed OT to be decided. This performance was impressive, though, as they were with out first round pick Kevin Grune. This team proved that they are very strong all around, and were able to play a strong game without their top player. Hank Rech and Sherlock Aristizabal (still the best name in House) were strong offensive threats for Washington on Sunday.
4. Georgetown (9) [2-1]: The Hoyas biggest star statistically so far this season has been Will "Big Mouth" Rooney. Rooney has been big in more ways this one, dominating in the paint and grabbing any boards in sight. The Hoyas won both of their games this week, dominating UNC in their first, and upsetting Michigan in their next. Their first win was no surprise, but beating Michigan was huge for this teams confidence. The matchup to watch against the Wolverines was between Craig Triano and Nick Green. Craig did not do much offensively, but was able to lockdown sophomore star Green. Will "Cully" Culliton's barbaric style of play in the paint has also been key for the Hoyas success so far.
5. Maryland (7) [2-1]: I'm going to start off by making it clear that this record may not be accurate. As they technically lost to Syracuse on Sunday, but according to my prior knowledge, because Syracuse only had four players, they forfeit and the win goes to the Terps. Anyway, I'm going to look at Maryland's big win on Wed. night, beating Jack Joyce and the Huskies of UConn. Teddy Brannigan has been playing well so far, finding a way to put up points for his team. Brannigan's partner in crime, Willie Keating, has had no problem grabbing boards, but needs to work on finishing contested shots if he wants to contribute more for this offense.
6. UConn (2) [2-1]: UConn has had an okay start to this season, but still has a lot of room for improvement. They went 1-1 this week, losing to Maryland but picking up a win over Washington. Not surprisingly, Jack Joyce has been at the helm of this team's offense, doing everything for his squad. On defense, the Huskies possess the most pulverizing player in house ball, Connor "Dumpling/Ling" Percarpio. "Ling" has willingly taken on any team's offensive threats and has shut them down with ease. On Sunday the Huskies snuck by Washington in OT. Since Washington was without Kevin Grune, this was a little bit of a disappointment for UConn.
7. Syracuse (10) [1-2]: Once again this record may not be right, but because I'm confident in my house ball knowledge we're going to go with it. On Wed. the Orangemen won big against Stanford, dropping 59 points. Syracuse has been led by the duo of Harry "Hairy" Rayhill and Alex Phillips. The two have been looking strong so far, not only with their play, but of course, their luscious locks of hair. As I have mentioned before, the two no question have the best hair in house. (Phillips was willing to put his on the line if the Giants won the Super Bowl this year... sniff sniff). Other than these two big men this squad has looked to Sam Smith and Cason Stone offensively. Both freshman, the two guards have been playing fairly strong this season.
8. Michigan (1) [1-2]: Previously, number one, the Wolverines evidently had a very tough Week 2. Other than Nick Green, there hasn't really been any offensive production for this squad. They lost in both of their games this week to Duke and Georgetown by at least 10 points. Though there was a good amount of hype around rookie Blake Sommi, he has struggled this season besides his strong play in the Wolverines first game. If Michigan wants to find a way out of this two game slip, they may need to look to other offensive threats besides Nick Green. This is just an assumption, but it seems the off court issues between Alex Dehmel and Justin Canelli are finally starting to catch up with this team.
9. Stanford (8) [1-2]: Without mono plagued Max Grant, this team will continue to struggle this season. House ball unknown Harry Constantine has been okay for this team but not enough to carry them. Support has come from Nate "Poutine" Hadlow and Cole Stevenson who have been solid players on offense and defense. The Cardinal lost both of their games this week to Syracuse and Kentucky, struggling offensively in both games. During Sunday's game, the battle between Stanford's Connor "Sully" Sullivan and Kentucky's Sam "Baño" Scribano was reminiscent of the battle going on in the NFL between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman. The two were constantly bodying each other up and were not afraid to throw down at any point throughout game. In the end, though, Sully and Stanford fell to Baño and Kentucky.
10. UNC (12) [1-2]: The Tar Heels won their first game on Sunday, beating Michigan State in "the battle of the irrelevant's". This team looked good in their win with a fast paced offense led by Tommy Murphy. Murphy looked less sweaty than normal in this game, but was still sweaty enough to win another "sweaty" award for week 2. Henry Nolte added height for this team, as he was a force in the paint all day. Thomas Foresta was strong offensively for the Tar Heels, getting open on plenty of fast breaks. Freshman Jack Gordon also had a strong day for this team. Although he may not put up big numbers, this kids ball handling skills have been superb all season, as he has been a strong option at point guard for UNC.
11. Providence (5) [0-3]: The Friars have no question been the biggest disappointment this season. It seems that the pre-season hype was too much for them as they have not met any expectations, remaining winless three games into the season. The Friars star player Brian Minicus has missed two games so far, and in my mind needs to start taking this league more seriously. This isn't FCIAC football, this is house ball, come on now kid. Without Minicus, Connor Tienken has needed to step up in to a much larger offensive role. Tienken has been known as a defensive player throughout his career, but has done better than many expected him to do so far. Hopefully these Friars can pull a winning season together before they run out of time.
12. MSU (11) [0-3]: The Spartans need Patrick Burke, immediately. Charlie Olson has been solid so far, but he needs Burke back to help him on offense. Freshman Quinn Galante has been playing surprisingly well this season alongside Olson, unfortunately though, the Spartans have not been able to put together a win so far. I still have hope for this team, once Burke returns the duo of him and Charlie Olson could do big things in this league. As of now though, this team remains at the 12 spot.
Week 2 Awards:
MVP: Justin Van de Graffz (silent z?)
Big Man of the Week: Will Rooney
Freshman of the Week: Jack Gordon
"Get this kid a towel and some gatorade" award: Tommy Murphy
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