Crucial Week For All Teams

GREEN VALLEY DRAFT: Week 8 Predictions

By Michael Palmer | Green Valley Media Associate

Ironman (5-2) vs. Captain America (2-5) 

This will be a rematch from Week 1 where Ironman crushed Captain America, winning by 40 points. That seems like a long time ago and both of these teams are pure scorers. The most dangerous weapon for Captain America is Kerry Knoll as he's hitting 3s from left to right. Kenny McNeil is also a 3-point threat, but perhaps Anthony Khotsikian is starting to find his grove. He drilled seven treys last week and it's going to be interesting to see how many of their shots go down.

For Ironman, they lost a big-time game last week to Black Panther and they should be able to bounce back and recover. I know that Bernard Preston will get his guys going and we should see the return of Angel Castro after he missed last week's game. The duo will be guarded a lot and they must take care of the ball and make some smart plays. Sean Watkins is my sleeper here as he can hit some clutch shots and make teams pay. Roberto West could be the difference maker tonight and let's see how many times he gets to the charity stripe. I like both team's aggressiveness, but I have to go with Ironman here. 

Prediction: Ironman -7

Hulk (2-5) vs. Thor (3-4)

After winning two clutch games in row, Thor lost last week and is in need of a must win to be at .500 on the season. The trio of Kodiak Yazzie, Juan Carter and Dominic Pedotto have to do everything in their power to stop Hulk from grabbing those boards and running in transition. I know that Pedotto will match up well against Daniel Bower of Hulk. We already know that Carter will weave in and out of defenders, so guys like Ben Carey and Lamont Harris Jr. need to have plenty of energy to keep up with the point guard. 

Hulk could really use Sam Earl in this one as he would be a vital threat for Thor for sure. I know that Marcus Wilson will be aggressive from the get-go and he needs to draw some fouls and get to the free throw line as Hulk was 3-4 last week from the charity stripe. This is a really tough one for me to pick, but I have Hulk out-rebounding Thor and capturing a clutch victory.

Prediction: Thor -3.5

Black Panther (3-4) vs. Spiderman (6-1)

The No. 1 team in the league in Spiderman will look to earn the top spot in the playoffs as they'll face Black Panther, who's looking at improving to .500 on the season. Spiderman beat Black Panther in Week 1 by 15 points and will we see a similar outcome tonight? They key for Spiderman this season has been their commitment to the team as everyone has almost played in every game this season. Charlie Farber in MVP-worthy and leads the team in scoring with 24.9 PPG. He's also sharing the ball like crazy averaging 5.6 assists per game, and let's see how much he'll share the ball tonight. Watch out for Vance Randall and L.C. Comine to attempt a lot of 3s and I know that Black Panther will be looking to stop the duo.

Black Panther played by far their best game of the season last week against Ironman and will be looking to shoot for accuracy as they went 56 percent from the field. Watch out for Stefan Hanania to be aggressive, get to the free throw line and play solid defense. Anthony Livingston could be double-teamed as his quickness is insane. Eric Redeaux will be guarded by Josh Rollans and man will this be a matchup to watch down low. Luis Maceira will need to either attempt smart shots or be a true facilitator in this one. Spiderman is strong all over the court and I have them winning a close contest.

Prediction: Spiderman -4