Night 1 of inter-league play will offer little in competition, as the already heavily favored Big 8 will have a distinct advantage in almost every matchup.
The Machete Kills are certainly riding a wave of adrenaline after knocking off the power house Mad Dogs, and hopefully it isnt too much of a wave that it distracts them from the task at hand. Despite the Condors being 7th in the Big 8, they have a talented rosters, and eventually, Mike Churchill's numbers has to result in a win. Wayne McCloud is proving to be a valuable commodity to the Condors front court and Daniil Bosyakov is always a threat to drop big numbers. If Hector Guaita has a big game for the Machetes, they should be able to withstand the Condors in a close one.
The Beach Crew and Sentinels face off both sitting 6th in their conferences, but WPB has to be a distinct favorite. The Sen's haven't shown much in the way of making them a threat this season and Klevas Sliauzys is a skilled vet who can easily take over. Beach crew by a slew.
The Savages sit 8th in the Big 8 and barring an epic collapse by Morgan Town, they will likely tighten their grip on that last seed with another loss. The Savages have made some moves to try to avoid Relegation this season but it wont be enough to over throw Chen Ziquan and the Dogs. Sources have stated the Dogs owner has not been present in months and mumbles are growing about his potential of selling the team. It would be a shocking blow to the Great 8 if the early season favorite to win it all bowed out mid season for the likes of another bot or start up team. Either way, Dogs big in this one.
The Mercy Buckets take on the Plugs in one of the matches that heavily favor the Big 8. The Buckets have sat middle of the pack in a tight conference, while the Plugs are just trying to fight for a chance to play the relegation game. It goes without saying, that Henry Plant will put up numbers, but much like MJ in his prime, you can allow him to go off as long as you contain the rest of the team. In this case, the Plugs are no Chicago Bulls of the 90s and the Buckets should have no issues shutting down the Plugs. Look for Xaxim to go for 25-15 in a routing.
A 1-4 Matchup seeds the Generals against the Poros in what will likely be a bigger spread then the rankings would suggest. The Poros are going to need a career night from Nuad Jagodic but that still may not be enough to get past the all around game of the Generals. Merlin Vick will keep Jagodic out of the paint and alter most shots offered down low while Oriol Pujol keeps dazzling and keeping the statistician's hand cramped. Generals stay in the 1 seed in a 15 point spread.
In one of the nights better matchups, the Turn Ups line up against a 3rd ranked Tartan team. The big 3 of the Tartans are a force to be reckoned with but so too is the backcourt of the Turn Up's. This one will likely come down to strategy and in this one I'd favor the Tartans.
The Believers are going to improve to 7-1, taking on the Bucks who sit dead last in the Great 8. Unless the team bus crashes, or the whole team is found to be involved in a prostitution ring the Believers would have to try to lose, to not get the win. And even if they try they to lose they will still most likely win.
The Peppers will take on the Force in a 3-5 match that should go in the Peppers favor. The Force will be out matched at every position, and despite Matija Jabucanin's strength down low, he wont have enough pop to handle Leroy Lyman. If the Force can get the Peppers in early foul trouble they might be able to keep it close but i still wouldn't take any money to Vegas for an upset in this one.