AA everyone, great week 1, I went 6-1 on the predictions, let's do better!


7:30 PM Slate

Mecca (Black) @ Granada (White):
My thoughts after week 1 are that these two teams are very similar. The key scorers in Jake and Malik, the key facilitators and playmakers in Ameer and Mr. Capone, and that third guy that seems they need to be fed more in Mike Johnson and Muhammad Mustafa. Now here's what I believe; this game will be close, and when that happens, Granada could have an easier time closing out. Tbh, the matchups could definitely be in Mecca's favor, but I see that Mr. Capone finds his guys in the clinch, and Malik and Muhammad hit some big shots to put the game away. There's only one cause for hesitation in choosing Granada, and that's that Mecca may dominate the boards, but I know Sami and Thaer, and I think they'll do the work hustling to do what they can.
Granada by 2.

Cairo (Black) @ Palermo (White):
On paper, Palermo takes the cake easily, but their performance tells me otherwise. Cairo may be inexperienced and all over the place on offense, but they do have the personnel to match up with Palermo's key players. Though I will say, it's extremely tough to put your faith in one guy who you barely got to see play. Based on last week's games, Cairo literally has one scorer in Gaballa, as no one else had more than 5 points. I think we all should know Palermo's game plan heading into this next game, so we'll have to see what Cairo can do to overcome it. I do hear Jason's going to be present in week 2, and he could play a major factor in getting the ball to his scorers, so I'm looking to see a big game from Shafic, Amir, and newcomer Joseph AKA JoJo.
Palermo by 8.

Jeddah (Black) @ Lahore (White):
A key factor in this game is defense. If Jeddah steps up their defense and does well in limiting the Yousuf bros, they can have a real shot at winning this game. Technically, Jeddah does have a size advantage with Jehad and Mo Amin on the squad, but Jehad wasn't used anywhere near as much as he needed to be and Mo Amin struggled to hit shots he shouldn't struggle with. Again, my brain tells me to vote against Lahore, but here's why I won't. One, they proved me wrong last week. Two, they already seem to be in mid-season form. Three, they're not easy to keep up with. Four, Shahzaib Khan. I did get to see some parts of Jeddah's game last week, and they definitely need to do a lot to polish their team chemistry and overall game plans, so on paper they're a great team, it just hasn't translated on the court, and I'm sure they'd agree.
Lahore by 7.


8:30 PM Slate

Islamabad (Black) @ Delhi (White):
This could be my sleeper game of the week, but it's hard to say without any film on Delhi yet. Islamabad sits atop the Power Rankings, but they themselves will tell you they went wrong in so many areas in week 1; however, they still managed to put up 62 points in a game Zain only took 5 shots and Idris only made 5 points. Delhi wants to develop a new reputation for itself as a winning team, so we can expect them to come out strong. So is it a battle of the offenses, or the defenses that will be the deciding factor? I think it will definitely come down to defense. I've heard Islamabad wasn't too happy with their defense last week, so it seems that's going to be their priority, and what better combo than Hassan to slow down an alpha, Kareem to guard the perimeter, and Zain to contest anyone driving into the lane? I'm not going to lie, I'm definitely rooting for Delhi, as I'm a big fan of our new brothers Luis and Ramzy; I think Delhi will usually have an easy time scoring the ball with Ian at the one, Splash at the two, Luis being all-over, Ramzy hitting from deep, and Muhannad being a hustler down low. I just need to see how their defense fairs before I can be all-in with this team. For now, I have to roll with defending champ MVP in Hassan and one of MB's best to ever do it in Zain.
Islamabad by 3.

Alexandria (Black) @ Tripoli (White):
This is the obvious game of the week, absolutely can't wait for this one. Alexandria came out and surprised everyone in week 1, and it's really hard to predict against this team because of their heart, and most of all, the fact they keep receipts Tripoli has the personnel to match up with Alexandria, and they have all the experience. Tripoli is that team that limits their number of mistakes, they get everyone the ball and involved, so it's hard to predict what they'll do offensively; they're hard to predict against. Alexandria has already proven to be explosive with Jay and newcomer Wajdi, and that was without Musa and younger brother Yahya, so I really don't see any other team including Tripoli containing them. So who wins, picture perfect Tripoli, or the beast that is Alexandria? By no means is that an easy question to answer, but if I had to roll with one, it's Tripoli. I get the feeling this game will be won by the team that manages to keep their poise throughout the entirety of the game, and my vote would go to Tripoli there.
Tripoli by 1.

Riyadh (Black) @ Mombasa (White):
Thankfully one of the 8:30 games is seemingly easy to predict. Mombasa wins in dramatic fashion, and Riyadh let me down big time in week 1. I had hoped Riyadh showed me something I'm not really used to, and to their defense I didn't get to observe their game, but it seems to be more of the same. Mombasa is one of the most experienced teams, and they have everything it takes to be at the top of the league. In an easy matchup though, you look to end the game in the safest way possible, and that's at the rim. Look to see a whole lot of Pete Brown scoring easy buckets early on, and a whole lot of Elias stat padding in the second half. I know this sounds pretty depressing and we're only in week 2, but that 1 mistake I made last week came at the hands of Riyadh. If Riyadh wants to really put up a fight here in week 2, they're going to need Ammar to show up and make life difficult for Pete, and they're going to need to play their heart out. I know the talent Riyadh has, they have what it takes to compete, they just need to figure out their best strategy in regards to who should be doing what moving forward.
Mombasa by 18.


9:30 PM Slate

Jerusalem (Black) @ Damascus (White):
"This one takes me back to the ICPC parking lot" Take two! I stand by what I said regarding Damascus in week 1. They're going to need to find a consistent option in scoring, and again that's going to be hard to figure out here in week 2. Why? Well there's a common theme here in Jerusalem, and that's being top 2 in defense, and what's that? They're already number one to start the season, and it isn't really close. Damascus is really going to have to reach into their bag of tricks to get serious numbers on the board. Unfortunately for them, the Abbassi and Saleh clans know the Damascus personnel all too well, and you know they're looking to absolutely shut them out. Try your best to have fun Damascus!
Jerusalem by 14.

Kabul (Black) @ Medina (White):
I really liked what lil o had to say about this game on the podcast, he seems like a smart dude, I'll piggyback off his ideas. At first glance, Kabul wins by a landslide. At second glance, Medina could potentially put up a nice fight, given their size may really be effective here. Size won't be enough though, they'll be forced to run in transition, and if they can nip that in the bud, we could almost be looking at an upset. Gurjinder has to show up though, Medina could really use his rebounding. Ed and Kenny also have to show up, I'm not sure Himey could keep his cool any longer with what was it, 12-43 combined?! Yea I don't think there'll be an upset. Tom, Farhad, and Chris have something serious going on here, keep it up fellas.
Kabul by 15.