BuzzerBeater Forums

Welcome everyone to Season 71 and especially to the newcomers!

Deportivo Saprissa (II.3 demotee)

St. Louis WarHawks (IV.28 Runner-Up)

The Veggies (IV.27 Champion)

DC Wizards (IV.18 Runner-Up)

Imperial Gz (IV.16 Champion)

Pittsburgh Pressure (II.3 Demotee)

The Stormy Tempests (IV.51 Champion)

Since Tough is gone, I'll throw together a fun little power ranking just based off the initial rosters:

TIER 3: Happy to be here

16: The Stormy Tempests

Welcome to Division 3 to the Stormy Tempests! With just over a month in the game, manager Donjai is going to have to learn quickly, and add some pieces if he wants to have a chance to stay up in this division. If he manages GS and adds a couple impact players he could sneak out a relegation series win and stay up.

15: St. Louis WarHawks

I debated between St. Louis and the team ahead of them for quite a while (about 5 minutes). I'll place St. Louis here based on some of the game ratings I looked at from last season. Literally just adding a player above 30k salary would bump him up a spot or two though, so there is certainly a chance to survive instant relegation. It will take a lot more to survive a relegation series against anyone from the Great 8.

14: Imperial Gz

Fun fact: Imperial Gz has more seasons played than he does transfers made all-time. Honestly a pretty insane stat. Bringing in a homegrown team will help with merch, but like St. Louis, it will be very difficult to avoid the drop without adding a few players, or having a couple trainees explode in growth over the season.


13: DC Wizards

This is where it starts to get a bit more challenging to rank the teams. I've placed Wizards here for a couple small reasons. First, Wizards ran Run n Gun literally every game last season, which makes him an easy guess in a one-off game. Second, poor rebound ratings and flow will doom this team against good Div 3 defenses. Wizards should feel confident on avoiding the 8th spot, but a tough series will follow against the 5 or 6 seed of the Big 8.

12: The Veggies

I don't know that the Veggies roster is better than DC man for man, but I think Veggies has a more balanced team overall compared to the outside-oriented attack of Wizards. An improved defense should be a priority for the Veggies, as a 7 mid perimiter defense will get cooked by a team like Gunslingers/Forza/Globo. Veggies will run into a lot of similarly skilled teams in the Big 8, and will need to manage enth and gs effectively to finish any better than 6th. A 6th place result would put them in a relegation matchup against a team like Wizards or GZ, which I think Veggies would be happy with.

TIER 2: Playoff Contenders

11: Bonham Bricklayers

After two seasons of the same thing, I cannot trust Bricklayers to keep a roster together for more than three weeks, therefore I'm putting him at 11 for now. Berman and some supporting guards should be able to get him to playoffs on that side of the league

10: Asingratitos BC

Speaking of keeping a roster together. Asingratots will be the best team in the division for the first half of the season as he cycles through every 35+ year old with $100,000 salary in the world. He'll do just enough to get into playoffs and then chill for the rest of the season. One day he will try and win the league, hopefully I'm gone by then cause I know he's got some serious cash saved.

9: Pittsburgh Pressure

I'll throw the Pressure in here, as I think his starting roster is just weaker than the team ranked ahead. I do see there are some 22yos that have been getting some training, so depth may be able to help him sneak into the playoffs in the Great 8. 5th place and a favorable relegation series would seem most likely as Asingratitos will rent his way to 4th place if the Pressure are close.

8: Social Security Kings

I'll put Kings here as he has some nice pieces in Hoskins and Fujing, but probably not enough star power on any of his guards to be competitive at the top of the league. The Big 8 looks fairly easy this season, so 5th or better is certainly on the cards. Expect to see Kings here again next season barring a complete meltdown of the roster.

7: AMC Spirits

Spirits ended the season with a very nice playoff game against Gunslingers (which he probably would have won without the Monteil injury). His roster is probably a little behind WAW and Deportivo if you go player for player, but playoffs will be the expectation for this team, and maybe with a superstar addition, a potential finals push?

6: Green Bay Gunners

I debated on putting AMC above Gunners, but I think Gunners has high quality bigs, and I can see that he has guards/wings that he is training, that should be able to take a step up this season. I don't think his roster is ready to challenge for a title, but a battle for playoffs against Asin and Pressure is the most likely scenario for this team I would imagine

5: Deportivo Saprissa

Originally I had this team at 2nd, then I took a deeper look at their roster and had a change of heart. On the surface, you have a solid roster for D3 that is probably a star away from contending for a championship. His two highest salary players although, will be 36 and 38 going into the season, and we haven't seen the salary drop yet, they will likely be a bit worse than last season. Then also seeing he doesn't have any trainees in that 22-24 prime age range, I don't think he wins this division unless he spends some serious cash on some stars.

4: Woodward Avenue Warriors

I nearly put them in Tier 1, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Maybe I am crazy to think this, but his roster is actually kind of insane. Kirkland is a monster scorer, and the surrounding pieces are all pretty good too, so why did I leave him out? His defense is just not good enough. Last season, Woodward ranked in the bottom half of all teams in FG% against and 3pt% against, and his team was the worst rebounding squad in the division. Don't get me wrong, his team can score, and score at will, but he will need a better defensive showing if he wants to win the league.

3: Gunslingers

As of the time of writing, I will place Slingers here. Macolino will potentially become the best big in this division, if he was being training last season, I assume he was. He still has Wimmer and Vasil, and I THINK he has some cash if he wants to spend it. In a down year for the league, if he makes a few moves I could see him being the league champion. I think he will need more IS to not become predictable later on, but he shot very well last season from the field and had one of the best defenses as well!

Tier 1: Potential Winners

2: Globo Gym

I'll place myself here for a couple reasons. 1) How douchy is it to rank yourself first am I right? 2nd) My team has a fatal flaw that you may not see looking at the statistics or game ratings, but is bad enough that I would get sent right back here if I did go up to Div 2. 3rd) I legitimately think Justin has a better roster than I do. His trainees of Daigle, Leon, and Neal are a season ahead of mine, Goldstein is a bit better than Kisos, and he has better depth. I also have a really tough schedule, pun intended. My rival and my TV games are probably the most sub-optimal I can get as well. I legit have no chance at an autopromo unfortunately.
On the plus side for me, my core trainees will all be better offensively than Lince and Marino by the end of the season and I do have 3 out of 4 games at home to end the season.

1: Forza Jazz

Like I mentioned before, I think Justin has a really nice roster, has the best SBer in the league (who has the league record btw, against me hehe), and has ncie depth pieces as well. Taking another look at his roster as I'm typing this, it may not look as amazing as I say, but I am scared of him when we play. I know if he plays a full strength starting 5 I probably won't be able to beat him. He has a pretty favorable schedule as well, and also avoids Asingritos for the first 2 game shape updates, which really helps. He has an outside shot at an autopromo 21-1 in my opinion.

Thanks for reading! I had nothing going on at work so I probably spent way too much time on this. And don't forget it's just a for fun thing, just my opinion on how the league stacks up going into the season. I think this is the most wide open the league has been since I got here a few seasons ago.

Good luck to everyone this season!

Preciate you doing this... trying to win just enough to stay in the league... working on building arena up. Theres no way I can compete at DII so just trying to stay a float an build capacity to hold more salary. Last season, I began with the smallest arena in the league.

Amazing writeup, Bones! Glad Tough is gone who tormented me the last few years!! Best of luck everyone!!

I wasn't trying to promote. I lost the finals. Lost one game. Still promoted. crap. I was supposed to coast in DIV a couple more seasons.

DISCLAIMER: I copied all rosters into CHATGPT and asked it to create game previews with a point spread.. tell me what you think. Here is the Big 8 first, I will start working on Great 8.
*I do not approve of the prediction in my game and that it favorited me lol

AMC SPIRITS vs. The Veggies

AMC comes in with a clear perimeter advantage. Eduardo Sanchiz runs the show at point with size and versatility, while Christopher Monteil is the best pure scorer on the floor. The Veggies counter with a deep but aging guard group led by Izsó Gera and Krzysztof Płocharczyk, but neither can match Monteil’s shot creation.

Inside, Miroljub Vulić and Carlos José Girón Ruiz give AMC enough stability to neutralize Arvilas Cuprininas, whose interior presence is the Veggies’ biggest weapon.

Pick: AMC Spirits
Spread: AMC -8

Social Security Kings vs. Gunslingers

This matchup swings on star power. The Kings have depth, but the Gunslingers bring a hammer: Massimiliano Macolino. At center, Macolino is the most dominant interior player in this game, and the Kings don’t have a true answer for him.

On the wing, Matej Vasil and Moritz Wimmer give the Gunslingers reliable scoring, while the Kings rely heavily on Kent Alderman and John Fitzgerald to keep pace. If the Kings can’t force turnovers early, Macolino will control tempo and possessions.

Pick: Gunslingers
Spread: Gunslingers -6

Bonham Bricklayers vs. Deportivo Saprissa

This is the headline matchup of the night.

Bonham is built around Efrain Berman, and Saprissa simply doesn’t have a defender capable of slowing him down. Berman’s combination of inside scoring, rebounding, and elite interior defense gives Bonham a massive edge in the paint.

Around him, Guillem Corbella and Lim Jui Sing provide elite perimeter shooting, while Tamás Dvéri keeps the offense organized. Saprissa has guards — Illarion Razov, Matthew Newcomb, Doyle Conley — but too many ball-dominant pieces and not enough finishing power inside.

Unless Saprissa shoots lights-out, this one gets away late.

Pick: Bonham Bricklayers
Spread: Bonham -12

Woodward Avenue Warriors vs. St. Louis WarHawks

The Warriors might be the most explosive offensive team in the league.

Mahamoudou Sow and Moktar Senghor form a devastating backcourt that can score, pass, and attack mismatches relentlessly. Add Grayson Kirkland on the wing and Pasi Isotalus inside, and Woodward has scoring threats everywhere.

St. Louis is young and long, with Ümit Edayi and Paweł Natorski leading the way, but they lack a true star who can take over offensively. Depth won’t matter much if they can’t slow Woodward’s guards.

Pick: Woodward Avenue Warriors
Spread: Warriors -10

🔮 Big 8 Week 1 Summary

Best Bet: Bonham Bricklayers -12

Most Competitive: Social Security Kings vs Gunslingers

Statement Game: Woodward Avenue Warriors

DC Wizards vs Forza Jazz

DC brings bodies and depth, but Forza brings stars. The Wizards will lean on Micah Ulrich and Chris Montalvo to generate perimeter offense, but that’s a tall task against a Forza backcourt led by Dylan Daigle and Federico León. Inside, Tommy Goldstein gives Forza a reliable scoring and rebounding anchor, while DC’s rotating bigs struggle to control the glass. If the Jazz push tempo, this one could open up fast.

Pick: Forza Jazz
Spread: Forza Jazz -14

Pittsburgh Pressure vs Imperial Gz

This one feels like a grinder. Pittsburgh’s guard trio of Humberto Torres, Zhong Xiaoxiong, and Adriano Couto provides steady creation, while Zenón Labarthe and Slobodan Ðilas give them a clear interior edge. Imperial Gz counters with experienced wings like Dudley Miller and Floyd Torres, but they’ll need an efficient night shooting just to keep pace. Expect a close game early before Pressure slowly pulls away.

Pick: Pittsburgh Pressure
Spread: Pittsburgh Pressure -6

The Stormy Tempests vs Green Bay Gunners

Youth and potential meet strength and size. Stormy has intriguing young guards in Lee Schoolar and Yooseuk Lee, but Green Bay’s frontcourt is a major problem. Masud Bin-Sulayman and Wu Shou Mei should dominate the paint, while Mike Jackson controls the tempo from the point. Stormy may hang around early, but second-chance points will swing this one.

Pick: Green Bay Gunners
Spread: Green Bay Gunners -11

Asingratitos BC vs Globo Gym

Asingratitos brings veteran firepower with Juan Buzeta, Damián Gallo, and Władek Woźny, but Globo Gym brings youth, length, and athleticism. Wings Fergus “Max” Prestidge and Cas “The Hacker” Debackere should create matchup issues all night, while Amitai Kisos controls the rim. If Asingratitos can slow the pace, they have a puncher’s chance — but Globo’s transition game feels decisive.

Pick: Globo Gym
Spread: Globo Gym -9

🔮 Great 8 Week 1 Summary

Best Bet: Forza Jazz -14
Most Competitive: Pittsburgh Pressure vs Imperial Gz
Statement Game: Green Bay Gunners vs Stormy Tempests

Love it!

I think I'm more like a 40 point underdog though

Before the season switched I just knew I would get asingratitos first game, can't believe it's a TV game too, so unlucky. My economy is going to be hurting the first couple weeks for sure

It actually is pretty crazy that you promoted with a finals loss and regular season loss. Usually it takes a perfect season to get the autopromotion!