Under Armour Session 3 Preview

Under Armour Session 3 Preview

Get prepared for the Under Armour Association's Session 3 with this in-depth preview.

May 25, 2016 by Brett Pickert
Under Armour Session 3 Preview
By Jordan Divens

Hourly Guide:

Saturday:
10:30 am: Team Thad vs Team Felton
11:45 am: WE R1 vs Louisiana Elite
1:00 pm: South Jersey Jazz vs Atlanta Xpress
2:30 pm: New Heights vs Beast Mode
4:45 pm: KC Run GMC vs Team Felton
6:00 pm: Houston Defenders vs Philly Pride
7:15 pm: WE R1 vs Earl Watson Elite
Sunday:
9:15 am: Houston Defenders vs Showtime Hoops
10:30 am: KC Run GMC vs Florida Vipers
11:45 am: Team Charlotte vs Louisiana Elite
2:30 pm: Indy Hoosiers vs Florida Vipers
3:45 pm: DC Premier vs Splash City
5:00 pm: Atlanta Xpress vs Young Legends

Locks for Finals:
WE R1 (7-1), Team Charlotte (7-1), and KC Run GMC (7-1) are all tied atop the Under Armour Association with four games remaining in the regular season. Louisiana Elite (6-2), Earl Watson Elite (6-2), DC Premier (6-2), Houston Defenders (6-2), and Florida Vipers (6-2) are also standing strong, as they likely only need one more win to earn a berth in the 16-team Under Armour finals. Eight teams seem to be locks for postseason play, leaving eight spots open for bubble teams to capture in Session 3.

Bubble Watch:
New Heights, South Jersey Jazz, Team Thad, and Splash City all sit in good positions with 5-3 records heading into the final session of the regular season. Each team still has work to do, but are just a win or two away from earning a berth into the Association finals. If the Under Armour Finals started today, the last four teams in the field would be Beast Mode, Indy Hoosiers, Team Felton, and Philly Pride, who are all tied at 4-4 and would make an even 16-team field. But play doesn’t end today—there are four more games for teams to jockey for playoff position. Those sitting on the outside of looking in include a group of 3-5 teams who are searching for their footing in Session 3: Atlanta Xpress, Canada Elite, Illinois Wolves, Connecticut Basketball Club, Young Legends, and Oklahoma Run PWP. Expect some shake-ups in the standings as teams battle for the last few Under Armour Association finals spots.

Favorite Headed into Finals?
After two sessions, the Under Armour Association has no real favorite as three teams are tied atop the standings at 7-1. Team Charlotte and WE R1 finished tied at the top of the regular season standings last season at 9-3 before Team Charlotte took home the title. The third team in the mix is KC Run GMC, which consistently won games this season with a balanced attack. A group of five 6-2 teams sit just behind the three teams tied at the top and all teams have the chance to break through in Session 3. DC Premier and Houston Defenders are two 6-2 squads with strong rosters that could make some noise going into the Association finals.

Regular Season MVP Candidates:
2017 6’ 7” SF Kris Wilkes (Indy Hoosiers) 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, .545 FG%
2017 6’ 5” SG M.J. Walker (Atlanta Xpress) 18.2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, .465 FG%
2017 6’ 4” PG Jalek Felton (Team Felton) 17.9 points, 4.6 assists, 3.2 steals, .504 FG%
2017 6’ 4” PG Trevon Duval (WE R1) 17.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals
2017 6’ 3” PG Cameron Mack (Houston Defenders) 13.6 points, 7.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals
2017 6’ 3” PG Paul Scruggs (Indy Hoosiers) 13.8 points, 6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, .494 FG%
2017 6’ 1” PG Isaiah Washington (New Heights) 14.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds
2017 6’ 9” PF Nate Watson (DC Premier) 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, .641 FG%
2017 6’ 4” SG Nathaniel Pierre-Louis (Sports U) 21.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, .509 FG%
2017 6’ 5” SG LJ Figueroa (Team Breakdown) 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals, .485 FG%