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NBA D-League Power Rankings: March 4, 2010

by Matthew Brennan, D-League.com

March 4, 2010: The Power Rankings head into March with the playoffs just one month away. Remember, the top eight teams at the end of the season will qualify for the 2010 playoffs, with the two conference winners guaranteed a spot followed by the six teams with the next best records. The Austin Toros advance to the top spot this week after Iowa and Rio Grande Valley both ran into losing streaks over the past seven days. The red-hot Sioux Falls Skyforce continue their steady climb by advancing to the second spot.


TEAM (last week's ranking) REC. BREAKDOWN
1 Austin (3) 23-12 The Toros are one of the few teams who have not lost any of their top players to either call-up or overseas offers, which bodes well for their playoff chances if they can keep the roster together. They've won eight of their last ten but play their next seven on the road, starting with tonight's visit to Tulsa. Former Skyforce player Michael Joiner is averaging 6.0 points in his first three games as a Toro.
2 Sioux Falls (4) 22-15 The Skyforce waxed Springfield on Wednesday to extend their winning streak to seven games. The big question moving ahead will be how the team adjusts to the loss of Reggie Williams, who finally got a long-deserved GATORADE Call-Up to Golden State on Tuesday. The Skyforce remain on the road and this week, looking for a sweep in Springfield tonight before traveling to Maine on Sunday.
3 Maine (5) 23-14 The Red Claws have emerged from their rough patch and are now riding a three game winning-streak into March. The schedule gets tougher with surging Sioux Falls visiting this weekend before a showdown with conference-leading Iowa the following weekend. Former NBA draft pick Maurce Ager is averaging 17.1 points in his first ten games with the Red Claws.
4 Iowa (1) 30-9 The Energy's hot streak came to a crashing halt with three straight home losses. The team has also lost two valuable players with Courtney Sims leaving to go overseas and Othyus Jeffers getting a call-up to the Utah Jazz. Iowa will try to bounce back on the road this weekend with two games in Erie. Iowa has won all six meetings with the BayHawks this season.
5 Rio Grande Valley (2) 26-10 The Vipers lost two more players to GATORADE Call-Ups this week with Will Conroy returning to the Rockets while Garrett Temple is now a Sacramento King. They are looking to rebound from a blowout loss to Springfield on Monday night, which ended a three-game winning streak. Two visits to Bakersfield are on the slate for this weekend before the Vipers close out the season with eight of their last twelve at home.
6 Dakota (7) 22-16 The Wizards have been getting a lot of press this week with Memphis assigning number two overall pick Hasheem Thabeet and fellow rookie Lester Hudson to the team. So far the assignments, Dakota's first of the season, have paid off with the Wizards winning their last four games. They visit Tulsa on Friday before returning home to face Los Angeles on Sunday. After that eight of their final ten games are against teams with winning records.
7 Utah (9) 20-17 The Flash won their third straight game on Wednesday, and will look to make a run at moving past the .500 mark where they have been hovering all season. After a disappointing season, former Boston Celtic Gabe Pruitt is coming to life with 20.0 points over the current winning streak.
8 Tulsa (6) 19-16 The 66ers have gotten some reinforcements from the Thunder with both Byron Mullens and Kyle Weaver returning on assignment. They should help Tulsa bounce back from two losses that came on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Tulsa, which plays their next four at home, hosts Austin on Thursday before Hasheem Thabeet and the Wizards head into town on Friday.
9 Idaho (10) 17-18 The Stampede lost to Utah on Wednesday and continue to hover around the .500 mark for the season. Former Call-Up Coby Karl is averaging 17.0 points since returning to the team from Golden State. The Stampede visit struggling Albuquerque this weekend for two games.
10 Reno (11) 17-19 The Bighorns have been playing well recently, knocking off both Iowa and Tulsa in the last week. Now they visit Utah before returning to Nevada to host Springfield on Sunday evening. Former Clipper and Gonzaga star Richie Frahm has returned to the Bighorns for a second season. After being shut out in his season debut, Frahm made six three-pointers and scored 23 points on Sunday.
11 Albuquerque (8) 17-20 The Thunderbirds are in danger of falling out of the playoff picture after losing their fifth straight on Wednesday. They will try to right the ship with a five-game home stand featuring visits from Idaho this weekend. Leading scorer and All-Star Carlos Powell has left the team, leaving a big hole to fill when it comes to offensive production. Keith McLeod did his part with a 44-point explosion in Wednesday's loss to Dakota.
12 Fort Wayne (12) 13-22 The Mad Ants lost their third straight game when they fell to Maine on Tuesday, marking their third three-game losing streak since mid-January. Veteran Mad Ant Sean Sonderleiter will be looking to build on his best game of the season after recording 25 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's game. Fort Wayne returns to action with Los Angeles coming to town on Thursday and Friday.
13 Los Angeles (13) 11-22 The D-Fenders ended a four-game losing streak when they got past Bakersfield on Tuesday. Now they head east for three games in four days, starting with Thursday's trip to Fort Wayne. Ryan Forehan-Kelly has been the NBA D-League's most accurate three-point shooter this season, connecting on .485 (47-97) from long-range.
14 Bakersfield (14) 10-27 The Jam won two games last week, but have since dropped two straight and are in stretch where they have lost seven of their last nine. NBA D-League All-Star Alade Aminu was acquired on Monday in a trade with Erie for Blake Ahearn. He should make his debut on Friday when the Jam host Rio Grande Valley to begin five straight at home.
15 Erie (15) 13-24 The BayHawks have lost eight of their last nine, and things don't get any easier with Iowa visiting this weekend. Erie is still looking for their first win against Iowa this season after losing their first six meetings. Cavaliers rookie forward Danny Green was assigned to Erie for two games over the weekend and posted 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds before being recalled.
16 Springfield (16) 6-28 The Armor finally snapped a twelve-game losing streak with a big win in Rio Grande Valley on Monday, but things took another step back with last night's 30-point loss to the Skyforce. Adding to their issues, leading scorer and former call-up JamesOn Curry has been waived due to injury. The Armor finish their season with 13 of their last 15 on the road after they host Sioux Falls again on Thursday.