NBA D-League Power Rankings: March 18, 2010

by Matthew Brennan, D-League.com

March 18, 2010: The Power Rankings return for the third week of March as we are less than a month away from the end of the regular season. The Sioux Falls Skyforce retain their position at the top of the rankings after another solid week. The Skyforce have now won nine of their last ten to draw closer to Iowa in the race for the East Conference title. Rio Grande Valley returns to number two after adding to their lead in the West Conference.

	TEAM (last week's ranking)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
1	Sioux Falls (1)	27-16	The Skyforce completed a sweep of Idaho to run their hot streak to three straight wins and 12 victories in their last 13 games. Center Greg Steimsma blocked five shots last night to run his season total to 137, breaking Keith Closs' record of 133 from the 2007-08 season. Next up for the Skyforce are two crucial games in Iowa this weekend. The Skyforce currently trail the Energy by 5.5 games for the East Conference lead.
2	Rio Grande Valley (5)	30-12	The Vipers swept Tulsa this weekend and currently hold a four game lead in the West Conference. Mike Harris won Performer of the Week honors after returning from a call-up, while Will Conroy posted a triple-double in his first game back from the Rockets. Antonio Anderson is also returning to the team after two ten-day contracts with the Thunder. The Vipers visit Reno for two games this weekend after beating the Bighorns in their first two meetings this season.
3	Iowa (3)	33-11	The Energy seemed to have emerged from their recent funk with two solid wins over Maine and Dakota. Next up are two very important home games against Sioux Falls, who they are trying to fend off for the East Conference title. The Suns assigned their second player of the season on Monday with first-round pick Earl Clark joining the team. Clark scored 27 points and added 12 rebounds in his Energy debut on Wednesday.
4	Austin (4)	25-15	The Toros split a series in Dakota and are off to only a 3-3 start in March. Dwayne Jones became the first player to top 600 rebounds in a season last week, passing Rod Benson's single-season rebounding record of 591 from 2007-08. The Toros visit streaking Bakersfield for two games this weekend before playing their final eight games of the season in Austin.
5	Maine (6)	25-17	The Red Claws lost two out of three heading into last night but dominated Albuquerque to keep pace in the East Conference. NBA D-League second-leading scorer Morris Almond is averaging 23.2 points in six March games for the Red Claws. Maine will be looking for a weekend sweep with another home game against struggling Albuquerque Friday night followed by a Sunday visit from Springfield.
6	Tulsa (2)	23-18	The 66ers looked like they were making a run at first place last week, but dropped both of their road games to Rio Grande Valley to fall further behind in the West race. Now they also have to move on without leading scorer and assist man Mustafa Shakur, who earned a call-up to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The 66ers face Idaho for the first time this season with two games in Boise over the weekend.
7	Dakota (7)	24-19	The Wizards head into Erie this week trying to put an end to a two-game losing streak. The matchup on Saturday night will air on VERSUS at 11:30 p.m. ET. Rookie Lester Hudson remains on assignment from the Grizzlies and is averaging 14.5 points in eight games off the bench with the Wizards.
8	Utah (9)	22-20	The Flash fell to Erie on Monday night and are continuing their usual trend of playing .500 ball. Second-year Utah Jazz forward/center Kosta Koufos is averaging 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds on assignment. Koufos and the Flash head to the City of Angels this weekend to take on the D-Fenders in two games.
9	Erie (11)	18-25	The BayHawks are one of the hottest teams in the league, with the backcourt of Blake Ahearn and Mike Gansey leading the way. Gansey is averaging 26.2 points in March, while Ahearn has chipped in with 26.0, including a franchise-record 38 points on Monday. Winners of five straight, the BayHawks host Dakota this weekend.
10	Reno (10)	20-21	A Bighorns split a home series with Utah and are now 3-2 in the month of March. Veteran guard Richie Frahm is hitting on 22-42 (.524) attempts from three-point range in his first seven games since joining the Bighorns.
11	Bakersfield (13)	15-28	The Jam are out of the playoff hunt but they are still proving to be a tough opponent as they ride a five-game winning streak into the weekend. They host Austin on Friday and Saturday after going 1-3 against the Toros this season. All-Star Game MVP Brian Butch has now recorded double-doubles in 11 straight games. He is averaging 17.8 points and 15.0 rebounds in seven games in March.
12	Idaho (8)	20-22	The Stampede are losers of four straight and could be in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since joining the NBA D-League. They host Tulsa for two games this weekend. Former GATORADE call-up Lance Allred is averaging 10.7 rebounds over his last seven games, including four double-doubles.
13	Los Angeles (14)	15-26	The D-Fenders are playing .500 ball in March after a tough January and February, but it looks like a playoff berth is out of reach. They host Utah this weekend for two games at STAPLES Center. The D-Fenders are 0-4 against the Flash this season. Forward James Peters joined the team last week and is averaging 19.0 points after his first three games.
14	Fort Wayne (15)	15-27	The Mad Ants ended a four-game losing streak when they defeated Maine on Tuesday, which was fourth win over the Red Claws this season. Forward Rob Kurz has returned from injury and is averaging 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in his first four games back.
15	Albuquerque (12)	18-26	The Thunderbirds have struggled since losing NBA D-League All-Star Carlos Powell to an overseas offer. Albuquerque has lost 11 of their last 12 and brings a four-game losing streak into Friday's game in Maine. All six of their remaining games are on the road. Chad Toppert, who has had trouble finding the net during the losing streak, looked like he could be snapping out of his drought on Wednesday with 22 points and five three-pointers.
16	Springfield (16)	7-34	The Armor defeated Albuquerque on Tuesday, ending a seven-game losing streak. They will look to keep the momentum going on a six-game road trip that starts in Fort Wayne on Thursday night. Bakersfield castoff Justin Hawkins is averaging 21.1 points since joining the Armor in early February.