PCTI8 Outlook

First off, shout out to Hops who I somehow managed to miss his Preds masterpiece... For those who haven't been following them, you're missing out... I (used to) hate hockey as much as anyone, but damn is that team fun.

With 26 days until tip off (sorry I can't figure out the countdown clock) it's time to crank up some chatter, analysis, etc as we begin slowing down our offseason training (or for Bruise, time to get it started), and turn our focus to the actual weekend.

It's no secret Ben Wilson is the superior captain in PCTI history.  What's most impressive is how he's shown an ability to build multiple winners with many different identities.  His squad in Denver was a high octane offense, then to Portland comes a balanced attack built on ball movement, followed by a defense/rebound/grit unit who resembled his favorite Grizzly teams a few years back.  Wilson came under scrutiny following the PCTI8 draft with his now famous claim that he "Likes Guys that Give a Crap," promoting his draft picks and slighting the guys he passed on.

When you think about that statement, how could a guy like Actor or Sabin be called someone that doesn't care?  I'm not sure there are two people that care more.  However, after a deep dive into the advanced stats, the well educated Wilson shows he is right again...

At the end of the day, it's very clear what his definition is... What guys know how to show up to PCTI and come out with a win?  If you have a guy like Sabin that can produce a 10 and 4 with no wins, or a Hops who's 6 and 3 has yielded the most career wins, who do you take?  Even down the line Wilson was able to pluck Smo Orr, a guy who hasn't taken a loss since PCTI4 who has more PCTI wins than Sabin and Stickman combined despite missing two PCTI's.

Already lacking an explosive scorer, Team Weakness Leaving Body will have some major hurdles to overcome as it relates to closing out games.  Is this the year a team finally knocks Wilson off his thrown?  Early indications don't look good with his stacked offense lead by him and Abe, quality teammates/athletes in Donley, Spot, Beas and Smooth, and the winning pedigree of Hops and Smo.

Editor's Note: Wes Murray will not be playing in PCTI8 due to a family event, but his stats bring more credibility to the post.