Big 8 Conference playoff contenders

1. Cosumnes River (16-8): The Hawks are in sole possession of 1st place in the Big 8 Conference and have the best overall record in the conference. Cosumnes River has won eight straight games since starting off 2-2 in conference action and look to be a lock in getting into the post season. In non conference, the Hawks have victories against Butte, Siskiyous and Gavilan that stand out but losses to Feather River and Reedley could hurt them in the seeding scheme of things when the seedings come out. Another factor that could come into the consideration is the strength of the Big 8 with a lot of teams within the conference floating around .500 as teams are beating up on eachother within the conference. Cosumnes River has games against Folsom Lake, Sacramento, Diablo Valley and a big one against San Joaquin Delta (currently 2nd place but 12-11) and all those games are all needed at this point to possibly host a first round game as the post season is right around the corner.

2. San Joaquin Delta (12-11): The Mustangs sit in 2nd place at the moment within the Big 8 Conference and look to be a bubble team at the moment. Delta is 8-3 in conference action and are on a four game winning streak as the Mustangs have improved as the season as moved along. Delta could hold the fate of a lot of other teams within this conference race. In non conference, the Mustangs biggest win came against Cabrillo but in conference action, the Mustangs have a win against Diablo Valley but all other wins are against teams that are under .500. Delta still has conference games against Modesto and American which are must win games but face three teams that are above .500 (Diablo Valley, Sacramento, and Cosumnes River) which are must win games in order for them to solidify a playoff spot as those are chances to pick up some quality wins as the season winds down.

3. Diablo Valley (14-9): The Vikings have the record to get into the post season but currently sit behind Delta in the standings with a 7-4 in conference action. Diablo Valley has played solid basketball for most of the season and have non conference wins against Skyline, Las Positas, and Cabrillo in non conference. Diablo Valley has non conference losses against Ohlone, Chabot, San Jose, Cypress and Butte. These next five games are key for the Vikings season as Diablo Valley has American River, Delta, Cosumnes River, Sierra and Santa Rosa still left on their schedule. The good thing is three of the five are at home and they still face Delta who is above them in the standings as the two teams will square off on February 7th in Pleasant Hill.

4. Sacramento (14-9): The Panthers are another team that have a solid record sitting five games over .500. Sacramento is currently tied for 3rd place in the Big 8 Conference and have won six straight games putting themselves into playoff contention. The Panthers are in a similar situation like Diablo Valley but do not have as many quality wins as the Vikings. Sacramento does not have a win over .500 team in non conference action but has victories over Santa Rosa, Delta and Diablo Valley in conference play. Sacramento still has some work to do as the Panthers face Sierra, Delta and Folsom Lake still on the road and Modesto and a huge game against Cosumnes River at home on Feb 7th. At this point, the Panthers would get in the post season in our eyes but still have work to do to solidify that post season bid.

5. Santa Rosa (10-14): The Bearcubs are sitting on the outside looking in at the moment but the way the Big 8 is that could change at any point. Santa Rosa is 7-5 in conference action and struggled in non conference action earlier in the season. Santa Rosa has a non conference victory over Chabot and the Bearcubs have faced stiff competition which will work in their favor but the bottom line is Santa Rosa still has some work to do to get into the post season. Santa Rosa has four games left against American River, Sierra, Modesto and Diablo Valley which in our eyes are must win games to get into the post season as the Bearcubs sit 4 games under .500.