What are the biggest question marks facing each team heading into the postseason? Which teams are the favorite? What are Cinderella stories waiting to happen? Have no fear, Rak Reshet Ramah is here with your playoff preview:

#7 3G Capital vs. #10 DRG Talent
3G has had a rollercoaster of a season, playing at times like Verizon 3G and at times like T-Mobile 3G. 
Although the team started the season 0-3, an overtime win over RDA in Week 4 plus the addition of Steven Leiser-Mitchell (Ramah NYU Law) ignited a mid-season four-game win streak. 

But a three-game losing streak to end the season led to the team falling into the dreaded bottom four. Leading the way for 3G Capital has been captain Jonathan Granowitz (12.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG). Can Granowitz lead his squad past the play-in and first round and into the semifinals? More importantly: Will he get a refund on the Nike sneakers he just bought that broke? 

3G will be facing a gritty underdog in DRG Talent, captained by Yoshi Gadasi. Despite its 2-8 record, the team has seen success when Gadasi, Emmett Stein and David Immerman are all in a rhythm, and rookie Nate Robinson (9.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG) provides a nice spark as well. 
Can fellow rookie Noah Sobel-Pressman, a UConn alum, channel his inner UConn March Madness prowess? More importantly: Will Matan Rosenfeld find the league basketballs he lost at a recent Thursday night run? “For my wallet’s sake, God I hope so,” Rosenfeld said.

#8 RDA vs. #9 Sherwood Lumber
Ah, an age-old matchup between two of the commissioners. 

For Elan Kane’s RDA team (4-6), it’s been a case of “best ability is availability.” RDA is undefeated when their opening day starting lineup all plays, with wins against three of the top four seeds in the league. 

But those games have been few and far between this season, and rumor has it that the team will be shorthanded this week. Most improved player candidate Matan Mann has had a great season, more than doubling his points per game average from last season (5.8->12.4) and leading the league with 44 blocks (the next closest has 17). But he will likely miss the playoffs entirely. (Or am I making that up? )
By this reporter’s count, RDA currently has the most Ramah Canada-affiliated players of any team. Can they pull a 2019 Toronto Raptors and #ShockTheWorld? Kawhi not?

Alex Eisenstein’s Sherwood, meanwhile, is certainly better than their record (2-8) says. The team has four losses by a combined 18 points (average of 4.5 points), and lead scorer Jared Scheff (18.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.9 APG) has been having a stellar season. Can he continue his scoring ways? Can David Shepard surely shepherd the Sherwood sheep to the shiny ‘ship? Can you say that sentence five times fast?

#1 Glasenglitter vs. Winner of RDA/Sherwood
Glasenglitter (9-1) has put together one of the more impressive seasons in recent RBA memory, with their only loss being a two-point defeat at the hands of Brandgenuity in Week 6. Rookie Zev Stravitz and 2023 most improved player Jacob GA are both having MVP-level seasons, and captain Jake Fischer is at the top of the ballot for captain/GM of the year. But, as the No. 1 overall seed, the team also has high expectations and a target on its back.
Can Glasenglitter overcome the 1 seed pressure? Yes, according to Fischer.

“We’re playing as if we’re not the number 1 seed,” Fischer said. “After all, Hashem is number 1, we’re just number 2.”

#2 Novig vs. Winner of 3G/DRG
You may be tempted to split Novig’s season into two halves: The first half with Caleb Holzhauer, the second with Josh Wohl. But Wohl picked up right where Holzhauer left off, as the team finished the regular season 8-2, with just one loss in each half of the season. 

Wohl, who capped off the season with a 41-point performance in Week 10, is looking for a rare RBA Championship three-peat, which would cement his RBA legacy among the greats. But three things stand in his way: the first round of the playoffs, the semifinals and then the championship game. 

“That is factually accurate,” Wohl said.

Novig’s benefactor and company CEO Jacob Fortinsky has had a great season, raising both his point averages and rebound averages by 3 compared to last season (8.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG this year). And Jeremy Gross has played well this season, too (10.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.8 SPG). Both were on Wohl’s championship team last season, so they bring some championship experience. Can they resist the urge to make a poop joke about being No. 2? Can they make a run at the title–a case of the runs, if you will?

#3 Verstolo vs. #6 Elite Pets
Like Glasenglitter, Verstolo (7-3) has two legitimate MVP candidates in captain Joe Schnitzer (20.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.3 APG) and rookie Amichai Feit (23 PPG, 13.3 RPG). Verstolo finished the season strong, winning by 21 points in Week 10, led by Schnitzer (30 points) and Feit (28 points) with help from players down the lineup. 

“That game was our season in a nutshell,” said Schnitzer. “Actually–this is our season in a nutshell: ‘Help! I’m Verstolo’s season and I’m stuck in a nutshell!’”

They will be the favorites heading into this matchup against a banged up Elite Pets squad. The Pets lost Jake Hirsch and captain Jason Sheff to injuries at the end of the season, and Daniel Rosenbaum, Jake Lefkowitz and Matt Scheff have all missed time this season due to injuries too. With a full squad, can the Pets become attack dogs? Verstolo’s hoping they’re barking up the wrong tree. 

#5 Fresh Prints vs. #4 Brandgenuity
With both teams at 5-5, this could be one of the more competitive games this weekend. Fresh Prints has one of the most formidable “Big 3s” in the league with captain Max Geller and rookies Ari Holzhauer and Ben Azoulay leading the way. But the team hasn’t had many games in which all three have been in attendance. Can they pull a Walter White and play with chemistry? Talk about Breaking Brand-genuity. (That was a stretch, sorry.)

Brandgenuity’s season took a bit of a twist mid-year when they lost captain Evan McCants-Goldman for the year due to a biceps injury. But replacement Lee Schwartz has been a nice addition, averaging 15.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG, and Eli Grossman and Yaniv Lusana have had great seasons as well (both averaging around 13.4 PPG). Nati Marcus has also had a solid season and anchors a strong front court with Simon Mendes and Ben Green. Can they hold off Fresh Prints and make a title push? Can I add any more rhetorical questions to this write-up?

It’s all happening this week at RBA March Madness. Let’s go.