FSN FCIAC Boys Basketball Poll (Week 1): RIDGEFIELD is No. 1

 Our first FSN FCIAC boys Basketball poll of the regular season is here! 12 coaches gave their input on who the top 8 teams in the league are after a week and a half of regular season play.

Less than two weeks in, it's very clear that the league has no clear favorite and we will likely see a few upsets come playoff time.

The one team that has remained a constant through our first two polls is No. 1 Ridgefield. The tigers earn the top spot for the second straight week, with Ridgefield now holding No. 1 in both boys and girls basketball. It's still early in the season, but Tiger Hollow looks like it could be adding two more banners this year.

After Ridgefield, every team is all over the place. New Canaan is now number two after barely edging St.Joseph for the slot by just 2 points. Meanwhile, the Cadets hang on to number three by just 4 votes over a surging Staples team who will face some tough tests this week. Wilton remains number five, although they will likely move further up or down after this week, their first full week of competition. Ludlowe seems to be the wild card of the group after playing tough against New Canaan and defeating both Trumbull and Fairfield Warde, but a loss to Danbury prevented the Falcons from moving further up (They will have plenty of opportunities to do that this week with two matchups scheduled against top four teams). Danbury looked terrific against Ludlowe on Tuesday and could move into the top five after they take on Ridgefield, Wilton and New Canaan over their next four games.

The biggest story, however, may be two teams not in the poll, Fairfield Warde and Trumbull. The mustangs received votes for first place in our first poll, but injuries have plagued the team, who didn't receive a single vote this week. Trumbull was also a surprise, failing to win a game this season after losses to both Ludlowe and St.Joseph. Warde should pick up two wins this week against Harding and Darien, but they will face a tough test hosting Wilton on Tuesday. Trumbull will also have a chance to move back into the top 8, facing Darien, Staples and Westhill this week.

Week 2 Preview

Tuesday

Game of the Day - #1 Ridgefield vs. #7 Danbury: The hatters are becoming increasingly relevant in the league's playoff picture, especially after a dominant win over Fairfield Ludlowe last week. An upset for the hatters could put them in the top 5 by the start of next week. Ridgefield faces two big tests to start the week with Danbury and Wilton.

Curious About - #4 Staples vs. #6 Ludlowe: A makeup of a game from last week should be fun for both the boys and girls. Ludlowe has gotten big wins so far over Warde and Trumbull and played respectably against New Canaan while Staples looks for two wins this week against top 8 teams that could propel them into the top 2/3.

Thursday

Game of the Day - #1 Ridgefield vs. #5 Wilton: The Warriors will be thrown right into the fire in their first week of competition, facing four opponents in five days, including two ranked teams. Ridgefield faces another top eight opponent and looks to keep the number one ranking for a third straight week. This game is always a treat, especially when both teams are legit contenders for an FCIAC title.

Curious About - #7 Danbury vs. #2 New Canaan: Second game of a huge week for the Hatters who could potentially looking to snap a losing streak if they fall to Ridgefield on Tuesday. New Canaan moved up to number two this week and will look to earn the top spot in the poll with three games that they should easily win.

Saturday

Game of the Day - #5 Wilton vs. #7 Danbury: All three games for the hatters this week should be paid close attention as the hatters look to prove themselves against three top ranked opponents. As mentioned above, Wilton is back to basketball this week with a grueling schedule. If Wilton can win 2/3 games this week, look for them in the top 3 next poll.

Curious About - #6 Ludlowe vs. #3 St.Joseph: Another big matchup for the Falcons, who could make the jump into the top 5 with a win here. St.Joseph is expected to be one of the final four in the FCIAC playoffs, and this will be an early test of their playoff-preparedness. On their home floor, with a (Small) partisan crowd, look for an upset in Ludlowe's favor.

FSN Girls Basketball Poll (Week 1): RIDGEFIELD is No. 1

Our first FSN FCIAC Girls Basketball poll of the regular season is here! 12 coaches gave their input on who the top 8 teams in the league are after a week and a half of regular season play.

In our preseason poll, Trumbull was a near unanimous pick for number one, receiving all but one first place vote. But after their opening night loss to Ridgefield two weeks ago, the Eagles have now dropped as low as fourth in some submissions and edged Fairfield Ludlowe for the No. 2 spot by only two points.

As many predicted, Ridgefield took over the top spot this week after starting their season with a victory over then No. 1 Trumbull and also earning wins over Westhill and No. 6 Stamford. The 3-0 tigers face No. 6 Danbury as well as Wilton and Bridgeport Central this week. 

While the top three teams remained the same, a few teams gained ground in the polls after a week of regular season action, most notably new No. 4 Staples who also received a top 10 ranking in the state poll early last week. The wreckers started the season ranked 7th after losing a key group of seniors from last year's 18-2 team, but a 4-0 start has earned them both league and statewide recognition. They'll put that undefeated mark to the test three times this week facing two top three opponents (Fairfield Ludlowe on Tuesday, Trumbull on Thursday) and Norwalk.

Finally, two new teams received votes for this weeks poll, New Canaan and Westhill. The rams were able to win 2 of their first 4 and are expected to pick up two more wins this week against Brien McMahon and Darien while the Vikings put up tough competition despite facing three top 10 teams in their first four games.

Week 2 Preview

Tuesday

Game of the Day - #3 Ludlowe vs. #4 Staples: The Falcons rolled past Danbury and Fairfield Warde last week after a tough loss to #2 Trumbull in week one. The Wreckers started the season ranked 7th, but jumped up three places in the polls after four games in the regular season. A Falcon win would give Ludlowe even more legitimacy within the top three teams in the league while a Wrecker victory would give them momentum heading into their clash with #2 Trumbull on Thursday.

Curious About - #6 Danbury vs. #1 Ridgefield: Ridgefield has quickly become the favorite to win the FCIAC, moving into the top spot in the polls for the first time this season. Danbury was #4 in the pre-season poll, but losses to Staples and Ludlowe have some re-thinking the Hatter's ability to compete with top teams in the league. A Hatter win would be a huge upset and could give Danbury some legitimacy within the league.

Thursday

Game of the Day - #4 Staples vs. #2 Trumbull: As mentioned before, this is going to be one of the toughest weeks of the season for Staples, facing off against two of the top three teams in the league over three days. If the Wreckers are able to sweep both Ludlowe and Trumbull, they could potentially see themselves in the top three next week. Trumbull is still reeling from an opening loss to Ridgefield, but should pick up 3 more wins this week with a victory in Westport.

Curious About - #8 New Canaan vs #6 Danbury: Should the Hatters lose on Tuesday, they will be desperate for a win at 1-3 coming into Thursday's matchup at New Canaan. The Rams could push themselves into the conversation with an upset.

Saturday

Game of the Day - #5 St. Joseph vs. #3 Ludlowe: This will likely be the last major test for the Falcons before the playoffs (They will not play a single team ranked inside the top 8 for the rest of the year), so it's important they get a win to remain a top 3 team. St. Joseph has been a surprise contender this year, with their only loss being at the hands of #2 Trumbull. If the Cadets can pull off an upset, they could see themselves in the top three come next week.

Curious About - Westhill vs. #2 Trumbull: Few people expect the Vikings to win this game, but they received votes for eight place this week and they could turn some heads if they can keep it close.

FCIAC Girls Basketball Preseason Poll: TRUMBULL is No. 1

 The first FSN FCIAC Girls Basketball Coaches Poll is here! We polled 12 coaches (Invitations were sent out to all 17 in the league) to get their pre-season predictions for the year.

The result? Trumbull is headed for another champioonship.

All but one coach voted the Eagles as the top team in the league for the 2021 season, with Ludlowe earning one vote for first place.

As expected, the rest of the field is as varied as the teams themselves, likely foreshadowing a tight race for the top 8 seeds this season.

Many have predicted a very balanced and unpredictable league this season, and that seems to be fairly obvious based on our preseason poll.

We plan to do this poll at least twice more during the regular season, and potentially at the end of the season as well, so we can track each team´s progress during the year.

All in all, the goal this year is to have fun above all else. Enjoy the season while it lasts and hopefully we get to see some great competition starting next week.

Team (First Place Votes)	Last Season	Next Week
TRUMBULL (11)	16-4	Tues. vs Ridgefield Fri. @ Ludlowe
FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE (1)	12-8	Tues. vs New Canaan Fri. vs Trumbull
RIDGEFIELD	14-6	Tues. @ Trumbull Fri. vs Westhill
DANBURY	16-4	Fri. @ Staples
ST.JOSEPH	12-8	Tues. @ Norwalk Fri. vs Warde
STAMFORD	15-5	Weds. vs Warde Fri. vs McMahon
STAPLES	18-2	Tues. vs Greenwich Fri. vs Danbury
NORWALK	16-4	Tues. vs St. Joseph Fri. vs Darien

Also Receiving Votes: Darien

Voters: Derek Sellers (Brien McMahon), Lawrence Richardson (Bridgeport Central), Melva Chambers (Darien), Sarah Kinsley (Fairfield Ludlowe), Dave Danko (Warde), Chrys Hernandez (Greenwich), Kim Palmer (New Canaan), Rob Coloney (Ridgefield), Chris Lindwall (St.Joseph), Paco Fabian (Staples), Steve Tobitsch (Trumbull), Fred Francello (Wilton)

FCIAC Boys Basketball Preseason Poll: RIDGEFIELD is No. 1

 The first FSN FCIAC Boys Basketball Coaches Poll is here! We polled 10 coaches (Invitations were sent out to all 17 in the league) to get their pre-season predictions for the year.

The result? The defending champion Ridgefield Tigers are predicted to repeat their FCIAC title again in 2021.

Ridgefield and Fairfield Warde tied, in points, for first place, but the tigers were awarded the top spot after receiving more first place votes than the Mustangs.

The top three teams in the league seem very clear, with only one coach not predicting some combination of Ridgefield, Fairfield Warde and New Canaan in the one, two and three spots.

Staples, Wilton and Trumbull were all consistently predicted to finish in the 4-6 range, coming in just shy of the top 3.

The last three spots (6,7 and 8 seeds) seem to be more mixed, although St. Joseph appears in nearly every poll as either a 7 or 8 seed, and it seems that even though all 17 teams qualify for the playoffs this year, we may see a race for those last three seeds in the top 8 since only the top 8 will host playoff games in the first round (The 16 seed will host the 17 seed in a play in game to reach the Round of 16).

We plan to do this poll at least twice more during the regular season, and potentially at the end of the season as well, so we can track each team´s progress during the year.

All in all, the goal this year is to have fun above all else. Enjoy the season while it lasts and hopefully we get to see some great competition starting next week.

Team (First Place Votes)	Last Season	Next Week
RIDGEFIELD (6)	14-1	Tues. vs Trumbull Fri. @ Westhill
FAIRFIELD WARDE (3)	13-3	Fri. vs St. Joseph Sat. vs Stamford
NEW CANAAN (1)	9-7	Tues. vs Ludlowe Fri. vs Greenwich
TRUMBULL	9-7	Tues. @ Ridgefield Fri. vs Ludlowe
WILTON	10-6	Fri. vs McMahon
STAPLES	10-6	Tues. @ Greenwich Fri. @ Danbury
WESTHILL	8-12	Fri. vs Ridgefield
FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE	12-4	Tues. @ New Canaan Fri. @ Trumbull

Voters: Charoy Bentley (Darien), John Dailey (Fairfield Ludlowe), Ryan Swaller (Fairfield Warde), Danny Melzer (New Canaan), Colin Devine (Staples), Buddy Bray (Trumbull), Joel Geriak (Wilton), Matt Whelan (Norwalk), Kevin Wielk (St.Joseph)