Yates enters the MaxMadness field

MaxMadness landscape begins to take shape as top teams earn bids.

Click here to view the current MaxMadness bracket presented by Milk.

They didn't score 100 points and they didn't dominate, but the Yates (Houston, Texas) Lions overcame a fourth quarter deficit to Lancaster to win 92-73 in the 4A title game, securing a perfect 34-0 season and clinching an automatic bid to MaxMadness.

Yates, which is used to ending games before halftime, was tested for the first time in months, but used 37 points and 13 rebounds from senior Brandon Peters to win its 58th consecutive game.

The Lions' margin of victory this season has been a major source of controversy accompanying the team's success.

In January, Yates beat Lee 170-35, sparking a debate about about winning and sportsmanship that gravitated to the national spotlight.

Now, thanks to MaxMadness, the Lions will test their mettle virtually against a pool of 63 top teams around the nation, all vying to survive the bracket to be crowned champion.

Yates projects to be the No. 1 seed in the South region, which also projects to feature state champions Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), Gaffney (Gaffney, S.C.), and Winter Park (Fla.).

Fan voting is set to being April 1 and will determine the MaxMadness champion.

Ames, Milton earn berths

Two teams nationally-ranked for much of the season also earned MaxMadness berths over the weekend after finishing the season as state champs.

In Iowa, Ames showed why many think the Little Cyclones could be the state's best ever, as they downed Southeast Polk 47-37 to complete a 27-0 season and capture a second consecutive 4A title.

Milton enters after claiming the Georgia AAAAA state championship.

Photo by Jim Redman

Doug McDermott had 21 points while future Tar Heel Harrison Barnes netted 19 for Ames, which projects to nab a No. 2 seed in the MaxMadness brackets when Selection Monday rolls around.

In the Peach State, Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) survived a load AAAAA bracket by beating Westlake 56-46 in the title game.

While the Eagles are poised to be successful in the MaxMadness bracket, they should be even stronger next season.

Dai Jon Parker, Julian Royal and Shannon Scott are all juniors. 6-foot-6 swing man Evan Nolte is only a sophomore.

Expect the Eagles to be a lock for a preseason top 10 ranking in 2010.

Peabody (Alexandria, La.), which finished 41-0 and won a 4A state title, is another top team entering the South region.

Rounding out the new additions are Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.), Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.), and Starkville (Miss.). 

West region begins to take shape

As state tournaments wrapped up around the country, the MaxMadness bracket continues to fill up. If early indications are accurate, the West bracket will be quite difficult for any team to navigate through.

Oregon 6A champion Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) tentatively holds a No. 2 seed, while Nevada 4A champion Bishop Gorman projects as a No. 3 seed.

In addition to their impressive resumes on the court, both schools have reputations for strong fan bases that will undoubtedly show their support digitally.

Other new additions to the bracket include New Mexico representative Hope Christian, Squalicum, which captured Washington's 2A title, and Russell, arguably one of Montana's best teams in recent years.

Plenty of parity in the Midwest

The Midwest bracket received plenty of new participants over the weekend, as five state champions became MaxMadness-eligible.

Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) and Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.), currently the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds respectively, would make for quite an opening round match up. The teams finished a combined 52-1 this season, and both were 5A title winners in their states.

Equally dangerous is the No. 5 seed, Omaha Central (Omaha, Neb.). The Eagles have won four of the last five Class A state titles in Nebraska. They feature a nice mix of veteran leadership and young talent in senior guard Deverell Biggs and freshman big man Akoy Agau, who was one block away from a triple double in the state title game.

Rounding out the region's latest entries are Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Conway (Ark.). Douglass, the 4A champion in Oklahoma's underrated basketball scene, finished 29-0. The 7A champs in Arkansas, Conway demonstrated why it is Arkansas' top team by downing Fayetteville 66-56.

Like Jesuit and Bishop Gorman, both schools have a strong following of fans who could stuff the virtual ballots boxes.

Small, private schools dominate East region

The East region welcomed four private schools to the bracket over the weekend.

Massachusetts Division I champion Central Catholic earned a crack at a MaxMadness title by downing St. John's 56-55. Also in the East region is Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, R.I.), who used a last-second 3 pointer by Nick Vachon to hande Central Catholic its only loss of the season. 

Delaware's representative is Sanford, which checks in at No. 14 in the bracket. The team's two best players, Trevor Cooney and Deon Jones, are only juniors, so the Warriors may also make a run in next year's MaxMadness tournament as well.

Completing the current East field is one of Baltimore's top programs, St. Frances Academy. The Panthers knocked off Mount St. Joseph, ending the Gaels' 16-game winning streak en route to an MIAA A title.