How would a 68-team high school basketball national tournament shape up based on this year's state champions and national rankings? We step into fantasy land to find out.
Could Utah state champ Lone Peak run the table and cut down the nets once again in our 68-team bracket?
Photo by David Argyle
With no movement toward a high school basketball national championship tournament on the horizon, hopes of seeing top prep squads in their own version of March Madness are relegated to fantasy land.
And fantasy land is exactly where we are headed with our look at how a NCAA Tournament-style bracket would shape up based on this year's state champions and national rankings.
Imagine the drama and possibilities:
- Playing in front of nearly 10,000 fans at storied New Castle Fieldhouse in Indiana, unbeaten Wisconsin state champ
Germantown facing off with
Jabari Parker and Illinois 4A champ
Simeon (Chicago) in the Midwest regional final.
- Top overall seed
Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) meeting up with storied
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the West regional final – on Mater Dei's beautiful home court.
- Playing the role of Cinderella as a 13 seed and captivating households around North Carolina,
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point) – led by the tournament's breakout freshman star
Harry Giles – reaches the South regional final to face the Harrison twins and
Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas).
- Looking to build on a legendary run in Pennsylvania,
Chester must face in-state nemesis
Lower Merion (Ardmore) for the third time this season to advance in the East.
Let's make it happen. Cue Gus Johnson ("THIS is March Madness"). We would even settle for the Jennifer Hudson version of "One Shining Moment."
Putting together the 68-team field- Using the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and Freeman Rankings, the highest-ranked champion from all 50 states earns an automatic bid. The private school champions in North Carolina (NCISAA) and Virginia (VISAA), as well as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament champ and District of Columbia State Athletic Association champ also earn an invite, bringing the grand total to 54 automatic bids.
- The 14 highest-ranked teams in the Xcellent 25 and Freeman Rankings not to earn an automatic bid will earn an at-large invite.
- Unlike the NCAA Tournament, invitees will be placed geographically and seeded within their respective regions.
Breaking down the 2013 fieldAUTOMATIC BIDSAlabama: Wenonah (Birmingham) – Class 5A state champion
Alaska: Service (Anchorage) – Projected Class 4A state champion
Arizona: Corona del Sol (Tempe) – Division 1 state champion
Arkansas: North Little Rock – Class 7A state champion
California: Mater Dei (Santa Ana) – Projected Open Division state champion
Colorado: Eaglecrest (Centennial) – Class 5A state champion
Connecticut: Hillhouse (New Haven) – Class LL state champion
Delaware: Howard (Wilmington) – DIAA state champion
District of Columbia: Bishop O'Connell (Arlington) – WCAC champion,
Coolidge (Washington) – DCSAA champion
Florida: Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) – Class 7A state champion
Georgia: Miller Grove (Lithonia) – Class AAAAA state champion
Hawai'i: Kalaheo (Kailua) – Division I state champion
Idaho: Borah (Boise) – Class 5A state champion
Illinois: Simeon (Chicago) – Class 4A state champion
Indiana: Carmel – Projected Class 4A state champion
Iowa: Iowa City West – Class 4A state champion
Kansas: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park) – Class 6A state champion
Kentucky: Madison Central (Richmond) – KHSAA state champion
Louisiana: Scotlandville (Baton Rouge) – Class 5A state champion
Maine: Hampden – Class A state champion
Maryland: Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt) – Class 4A state champion
Massachusetts: Putnam Vo-Tech (Springfield) – Division I state champion
Michigan: Romulus – Projected Class A state champion
Minnesota: DeLaSalle (Minneapolis) – Projected Class AAA state champion
Mississippi: Callaway (Jackson) – Class 5A state champion
Missouri: Rockhurst (Kansas City) – Class 5 state champion
Montana: Hellgate (Missoula) – Class AA state champion
Nebraska: Omaha Central – Class A state champion
Nevada: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) – Division I state champion
New Hampshire: Trinity (Manchester) – Division I state champion
New Jersey: Roselle Catholic – Tournament of Champions winner
New Mexico: Las Cruces – Class 5A state champion
New York: Christ the King (Middle Village) – Projected Class AA state champion
North Carolina: Olympic (Charlotte) – NCHSAA Class 4A state champion,
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point) – NCISAA Class 3A state champion
North Dakota: Shanley (Fargo) – Class A state champion
Ohio: Walnut Hills (Cincinnati) – Projected Division I state champion
Oklahoma: Edmond Memorial – Class 6A state champion
Oregon: West Linn – Class 6A state champion
Pennsylvania: Chester – Projected Class AAAA state champion
Rhode Island: North Smithfield – Division III state champion
South Carolina: Irmo (Columbia) – Class AAAA state champion
South Dakota: Riggs (Pierre) – Class AA state champion
Tennessee: Southwind (Memphis) – Division I AAA state champion
Texas: Fort Bend Travis (Richmond) – Class 5A state champion
Utah: Lone Peak (Highland) – Class 5A state champion
Vermont: Rice Memorial (South Burlington) – Division I state champion
Virginia: Henrico (Richmond) – VHSL Class AAA state champion,
Benedictine (Richmond) – VISAA Division I state champion
Washington: Rainier Beach (Seattle) – Class 3A state champion
West Virginia: Martinsburg – Class AAA state champion
Wisconsin: Germantown – Division 1 state champion
Wyoming: Star Valley (Afton) – Class 3A state champion
AT-LARGEArchbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) – Northern California Open Division regional champion
Christ Presbyterian Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) – Division I AA state champion
DeSoto (Texas) – Freeman Rankings National Top 25
Etiwanda (Calif.) – California Southern Section Division I-AA champion
Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) – Freeman Rankings National Top 25
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.) – Class 4A state champion
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) – Freeman Rankings National Top 25
Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.) – Projected Class AAAA runner-up
Morgan Park (Chicago) – Class 3A state champion
Norcross (Ga.) – Class AAAAAA state champion
Northland (Columbus, Ohio) – Projected Division I runner-up
Pershing (Detroit) – Xcellent 25
South Grand Prairie (Texas) – Freeman Rankings National Top 25
Whitney Young (Chicago) – Freeman Rankings National Top 25
Continue to next page for a look at the Midwest Region bracket{PAGEBREAK}
Midwest Region breakdown: The New Castle Fieldhouse in Indiana can seat nearly 10,000 fans and is believed to be the largest high school gym in the world... The play-in matchup between natural rivals Shanley of North Dakota and Riggs of South Dakota would be a slobberknocker... Romulus is the team no one wants to see in this bracket. The Eagles have won 24 games in a row and were scorching hot down the stretch, including a 93-90 victory over previously unbeaten Pershing (the 13 seed) in the Class A state quarterfinals earlier this week... Four teams in this bracket are unbeaten and four others have just a single loss.
Our pick to win the Midwest: Simeon. Jabari Parker and the Wolverines played their best basketball of the season late and their experience on the big stage would be valuable in this event.
Continue to next page for a look at the West Region bracket{PAGEBREAK}
West Region breakdown: Home to Gary McKnight's Mater Dei Monarchs, the Merulo Athletic Center isn't the biggest (3,000 seats), but it is certainly one of the classiest facilities in America. Perfect setting for a big high school basketball game... The list of teams in this bracket doesn't immediately jump off the page but 13 of the 17 teams are ranked among the top 110 teams in the country, according to the computerized Freeman Rankings... Due to an abundance of at-large teams from Texas, DeSoto got shipped to the West and would be a tough out in this bracket... The selection committee gets bonus points for the intriguing pairing of Colorado 5A champ Eaglecrest and Washington 3A champ Rainier Beach in the first round...
Our pick to win the West: Lone Peak. The Knights cut down the nets as host Mater Dei watches in disbelief after a thrilling regional final game.
Continue to next page for a look at the South Region bracket{PAGEBREAK}
South Region breakdown: If this were soccer, the South would be known as the Group of Death. An incredible 13 teams in this region have appeared in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 this season and seven were still there in the latest update... Home of the White Station Spartans and capable of seating 4,000, the Spartan Palace in Memphis is another high school gym gem and should provide an intimate atmosphere for the South final... Norcross is capable of serving up the upset special as a 14 seed. Thanks to a brutal schedule and a couple key contributors returning to the team late from football, the Blue Devils were just 10-6 on Jan. 11. But Norcross hasn't lost since and dominated Georgia's Class AAAAAA state tournament...
Our pick to win the South: North Little Rock. The talented Charging Wildcats came into things with a chip on their shoulder and after knocking off the Harrison twins and Fort Bend Travis in the second round, move on to beat surprising Southwind in the regional final.
Continue to next page for a look at the East Region bracket{PAGEBREAK}
East Region breakdown: Home of the
greatest buzzer beater in high school basketball history, the Westchester County Center rode that wave of popularity to land the East regional finals... The East is the land of opportunity in this tournament. Ten teams in the region are outside of the national top 100 in the Freeman Rankings. Only Chester is ranked in the top 50... Recently crowned New Jersey champ Roselle Catholic is a big X-factor in this bracket. After an up-and-down January, the talented Lions put it together in the postseason and recorded monster wins over St. Anthony (Jersey City) and St. Joseph (Metuchen)...
Our pick to win the East: Bishop O'Connell. The Knights (30-7) rally around the Junior Etou controversy to silence the critics once again, beating VISAA rival Benedictine in the regional final.
