March Madness: Putting together high school basketball’s field of 68

Video: Chino Hills is must-watch TV
Chino Hills is No. 1 in the rankings and the top overall seed in our field of 68.

High school basketball has its own madness in March, with state tournaments producing upsets and drama at a rate that the college game can only dream of.

But what if high school hoops had a true, national 68-team field patterned after the NCAA Tournament?

Champions and nationally ranked teams from every state in the country battling it out to determine an undisputed high school basketball national champion?



Yes please.

Heck, we would settle for 32, 16 or even eight at this point.

But while we're dreaming, let's go big and plot it out using the 68-team NCAA Tournament model.


- Using the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard and MaxPreps Computer Rankings, the highest ranked champion from all 50 states earns an automatic bid. The private school champions in North Carolina and Virginia, 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 MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and Computer Rankings not to earn an automatic bid will earn an at-large invite.

- Unlike the NCAA Tournament, participants are clustered geographically, then seeded within respective regions.




Automatic Bids

Alabama: Homewood, Class 6A champion

Alaska: Barrow, Projected Class 3A champion

Arizona: Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), Division II champion

Arkansas: Parkview (Little Rock), Class 6A champion

California: Chino Hills, Projected Open Division champion

Colorado: Overland (Aurora), Class 5A champion

Connecticut: Fairfield Prep (Fairfield), Projected Class LL champion

Delaware: Sanford (Hockessin), DIAA champion

District of Columbia (WCAC): St. John's, WCAC tournament champion

District of Columbia (DCSAA): H.D. Woodson, DCSAA champion

Florida: Dillard (Fort Lauderdale), Class 6A champion

Georgia: Westlake (Atlanta), AAAAAA champion

Hawaii: 'Iolani (Honolulu), Division I champion

Idaho: Highland (Pocatello), Class 5A champion

Illinois: Simeon (Chicago), Projected Class 4A champion

Indiana: New Albany, Projected Class 4A champion

Iowa: Valley (West Des Moines), Class 4A champion

Kansas: Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission), 4A Division I champion

Kentucky: Paul Laurence Dunbar (Lexington), Projected KHSAA champion

Louisiana: Natchitoches Central (Natchitoches), Class 5A champion

Maine: Portland, Class AA champion

Maryland: DeMatha (Hyattsville), Private school state champion

Massachusetts: Cambridge Rindge & Latin (Cambridge, Mass.), Projected Division I champion

Michigan: U-D Jesuit (Detroit), Projected Class A champion

Minnesota: Hopkins (Minnetonka), Class AAAA champion

Mississippi: Columbus, Class 6A champion

Missouri: Chaminade (St. Louis), Projected Class 5 champion

Montana: Skyview (Billings), Class AA champion

Nebraska: Omaha South (Omaha), Class A champion

Nevada: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Division I champion

New Hampshire: Portsmouth, Projected Division II champion

New Jersey: St. Anthony (Jersey City), Projected NJSIAA Tournament of Champions winner

New Mexico: Hope Christian (Albuquerque), Class 4A champion

New York: Aquinas Institute (Rochester), Projected Federation AA champion

North Carolina (NCHSAA): Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte), Class 4A champion

North Carolina (NCISAA): Providence Day (Charlotte), Class 3A champion

North Dakota: Minot, Class A champion

Ohio: Lima Senior (Lima), Projected Division I champion

Oklahoma: Putnam City West (Oklahoma City), Class 6A champion

Oregon: West Linn, Class 6A champion

Pennsylvania: Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), Projected Class AAAA champion

Rhode Island: Bishop Hendricken (Warwick), RIH Open champion

South Carolina: Flora (Columbia), Class AAA champion

South Dakota: Sioux Falls Christian (Sioux Falls), Projected Class A champion

Tennessee: Memphis East (Memphis), Projected Class AAA champion

Texas: DeSoto (Texas), Class 6A champion

Utah: Bingham (South Jordan), Class 5A champion

Vermont: Burlington, Division I champion

Virginia (VHSL): Norcom (Portsmouth), Class 3A champion

Virginia (VISAA): Episcopal (Alexandria), Division I champion

Washington: Federal Way, Class 4A champion

West Virginia: Morgantown (W.Va.), Projected Class AAA champion

Wisconsin: Stevens Point, Projected Division 1 champion

Wyoming: Central (Cheyenne), Class 4A champion

At-large bids

Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 2 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Montverde Academy (Fla.), No. 3 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), No. 7 Xcellent 25 national ranking

St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), No. 8 Xcellent 25 national ranking



La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), No. 10 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Greenforest (Decatur, Ga.), No. 11 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Atascocita (Humble, Texas), No. 15 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), No. 18 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.), No. 20 Xcellent 25 national ranking

Lancaster (Texas), No. 22 Xcellent 25 national ranking



Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.), Ranked nationally by multiple media outlets

Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.), Ranked nationally by multiple media outlets

Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.), Ranked nationally by multiple media outlets

Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), Ranked nationally by multiple media outlets

The Brackets