Toughest state titles to win in high school basketball

Talent, health, coaching and luck are all important components for championship teams. But in some states and classifications, it takes even more to go home with the hardware.

That's the case in California, where the introduction of a new Open Division format will make it home to unquestionably the toughest state title to capture in 2013.

The Open Division tournament will include up to eight teams from Northern California and eight teams from Southern California in an effort to pair up the best programs in the state regardless of size.

While section results (in progress) will determine who is in the field, it could include Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly, currently ranked Nos. 6 and 10 nationally, respectively. Mater Dei is the state's defending Division I champ.

Archbishop Mitty, Bullard, Loyola, Salesian, and Sheldon — who have all spent at least a week in the national rankings this season — are also eligible for an Open Division bid.

The wild card is national No. 3 Bishop Montgomery, which doesn't meet the automatic criteria but could opt in.

In addition to California's Open Division, here is a look at nine other state championships that will be hard-earned this season:

Illinois Class 4A
Defending champion: Simeon (Chicago)
Contenders: Benet Academy (Lisle), Edwardsville, Proviso East (Maywood), Simeon, Whitney Young
Why it's tough: Simeon has won the last three Class 4A state titles. Ending that run of success is the goal of every team in the state, with Whitney Young seemingly having the best chance to do so in 2013.

Indiana Class 4A
Defending champion: Carmel
Contenders: Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis), Carmel, Columbus North, Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers), Harrison (Evansville), Indianapolis Cathedral, Lawrence North (Indianapolis), North Central (Indianapolis), Pike (Indianapolis)
Why it's tough: While the Hoosier State has lacked a major national powerhouse in recent years, perhaps no state has a deeper pool of legitimate contenders in a single classification. The tournament does very little to protect the top teams in the regular season with a blind draw determining opening round (sectional) opponents.

Kentucky Sweet 16
Defending champion: Trinity (Louisville)
Contenders: Ballard (Louisville), Bullitt East (Mt. Washington), Henry Clay (Lexington), Holmes (Covington), Madison Central (Richmond), Newport Central Catholic, Scott County (Georgetown), Trinity
Why it's tough: There's only one state champ in Kentucky. All 280 schools affiliated with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association are slotted into a single mega-bracket with the initial goal of making it to Rupp Arena for the state's storied Sweet 16.

Michigan Class A
Defending champion: Saginaw
Contenders: Adams (Rochester), Arthur Hill (Saginaw), Cass Tech (Detroit), East Kentwood, Pershing (Detroit), Romulus, Saginaw
Why it's tough: Detroit's decline hasn't extended to high school basketball, where nationally-ranked Pershing is among the favorites this season. The Class A title generally goes through the Motor City. Seven of the top 10 teams in Michigan Class A are from the Detroit metro area, according the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.

New Jersey Tournament of Champions
Defending champion: St. Anthony (Jersey City)
Contenders: East Brunswick, Hudson Catholic (Jersey City), Roselle Catholic, St. Anthony, St. Joseph (Metuchen), Patrick School (Elizabeth)
Why it's tough: After New Jersey's group champions are crowned, they all come together for a winner-take-all battle royale. The presence of St. Anthony makes a TOC title run a bit of an impossible dream for anyone not named St. Anthony. Under legendary head coach Bob Hurley, the Friars have claimed 12 Tournament of Champions crowns, including the last two.

North Carolina Class 4A
Defending champion: New Hanover (Wilmington)
Contenders: Hough (Cornelius), Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem), Olympic (Charlotte), Southwest Guilford (High Point), Vance (Charlotte), West Charlotte
Why it's tough: Mount Tabor, Olympic and West Charlotte have all been ranked nationally at some point this season. The Tar Heel State is a hotbed for high school hoops and teams are sure to run into talented opponents every night out come state tournament time.

Ohio Division I
Defending champion: Pickerington Central
Contenders: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), Mentor, Northland (Columbus), St. John's Jesuit (Toledo), Walnut Hills (Cincinnati), Westerville North
Why it's tough: The path to a state title in Ohio is a grueling one. Over 200 teams will enter in to the Division I bracket and the winner will have to win eight in a row to emerge as the champ. There's generally a nationally-ranked team or two in the field and this year is no exception with No. 22 Walnut Hills and No. 25 Northland.

Tennessee Class AAA
Defending champion: Memphis East
Contenders: Blackman (Murfreesboro), Brentwood, Ridgeway (Memphis), Southwind (Memphis), White Station (Memphis),
Why it's tough: Winning the Class AAA title in Tennessee is an uphill battle if you aren't a team from Memphis. Powerhouse programs from the city have won the last five state crowns and four of the top six teams in the classification this season are Memphis representatives, according to Freeman Rankings.

Texas Class 5A
Defending champion: Marcus (Flower Mound)
Contenders: Berkner (Richardson), Brandeis (San Antonio), DeSoto, Fort Bend Bush (Richmond), Fort Bend Travis (Richmond), Hebron (Carrollton), Plano East, South Grand Prairie, Westfield (Houston)
Why it's tough: The pool of legitimate contenders probably runs 15 deep and there are 245 schools total in Class 5A. The long regular season (30-plus games) and 128-team state tournament bracket make it a survival of the fittest.