High school basketball’s toughest postseason brackets

Video: Previewing CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals
Chino Hills-Mater Dei, Sierra Canyon-Bishop Montgomery make for monster Friday in Southern California.

Over half of the teams in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard are involved in postseason play this week.

While a few nationally-ranked teams will outclass the field in their respective states and classifications en route to a title, others will have to navigate through brackets loaded with potential pitfalls.

Here's a look at five of the toughest postseason brackets in high school basketball this season:

California (CIF) Southern Section Open Divison
Defending champion: Bishop Montgomery (Torrance)
Semifinalists: No. 1 Chino Hills, No. 6 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), No. 16 Bishop Montgomery, Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
Top 100 computer teams already knocked out: No. 9 Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), No. 26 Centennial (Corona), No. 56, No. 74 Roosevelt (Eastvale), No. 91 Damien (La Verne), No. 95 Inglewood, No. 100 Orange Lutheran

How it's going down: Placing weight on quality wins and strength of schedule, the MaxPreps Computer Rankings have Mater Dei — unranked in the Xcellent 25 — at No. 7 nationally. If there is truth to that, this may be one of the most power-packed final fours in high school basketball history. Incredibly, this isn't even the final playoff layer for many of these teams, as the Southern Section qualifiers will join section powers from around California for the state tournament in two weeks.

New Jersey (NJSIAA) Tournament of Champions
Defending champion: Roselle Catholic
2016 contenders: No. 5 St. Anthony (Jersey City), No. 15 Seton Hall Prep (West Orange), Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), Linden, Patrick School (Elizabeth), Roselle Catholic, St. Joseph (Metuchen)

Going all the way in the Garden State: The TOC encompasses six group champions in a power state when it comes to high school basketball. Nationally-ranked St. Anthony and Seton Hall Prep are a combined 49-1 this season. The Patrick School fought its way to the championship game of the prestigious City of Palms Classic in December. Finally, watch out for Roselle Catholic. Head coach Dave Boff has developed an art of scheduling tough, riding out the highs and lows and catching fire down the stretch.

North Carolina (NCISAA) Class 3A
2016 champion: No. 14 Providence Day (Charlotte)
Other participants: Greensboro Day, High Point Christian Academy, Ravenscroft (Raleigh), Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point)

Independent power: NCISAA basketball continued to garner national attention in 2015-16 with Greensboro Day and High Point Christian Academy also breaking into the Xcellent 25. There were at least 15 current or future Division I signees among the four semifinalists last weekend (Providence Day, Greensboro Day, High Point Christian, Ravenscroft). Champ Providence Day should be on its way to New York City for Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals.

Ohio (OHSAA) Division I
Defending champion: Wayne (Huber Heights)
Deep field of legit contenders: Though Wayne is riding a 34-win streak going back to last year's championship run, the number of quality teams with a realistic shot to challenge for the title is what makes this field unique. Top 300 national computer teams Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), La Salle (Cincinnati), Lima Senior (Lima), Lincoln (Gahanna), St. John's Jesuit (Toledo) and Westerville South (Westerville) are all still alive in the proceedings.

Upset city: The Division I bracket has a recent history of being unkind to favorites. The most memorable upset came in 2010 when 23-0 Northland (Columbus) featuring Jared Sullinger, Trey Burke and J.D. Weatherspoon fell by 26 points to aforementioned Gahanna Lincoln in the regional finals. Texas (UIL) Class 6A
Defending champion: Plano West
Xcellent 25 participants: No. 4 Atascocita (Humble), No. 25 DeSoto
Top 100 computer teams in field: No. 16 Shoemaker (Killeen), No. 41 North Crowley (Fort Worth), No. 43 Brandeis (San Antonio), No. 45 Cedar Hill, No. 57 Richardson, No. 68 Tascosa (Amarillo), No. 77 South Grand Prairie, No. 80 Houston Math Science & Tech, No. 81 Plano East, No. 84 Allen, No. 88 Steele (Cibolo)

128-team bonanza: With 13 Top 100-caliber teams vying for one state title, the quality is certainly there in the Texas 6A classification. But it's the sheer size of the tournament that really makes it daunting at 128 teams. That means seven straight wins against playoff-qualified competition to capture the state title. Atascocita will add intrigue to this year's tourney by entering with an unbeaten record and outside shot of winning a national title.