Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16 basketball pairings are set. Which regions have toughest path?
The pairings are set for the boys and girls state basketball tournaments at Rupp Arena next month after the Kentucky High School Athletic Association held its Sweet 16 bracket drawings Monday.
The 63rd Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Sweet 16 tips off Wednesday, March 13 and the 106th UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 begins the following week on March 20. Both the boys and girls tournaments will have their respective semifinals and finals all held on the Saturdays of their event weeks.
Tickets will go on sale soon at KHSAA.org.
How will the pairings play out? Well, since the postseason hasn’t begun and we don’t even know who will win this year’s district titles, much less the regionals, that requires some speculation.
District tournaments begin Feb. 26 with region tournaments to follow beginning March 4.
Here’s a look at how both Sweet 16s might look by plugging in some of the state’s top-ranked teams into the brackets.
Boys tournament scenarios
For the Boys Sweet 16, Central Kentucky’s 11th Region champion will play on the first day of the tournament, March 20, against the winner of the 8th Region in the late slot, 8:30 p.m.
The loaded 11th includes both No. 1 Great Crossing (26-1) and No. 2 Lexington Catholic (24-2) and the defending region champion, No. 21 Frederick Douglass (16-9), according to the latest Dave Cantrall Ratings published by the Herald-Leader. The 11th also has a number of contenders who have appeared in the rankings at various points of the season, including Bryan Station (20-4) and Henry Clay (21-5).
The 8th Region features No. 4 North Oldham (22-3), No. 11 Spencer County (16-8), No. 17 South Oldham (13-10), No. 19 Oldham County (21-6) and defending champion Woodford County (21-5), who cannot be discounted.
The first day will also feature the champion of the 2nd Region squaring off against the 16th Region winner. No. 6 Lyon County (23-3) is the defending 2nd Region champ and features Kentucky signee Travis Perry, the state’s all-time leading boys high school scorer. The 16th Region includes No. 10 Boyd County (22-4) and five-time defending champion Ashland Blazer (17-8), who remains a threat.
The Louisville-centric 6th and 7th regions avoided each other in the first-round draw, but would clash in the second round if they survive their Thursday games in the bottom half of the bracket. No. 7 Evangel Christian (21-5) lurks in the 6th along with No. 15 DeSales (19-8). The 7th has a whopping five ranked teams — No. 3 Trinity (20-5), No. 13 St. Xavier (22-3), No. 14 Male (18-7), No. 17 Manual (21-3) and No. 22 Christian Academy-Louisville (13-11).
If the Cantrall Ratings hold and the top-ranked teams win their respective regions, the Boys’ Sweet 16 could see a final four of No. 1 Great Crossing vs. No. 2 Lyon County and No. 5 Covington Catholic (20-5) vs. No. 3 Trinity. CovCath’s challenge in the 9th Region includes No. 8 Newport (24-3), this year’s All “A” Classic champion.
Girls tournament scenarios
The draw for the Girls’ Sweet 16 offered up a potential state championship-caliber game on the second day of the tournament as the 7th Region, which includes No. 1 Sacred Heart (18-7), the three-time defending state champions, drew the 10th Region, home to No. 2 George Rogers Clark (23-3), in the first round.
Those two powerhouse programs met in the state semifinals last season and in quarterfinals the year before. Their potential rematch will tip off at 6 p.m. on March 14.
That blockbuster pairing was part of a bottom-heavy girls bracket that also includes the 9th Region, home to No. 3 Covington Holy Cross (21-5) and No. 4 Cooper (21-4), the 3rd Region, home to No. 6 Owensboro Catholic (20-4), the 5th Region, home to No. 11 Bethlehem (16-8), and the 15th Region, home to No. 8 Pikeville (20-4).
Central Kentucky’s 11th Region drew the 13th Region for the second year in a row. This year, the game will be again played on the first day of the tournament and could feature a rematch between No. 12 Frederick Douglass (17-8) and No. 16 North Laurel (18-5). The Jaguars topped the Broncos last year.
But Douglass will face a stiff test in the 11th, most notably from No. 7 Franklin County (20-6), a perennial contender. In the 13th, the Jags will have to deal with No. 21 South Laurel (17-10) and No. 23 Corbin (15-8), among others.
For the girls, the Cantrall Ratings forecast a final four of No. 4 Ashland Blazer (20-4) vs. No. 7 Franklin County and No. 1 Sacred Heart vs. No. 3 Covington Holy Cross if those teams survive their regionals.
Girls’ Sweet 16
Games listed in bracket order.
Wednesday, March 13
▪ 4th Region vs. 14th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 1st Region vs. 16th Region, 1:30 p.m.
▪ 6th Region vs. 8th Region, 6 p.m.
▪ 11th Region vs. 13th Region, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 14
▪ 10th Region vs. 7th Region, 6 p.m.
▪ 15th Region vs. 5th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 9th Region vs. 12th Region, 8:30 p.m.
▪ 3rd Region vs. 2nd Region, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, March 15
▪ 4th/14th Region vs. 1st/16th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 6th/8th Region vs. 11th/13th Region, 1:30 p.m.
▪ 10th/7th Region vs. 15th/5th Region, 6 p.m.
▪ 9th/12th Region vs. 3rd/2nd Region, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 16
▪ Semifinals at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
▪ Finals at 7:30 p.m.
Boys’ Sweet 16
Games listed in bracket order.
Wednesday, March 20
▪ 15th Region vs. 14th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 8th Region vs. 11th Region, 8:30 p.m.
▪ 2nd Region vs. 16th Region, 1:30 p.m.
▪ 5th Region vs. 1st Region, 6 p.m.
Thursday, March 21
▪ 13th Region vs. 4th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 9th Region vs. 10th Region, 8:30 p.m.
▪ 12th Region vs. 7th Region, 6 p.m.
▪ 3rd Region vs. 6th Region, 1:30 p.m.
Friday, March 22
▪ 15th/14th Region vs. 8th/11th Region, 11 a.m.
▪ 2nd/16th Region vs. 5th/1st Region, 1:30 p.m.
▪ 13th/4th Region vs. 9th/10th Region, 6 p.m.
▪ 12th/7th Region vs. 3rd/6th Region, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 23
▪ Semifinals at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
▪ Finals at 7:30 p.m.
