Who will make it to Kentucky’s Boys’ Sweet 16? Here’s who the media picks
The boys high school basketball postseason gets underway Monday. Who will survive to represent their region and their school at the 2025 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16?
The journalists who have been voting in this year’s Kentucky High School Boys Basketball Media Poll have made their picks. Organized by the Courier Journal’s Jason Frakes, these journalists predict every boys region champion even though those tournaments are more than a week away.
The UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 will be held March 26-29.
The media voters are: Steve Springer, Murray Ledger & Times, Edward Marlowe, WKDZ-FM, Mark Mathis, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Micheal Compton, Bowling Green Daily News, Josh Claywell, Bardstown Kentucky Standard/LaRue County Herald News, Demetrius Stanton, DeadStock Visuals, Jason Frakes, The Courier Journal, James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer, Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer, Evan Dennison, LinkNKY.com, Jared Peck, Lexington Herald-Leader, Mike Marsee, Danville freelancer, Les Dixon, 13thRegionMediaNetwork.com, Brendon Miller, Bluegrass Sports Nation, Randy White, Appalachian News-Express, James Collier, WLGC-FM.
Teams are ranked by the number of votes they received to win their respective regions. For teams who didn’t receive the majority of votes, the voters’ names are listed. Herald-Leader high school sports writer Jared Peck picked with the majority unless noted.
Boys’ Sweet 16 picks
Region: Number of votes — Pick (Voters).
1st Region: 11 — Marshall County; 4 — Calloway County (Springer, Claywell, Stanton, Frakes); 1 — Graves County (Marsee).
2nd Region: 13 — Henderson County; 3 — Lyon County (Stanton, Connelly, Miller).
3rd Region: 7 — Daviess County (Springer, Mathis, Compton, Claywell, Stanton, Dennison, Peck); 4 — Grayson County (Marlowe, Dixon, Miller, R. White); 2 — Owensboro Catholic (Frakes, Collier); 2 — Butler County (Connelly, Marsee); 1 — Breckinridge County (Weber).
4th Region: 16 — Warren Central (unanimous).
5th Region: 9 — Adair County; 7 — Green County (Springer, Marlowe, Mathis, Connelly, Miller, R. White, Collier).
6th Region: 12 — Butler; 3 — Jeffersontown (Stanton, Frakes, Peck); 1 — Pleasure Ridge Park (Weber).
7th Region: 16 — St. Xavier (unanimous).
8th Region: 7 — North Oldham (Springer, Marlowe, Mathis, Frakes, Peck, R. White, Collier); 6 — Simon Kenton (Compton, Weber, Connelly, Dennison, Marsee, Dixon); 3 — South Oldham (Claywell, Stanton, Miller).
9th Region: 11 — Cooper; 5 — Covington Catholic (Mathis, Stanton, Dixon, Miller, R. White).
10th Region: 14 — George Rogers Clark; 1 — Montgomery County (Peck); 1 — Campbell County (Marsee).
11th Region: 14 — Great Crossing; 2 — Frederick Douglass (Mathis, Stanton).
12th Region: 13 — Danville Christian; 3 — Mercer County (Marlowe, Dennison, Peck).
13th Region: 8 — Harlan County (Mathis, Compton, Weber, Dennison, Peck, Marsee, Miller, R. White); 5 — South Laurel (Marlowe, Claywell, Stanton, Dixon, Collier); 3 — Bell County (Springer, Frakes, Connelly).
14th Region: 16 — Hazard (unanimous).
15th Region: 9 — Martin County; 5 — Pikeville (Mathis, Stanton, Dixon, Miller, R. White); 2 — Paintsville (Claywell, Marsee).
16th Region: 12 — Ashland Blazer; 4 — Boyd County (Springer, Marlowe, Weber, Collier).
This story was originally published February 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
