Good morning,
Shown below are my selections for this weekend’s 2A and 1A regional games, along with some comments. (I'll post 3A and 4A later this week.) Most of the historical info referenced was derived from John Harrell’s great web site.
The numbers in parentheses by each team’s name is how I rank the teams in
each regional, with #1 indicating the team most likely to win, #4 the least likely, etc.
Sectional Prediction Results: Last week I picked only 32 out of 64 sectional winners correctly for 50%. This was my worst year since 2003! For all games played, I selected 263 out of 336 games correctly for 78%.
Have a great day and enjoy the games!
Dan
CLASS 2A
at NORTH JUDSON
(2)Andrean [17-8] over (3)Marquette Catholic [16-8]
(1)Westview [24-5] over (4)Bluffton [9-15]
Westview the winner
*Three solid teams at this site. Westview is the defending champion and certainly deserves to
be the favorite again. They also get a break in the draw by getting to play Bluffton.
Westview defeated Andrean 59-55 in last year's regional final. They could meet again.
Along the same line, Andrean defeated Marquette 79-72 in a the first round game last year.
*Andrean has played a tougher schedule than the rest of the group; Bluffton by far the
weakest.
*Prior Score: Andrean -69, Marquette-65 (Jan.5th).
*Marquette has won 6 games in a row; Andrean 7 of their last 9; and Westview 17 of their
last 18.
*Andrean is playing in their 2nd straight regional and 8th in the last 10 years. Marquette is
playing in their 6th straight regional. Westview was also here last year and has played at
this level in 9 of the last 14 years. Bluffton is playing in a regional for the first time since
2011.
at LAPEL
(1)Frankton [23-3] over (2)Wabash [21-4]
(3)Covington [21-4] over (4)Alexandria [19-7]
Frankton the winner
*The winner of this regional has won the 2A state title in each of the last three years. And
certainly, the Frankton Eagles are in the discussion for a possible title run this year.
However, it won't be easy. The Wabash Apache are making their first regional appearance
since 1967 and should be able to pose a legitimate threat to win this regional themselves.
And Covington is here for a 4th straight time and will be a tough out as well.
*Frankton's schedule has been a little bit tougher than that played by the other schools.
*Prior scores: Frankton-60, at Alexandria-57 (Jan.5th); Frankton--65, Alex-59 (Feb.15th).
*Wabash has won 9 games in a row; Frankton 17 in a row; Covington 12 of their last 13; and
Alex 7 of their last 8.
*Frankton is in a regional for the 3rd time in five years. Alex is appearing for the first time
since 1999.
at GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
(3)Monrovia [19-6] over (4)Northeastern [17-8]
(1)Shenandoah [24-1] over (2)Heritage Christian [19-5]
Shenandoah the winner
*Shenandoah has advanced to this regional in each of the last two years, but has yet to win a
game. I think this will be the year they will rectify that. They'll have a very difficult
opponent to start with in Heritage Christian. And they must guard against a letdown in the
finale.
*HC had played a far tougher schedule than the other teams here. And NE and Shenandoah
have both played relatively weak schedules.
*Prior score: Shenandoah-63, NE-53 (Dec.14th).
*Monrovia has won 8 games in a row; NE 11 of their last 12; Shenandoah 18 in a row; and
HC 8 of their last 10.
*Monrovia is making their first regional appearance since 2000. NE has been here 5 of the
last 6 years; and HC 2 of the last 3 years.
at PAOLI
(2)Linton-Stockton [24-3] over.(3) Paoli [23-3]
(1)Southwestern (Hanover) [25-1] over (4)Tell City [20-5]
Southwestern the winner
*On paper, this looks like one of the better regionals' in the state. All four teams are darn good
and it wouldn't be a big surprise to see any one of them emerge as the winner. Southwestern was
my pre-tourney choice to come out of the south for 2A--so I will stick with them. Tell City got
over a major hurdle in the sectional by defeating Evansville Mater Dei and win their first
sectional since 1993 ! Paoli finally garnered a sectional title as well and they have home floor
advantage at this site. They and Linton are both playing great basketball.
*Tell City has played a somewhat more difficult schedule than the rest of the group.
*Prior Scores: Linton-67, Paoli-62 (Nov.24th); Tell City-62, at Paoli-61 (Dec.15th).
*Linton has won 16 of their last 17 games; Paoli 15 wins in a row; TC 10 of their last 11.
*Linton was a regional participant from 2013-2016. Paoli is playing at this level for the first time
since 2008; Southwestern lost a first round game to Austin in last year's regional.
CLASS 1A
at TRITON
(3)Argos [21-4] over (4)Covenant Christian (DeMotte) [22-4]
(1)Ft.Wayne Blackhawk [24-2] over (2)Gary 21st Century [19-6]
F.W.Blackhawk the winner
*This a nice group of teams for the 1A level. Blackhawk is a big favorite here. They
defeated 21st Century 100-62 in last year's regional. And that was probably a better team
that 21st had last year. The first game should be a good one. But neither team is likely to
give Blackhawk much of a contest in the finale.
*Blackhawk and 21st have played very strong schedules. Argos and CC have played weak
schedules.
*During the year, 21st defeated CC 85-61 in mid-February.
*Blackhawk is playing in their 5th regional in six year; CC their 2nd straight
appearance; 21st' fourth straight regional; and Argos their first since 2005.
*Argos has won 16 of their last 17 games; CC 16 of their last 18; Blackhawk 14 straight;
and 21st 14 of their last 15.
at FRANKFORT
(2)North Vermillion [19-8] over (4)Southern Wells [11-14]
(1)Lafayette Central Catholic [22-4] over (3)Randolph Southern [12-12]
LCC the winner
*LCC is back in regional action for the 18th time in the last 19 years. They are a huge
favorite at this site.
*It is North Vermillion's fourth straight regional appearance and Southern Wells second
straight. Randolph is appearing for the first time since 2001! Congrats to them.
*RS has won 7 of their last 8 games; LCC 18 of their last 20.
*LCC has played an excellent schedule while the other three squads have played weak
schedules.
*During the year, Randolph won at Southern by four points (Feb.22nd).
at MARTINSVILLE
(1)Morristown [22-4] over (4)Greenwood Christian [15-10]
(2)Bloomfield [18-7] over (3)Indianapolis Metropolitan [16-9]
Morristown the winner
*The Yellow Jackets of Morristown are the defending 1A champs and they are on a roll
again. They have won 14 of their last 15 games. They are clear favorites here, but face
three solid contenders that are all very also capable of pulling the upset.
*Bloomfield has won 8 of their last 9 games; Metro 7 of their last 9.
*Metro and GC have played much tougher schedules than Bloomfield and Morristown.
*Morristown is playing in their second straight regional; Bloomfield 3rd in the last 4 years.
Both Metro and GC are regional bound for the first time since 2014.
*During the season, Morristown won at GC 71-61 (Feb.5th).
at LOOGOOTEE
(2)Lanesville [14-11] over (4)West Washington [10-15]
(1)Barr-Reeve [23-2] over (3)Evansville Day [11-11]
Barr-Reeve the winner
*BR is a huge favorite here. The rest of the squads were somewhat surprise winners of their
respective sectionals.
*BR has won 14 games in a row. Lanesville started the season by winning 7 of their first 8
games. Then they lost 8 in a row! They have since won 7 of their last 9 games.
*BR and Day have played much tougher schedules than the other two teams.
*BR is in their second straight regional and their 5th in 7 years. WW is in their 3rd in 4
years. Day is making their first appearance since 2012; Lanesville their first since 2014.
Shown below are my selections for this weekend’s 2A and 1A regional games, along with some comments. (I'll post 3A and 4A later this week.) Most of the historical info referenced was derived from John Harrell’s great web site.
The numbers in parentheses by each team’s name is how I rank the teams in
each regional, with #1 indicating the team most likely to win, #4 the least likely, etc.
Sectional Prediction Results: Last week I picked only 32 out of 64 sectional winners correctly for 50%. This was my worst year since 2003! For all games played, I selected 263 out of 336 games correctly for 78%.
Have a great day and enjoy the games!
Dan
CLASS 2A
at NORTH JUDSON
(2)Andrean [17-8] over (3)Marquette Catholic [16-8]
(1)Westview [24-5] over (4)Bluffton [9-15]
Westview the winner
*Three solid teams at this site. Westview is the defending champion and certainly deserves to
be the favorite again. They also get a break in the draw by getting to play Bluffton.
Westview defeated Andrean 59-55 in last year's regional final. They could meet again.
Along the same line, Andrean defeated Marquette 79-72 in a the first round game last year.
*Andrean has played a tougher schedule than the rest of the group; Bluffton by far the
weakest.
*Prior Score: Andrean -69, Marquette-65 (Jan.5th).
*Marquette has won 6 games in a row; Andrean 7 of their last 9; and Westview 17 of their
last 18.
*Andrean is playing in their 2nd straight regional and 8th in the last 10 years. Marquette is
playing in their 6th straight regional. Westview was also here last year and has played at
this level in 9 of the last 14 years. Bluffton is playing in a regional for the first time since
2011.
at LAPEL
(1)Frankton [23-3] over (2)Wabash [21-4]
(3)Covington [21-4] over (4)Alexandria [19-7]
Frankton the winner
*The winner of this regional has won the 2A state title in each of the last three years. And
certainly, the Frankton Eagles are in the discussion for a possible title run this year.
However, it won't be easy. The Wabash Apache are making their first regional appearance
since 1967 and should be able to pose a legitimate threat to win this regional themselves.
And Covington is here for a 4th straight time and will be a tough out as well.
*Frankton's schedule has been a little bit tougher than that played by the other schools.
*Prior scores: Frankton-60, at Alexandria-57 (Jan.5th); Frankton--65, Alex-59 (Feb.15th).
*Wabash has won 9 games in a row; Frankton 17 in a row; Covington 12 of their last 13; and
Alex 7 of their last 8.
*Frankton is in a regional for the 3rd time in five years. Alex is appearing for the first time
since 1999.
at GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
(3)Monrovia [19-6] over (4)Northeastern [17-8]
(1)Shenandoah [24-1] over (2)Heritage Christian [19-5]
Shenandoah the winner
*Shenandoah has advanced to this regional in each of the last two years, but has yet to win a
game. I think this will be the year they will rectify that. They'll have a very difficult
opponent to start with in Heritage Christian. And they must guard against a letdown in the
finale.
*HC had played a far tougher schedule than the other teams here. And NE and Shenandoah
have both played relatively weak schedules.
*Prior score: Shenandoah-63, NE-53 (Dec.14th).
*Monrovia has won 8 games in a row; NE 11 of their last 12; Shenandoah 18 in a row; and
HC 8 of their last 10.
*Monrovia is making their first regional appearance since 2000. NE has been here 5 of the
last 6 years; and HC 2 of the last 3 years.
at PAOLI
(2)Linton-Stockton [24-3] over.(3) Paoli [23-3]
(1)Southwestern (Hanover) [25-1] over (4)Tell City [20-5]
Southwestern the winner
*On paper, this looks like one of the better regionals' in the state. All four teams are darn good
and it wouldn't be a big surprise to see any one of them emerge as the winner. Southwestern was
my pre-tourney choice to come out of the south for 2A--so I will stick with them. Tell City got
over a major hurdle in the sectional by defeating Evansville Mater Dei and win their first
sectional since 1993 ! Paoli finally garnered a sectional title as well and they have home floor
advantage at this site. They and Linton are both playing great basketball.
*Tell City has played a somewhat more difficult schedule than the rest of the group.
*Prior Scores: Linton-67, Paoli-62 (Nov.24th); Tell City-62, at Paoli-61 (Dec.15th).
*Linton has won 16 of their last 17 games; Paoli 15 wins in a row; TC 10 of their last 11.
*Linton was a regional participant from 2013-2016. Paoli is playing at this level for the first time
since 2008; Southwestern lost a first round game to Austin in last year's regional.
CLASS 1A
at TRITON
(3)Argos [21-4] over (4)Covenant Christian (DeMotte) [22-4]
(1)Ft.Wayne Blackhawk [24-2] over (2)Gary 21st Century [19-6]
F.W.Blackhawk the winner
*This a nice group of teams for the 1A level. Blackhawk is a big favorite here. They
defeated 21st Century 100-62 in last year's regional. And that was probably a better team
that 21st had last year. The first game should be a good one. But neither team is likely to
give Blackhawk much of a contest in the finale.
*Blackhawk and 21st have played very strong schedules. Argos and CC have played weak
schedules.
*During the year, 21st defeated CC 85-61 in mid-February.
*Blackhawk is playing in their 5th regional in six year; CC their 2nd straight
appearance; 21st' fourth straight regional; and Argos their first since 2005.
*Argos has won 16 of their last 17 games; CC 16 of their last 18; Blackhawk 14 straight;
and 21st 14 of their last 15.
at FRANKFORT
(2)North Vermillion [19-8] over (4)Southern Wells [11-14]
(1)Lafayette Central Catholic [22-4] over (3)Randolph Southern [12-12]
LCC the winner
*LCC is back in regional action for the 18th time in the last 19 years. They are a huge
favorite at this site.
*It is North Vermillion's fourth straight regional appearance and Southern Wells second
straight. Randolph is appearing for the first time since 2001! Congrats to them.
*RS has won 7 of their last 8 games; LCC 18 of their last 20.
*LCC has played an excellent schedule while the other three squads have played weak
schedules.
*During the year, Randolph won at Southern by four points (Feb.22nd).
at MARTINSVILLE
(1)Morristown [22-4] over (4)Greenwood Christian [15-10]
(2)Bloomfield [18-7] over (3)Indianapolis Metropolitan [16-9]
Morristown the winner
*The Yellow Jackets of Morristown are the defending 1A champs and they are on a roll
again. They have won 14 of their last 15 games. They are clear favorites here, but face
three solid contenders that are all very also capable of pulling the upset.
*Bloomfield has won 8 of their last 9 games; Metro 7 of their last 9.
*Metro and GC have played much tougher schedules than Bloomfield and Morristown.
*Morristown is playing in their second straight regional; Bloomfield 3rd in the last 4 years.
Both Metro and GC are regional bound for the first time since 2014.
*During the season, Morristown won at GC 71-61 (Feb.5th).
at LOOGOOTEE
(2)Lanesville [14-11] over (4)West Washington [10-15]
(1)Barr-Reeve [23-2] over (3)Evansville Day [11-11]
Barr-Reeve the winner
*BR is a huge favorite here. The rest of the squads were somewhat surprise winners of their
respective sectionals.
*BR has won 14 games in a row. Lanesville started the season by winning 7 of their first 8
games. Then they lost 8 in a row! They have since won 7 of their last 9 games.
*BR and Day have played much tougher schedules than the other two teams.
*BR is in their second straight regional and their 5th in 7 years. WW is in their 3rd in 4
years. Day is making their first appearance since 2012; Lanesville their first since 2014.
