Fans,
Shown below are my 60th annual state tournament predictions. For each class, I’ve
shown my state champion selection, as well as the top five contenders from each of the
two semi-state areas.
CLASS 2A
Class Champion: Fort Wayne Blackhawk
Top 5 Contenders From 1) F.W.Blackhawk; 2) Andrean; 3) Blackford;
the North Semi-State: 4) Central Noble; 5) Marquette Catholic
Top 5 Contenders From 1) Shenandoah; 2) Linton; 3) So.Spencer;
the South Semi-State: 4) Park-Tudor;5) Covenant Christian
SUMMARY:.
The Fort Wayne Blackhawk Braves are my choice to win this year's 2A state title. Big surprise, huh? They are one of most top heavy favorites in recent years. There's not much that needs to be said about them. They have lost only eleven games in the last four years. They easily won the 1A title in 2019. They were big favorites to win the 2A title last year--and are even bigger favorites this year.
Blackhawk shouldn't have any difficulty at the sectional level. In regional play, they would likely meet a good Central Noble or Westview squad in the first round and then perhaps Andrean in the regional final. Good teams all, but not likely to get the job done against Blackhawk.
If they get to the semi-state, they possibly would meet Luke Brown and the Blackford Bruins. That would be quite an attraction. A herculean effort might keep Blackford close, but that's asking a lot out of Brown. In the tournament final, Blackhawk quite possibly would encounter their toughest test--one they've already encountered. That would be the Shenandoah Raiders. Shenandoah took Blackhawk into overtime at this year's Hall-of-Fame Classic. The Raiders are very capable. If Shenandoah doesn't get there, Blackhawk might be facing Linton (the 2019 runner-up), South Spencer, Park-Tudor, or Covenant Christian.
In addition to being an excellent team, Blackhawk's schedule is easily the most difficult of any 2A school.
Here are my predictions for each sectional game in 2A along with a few comments.
*33. at WHITING: Andrean-$35; Marquette Catholic-30; Bowman Academy-25; Illiana-10.
Comments: This is a solid group of teams. Four of the squads have winning records while another, Bowman Academy, plays one of the state's top schedules. During the year, Bowman defeated Andrean by eleven points in early January. Then Marquette dumped Bowman by twenty in mid-January. But then Andrean won by 14 at Marquette in early February. So, hard to predict how this group will fare next week. Here are my picks:
Marquette Catholic over Hammond Noll
Andrean over Bowman Academy; Illiana Christian over Lake Station
Marquette Catholic over Whiting; Andrean over Illiana Christian
Andrean over Marquette Catholic
*34. at NORTH JUDSON: LaVille-35; South Central-30; Boone Grove-25; Westville-10.
Boone Grove over South Bend Career Academy
Westville over North Judson; LaVille over Hebron
South Central over Boone Grove; LaVille over Westville
LaVille over South Central
*35. at WESTVIEW: Central Noble-$40; Westview -35; Churubusco-25.
Comments: This is a strong field. And the three top contenders are all in the same bracket! Defending champ Churubusco, host school Westview, and Central Noble. Busco was somewhat a surprise winner last year. Noble has had a great season. During the year, Busco lost to Noble twice and to Westview. Meanwhile, Noble and Westview split two games. In mid-December, Westview won by six points. Then in mid-January, Noble won by five on a neutral court. This sectional should be a lot of fun for the fans. Here’s the picks:
Eastside over Fairfield
Churubusco over Prairie Heights; Central Noble over Westview
Eastside over Bremen; Central Noble over Churubusco
Central Noble over Eastside
*36. at BLUFFTON: Ft.Wayne Blackhawk-$100
Whitko over Wabash; Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over Bluffton
South Adams over Ft.Wayne Canterbury; Manchester over Adams Central
Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over Whitko; South Adams over Manchester
Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over South Adams
*37. at DELPHI: Cass-$40; Rochester-35; Rensselaer-20; North Newton-5.
Comments: The defending sectional champion Rochester Zebras have had a great
season during '20-21. They've lost only one game. But that one loss was to Lewis
Cass--who the Zebras will likely face in the sectional final. Cass won at Rochester
by 14 points on December 30th. Here are the picks:
Cass over Winamac; North Newton over Delphi
Cass over Rensselaer; Rochester over North Newton
Cass over Rochester
*38. at FOUNTAIN CENTRAL: Rossville-$45; Carroll-40; Clinton Prairie-15
Comments: Great season by Carroll. Their big test will be the defending champion Rossville Hornets. Carroll won by three points over Rossville on Dec.22nd. Rossville has played a much tougher schedule. Here are the picks:
Fountain Central over Seeger; Carroll over Clinton Prairie
Rossville over Fountain Central; Carroll over Western Boone
Rossville over Carroll
*39. at BLACKFORD: Blackford-$55; Madison-Grant-35; Tipton-10.
Comments: Blackford and Madison-Grant are the class of this field. M-G defeated Blackford by four points in late-January. That game was at M-G. This one, if they meet, will be on Blackford's court. I believe that will make a big difference. Here’s the picks:
Sheridan over Eastbrook; Blackford over Madison-Grant
Sheridan over Taylor; Blackford over Tipton
Blackford over Sheridan
*40. at ELWOOD: Winchester-$35; Wapahani-30; Monroe Central-20; Frankton-15.
Comments: This is a real solid group that should produce some really exciting games.
The opener between Wapahani and Winchester might well be the championship game. Wapahani is the defending champ here and is well equipped to repeat. But Winchester has played a tougher
schedule. And don't overlook Lapel and Frankton! Here are the picks:
Winchester over Wapahani
Monroe Central over Frankton; Alexandria over Elwood
Winchester over; Lapel; Monroe Central over Alexandria
Winchester over Monroe Central
*41. at SHENANDOAH: Shenandoah-$70; Eastern Hancock-20; Northeastern-10.
Comments: Three really good teams are entered here, led by defending champ Shenandoah. The Raiders will have to be ready for Northeastern however. They scored only a three point win over NE in mid-December. Eastern Hancock is sitting in a good position by being in the opposite bracket of NE and "Doah." Here are the picks:
Union County over Knightstown; Eastern Hancock over Hagerstown
Northeastern over Centerville; Shenandoah over Cambridge City
Eastern Hancock over Union County; Shenandoah over Northeastern
Shenandoah over Eastern Hancock
*42. at HERITAGE CHRISTIAN: Park-Tudor-$40; Covenant Christian-35; University-25.
Comments. This is one of the strongest 2A sectionals. Three really good squads here and all of them have played strong schedules by 2A standards. During the year, University edged Covenant Christian by three points in early January. Here’s the picks:
University over Heritage Christian; Covenant Christian over Indpls.Scecina
University over Irvington Prep; Park-Tudor over Covenant Christian
Park-Tudor over University
*43. at CLOVERDALE: Parke Heritage-$80; North Putnam-20
Comments: Parke Heritage broke through last year to win this sectional. They are a big favorite to repeat. They are 6-0 against the rest of the field, with their closest margin of victory being 13 points! They didn't get any breaks in the draw, however, in that they'll likely have to play their three strongest competitors. Here’s the picks:
Parke Heritage over Cloverdale
North Putnam over South Putnam; Cascade over Riverton Parke
Parke Heritage over Southmont; North Putnam over Cascade;
Parke Heritage over North Putnam
*44. at MILAN: South Ripley-$65; South Decatur-25; Milan-10.
Comments: South Ripley has had a great season and quite deservedly rates as a solid favorite here. Their second round matchup against defending champ South Decatur will likely be the key game here. SR won at SD by seven points in mid-December. Here are the picks:
South Ripley over North Decatur
Milan over Triton Central; South Ripley over South Decatur
South Ripley over Milan
*45. at SOUTHWESTERN (Hanover): Southwestern-$65; Providence-20; Henryville-15.
Southwestern over Switzerland County; Providence over Austin
Southwestern over Henryville; Providence over Clarksville
Southwestern over Providence
*46. at PAOLI: Perry Central-$60; Paoli-40.
Comments: Perry Central will be seeking their first sectional title since 2014. They and host
Paoli appear to be the class of this field. PC dumped Paoli by 35 points just a few days ago.
Here are the picks:
Perry Central over Eastern (Pekin)
Paoli over Crawford County; Perry Central over Tell City
Perry Central over Paoli
*47.at EASTERN GREENE: Linton-$80; Eastern Greene-20.
Comments: Linton will be going for their third straight sectional crown. They will have to likely get by Eastern Greene. EG is one of the few teams to have beaten the Miners this year--a ten point win in late January on EG's home floor. Here are my picks:
Linton over South Knox
North Knox over Mitchell; Linton over Eastern Greene
Linton over North Knox
*48. at SOUTHRIDGE: So.Spencer-$45; Evans.Mater Dei-35; Southridge-15; Forest Park-5.
Comments: This is an solid group of teams. Only one team with a losing record. However, South Spencer is clearly the favorite. They have beaten all of the other five teams here--all by
double-digits except for Mater Dei. The latter is a likely opponent for SS in the sectional finale.
They've played a better schedule than the rest of the group. And they came within four points
of SS in an early December game. Here are my picks:
Evans.Mater Dei over Southridge; South Spencer over Forest Park
Evans.Mater Dei over North Posey; South Spencer over Tecumseh
South Spencer over Evansville Mater Dei
Shown below are my 60th annual state tournament predictions. For each class, I’ve
shown my state champion selection, as well as the top five contenders from each of the
two semi-state areas.
CLASS 2A
Class Champion: Fort Wayne Blackhawk
Top 5 Contenders From 1) F.W.Blackhawk; 2) Andrean; 3) Blackford;
the North Semi-State: 4) Central Noble; 5) Marquette Catholic
Top 5 Contenders From 1) Shenandoah; 2) Linton; 3) So.Spencer;
the South Semi-State: 4) Park-Tudor;5) Covenant Christian
SUMMARY:.
The Fort Wayne Blackhawk Braves are my choice to win this year's 2A state title. Big surprise, huh? They are one of most top heavy favorites in recent years. There's not much that needs to be said about them. They have lost only eleven games in the last four years. They easily won the 1A title in 2019. They were big favorites to win the 2A title last year--and are even bigger favorites this year.
Blackhawk shouldn't have any difficulty at the sectional level. In regional play, they would likely meet a good Central Noble or Westview squad in the first round and then perhaps Andrean in the regional final. Good teams all, but not likely to get the job done against Blackhawk.
If they get to the semi-state, they possibly would meet Luke Brown and the Blackford Bruins. That would be quite an attraction. A herculean effort might keep Blackford close, but that's asking a lot out of Brown. In the tournament final, Blackhawk quite possibly would encounter their toughest test--one they've already encountered. That would be the Shenandoah Raiders. Shenandoah took Blackhawk into overtime at this year's Hall-of-Fame Classic. The Raiders are very capable. If Shenandoah doesn't get there, Blackhawk might be facing Linton (the 2019 runner-up), South Spencer, Park-Tudor, or Covenant Christian.
In addition to being an excellent team, Blackhawk's schedule is easily the most difficult of any 2A school.
Here are my predictions for each sectional game in 2A along with a few comments.
*33. at WHITING: Andrean-$35; Marquette Catholic-30; Bowman Academy-25; Illiana-10.
Comments: This is a solid group of teams. Four of the squads have winning records while another, Bowman Academy, plays one of the state's top schedules. During the year, Bowman defeated Andrean by eleven points in early January. Then Marquette dumped Bowman by twenty in mid-January. But then Andrean won by 14 at Marquette in early February. So, hard to predict how this group will fare next week. Here are my picks:
Marquette Catholic over Hammond Noll
Andrean over Bowman Academy; Illiana Christian over Lake Station
Marquette Catholic over Whiting; Andrean over Illiana Christian
Andrean over Marquette Catholic
*34. at NORTH JUDSON: LaVille-35; South Central-30; Boone Grove-25; Westville-10.
Boone Grove over South Bend Career Academy
Westville over North Judson; LaVille over Hebron
South Central over Boone Grove; LaVille over Westville
LaVille over South Central
*35. at WESTVIEW: Central Noble-$40; Westview -35; Churubusco-25.
Comments: This is a strong field. And the three top contenders are all in the same bracket! Defending champ Churubusco, host school Westview, and Central Noble. Busco was somewhat a surprise winner last year. Noble has had a great season. During the year, Busco lost to Noble twice and to Westview. Meanwhile, Noble and Westview split two games. In mid-December, Westview won by six points. Then in mid-January, Noble won by five on a neutral court. This sectional should be a lot of fun for the fans. Here’s the picks:
Eastside over Fairfield
Churubusco over Prairie Heights; Central Noble over Westview
Eastside over Bremen; Central Noble over Churubusco
Central Noble over Eastside
*36. at BLUFFTON: Ft.Wayne Blackhawk-$100
Whitko over Wabash; Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over Bluffton
South Adams over Ft.Wayne Canterbury; Manchester over Adams Central
Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over Whitko; South Adams over Manchester
Ft.Wayne Blackhawk over South Adams
*37. at DELPHI: Cass-$40; Rochester-35; Rensselaer-20; North Newton-5.
Comments: The defending sectional champion Rochester Zebras have had a great
season during '20-21. They've lost only one game. But that one loss was to Lewis
Cass--who the Zebras will likely face in the sectional final. Cass won at Rochester
by 14 points on December 30th. Here are the picks:
Cass over Winamac; North Newton over Delphi
Cass over Rensselaer; Rochester over North Newton
Cass over Rochester
*38. at FOUNTAIN CENTRAL: Rossville-$45; Carroll-40; Clinton Prairie-15
Comments: Great season by Carroll. Their big test will be the defending champion Rossville Hornets. Carroll won by three points over Rossville on Dec.22nd. Rossville has played a much tougher schedule. Here are the picks:
Fountain Central over Seeger; Carroll over Clinton Prairie
Rossville over Fountain Central; Carroll over Western Boone
Rossville over Carroll
*39. at BLACKFORD: Blackford-$55; Madison-Grant-35; Tipton-10.
Comments: Blackford and Madison-Grant are the class of this field. M-G defeated Blackford by four points in late-January. That game was at M-G. This one, if they meet, will be on Blackford's court. I believe that will make a big difference. Here’s the picks:
Sheridan over Eastbrook; Blackford over Madison-Grant
Sheridan over Taylor; Blackford over Tipton
Blackford over Sheridan
*40. at ELWOOD: Winchester-$35; Wapahani-30; Monroe Central-20; Frankton-15.
Comments: This is a real solid group that should produce some really exciting games.
The opener between Wapahani and Winchester might well be the championship game. Wapahani is the defending champ here and is well equipped to repeat. But Winchester has played a tougher
schedule. And don't overlook Lapel and Frankton! Here are the picks:
Winchester over Wapahani
Monroe Central over Frankton; Alexandria over Elwood
Winchester over; Lapel; Monroe Central over Alexandria
Winchester over Monroe Central
*41. at SHENANDOAH: Shenandoah-$70; Eastern Hancock-20; Northeastern-10.
Comments: Three really good teams are entered here, led by defending champ Shenandoah. The Raiders will have to be ready for Northeastern however. They scored only a three point win over NE in mid-December. Eastern Hancock is sitting in a good position by being in the opposite bracket of NE and "Doah." Here are the picks:
Union County over Knightstown; Eastern Hancock over Hagerstown
Northeastern over Centerville; Shenandoah over Cambridge City
Eastern Hancock over Union County; Shenandoah over Northeastern
Shenandoah over Eastern Hancock
*42. at HERITAGE CHRISTIAN: Park-Tudor-$40; Covenant Christian-35; University-25.
Comments. This is one of the strongest 2A sectionals. Three really good squads here and all of them have played strong schedules by 2A standards. During the year, University edged Covenant Christian by three points in early January. Here’s the picks:
University over Heritage Christian; Covenant Christian over Indpls.Scecina
University over Irvington Prep; Park-Tudor over Covenant Christian
Park-Tudor over University
*43. at CLOVERDALE: Parke Heritage-$80; North Putnam-20
Comments: Parke Heritage broke through last year to win this sectional. They are a big favorite to repeat. They are 6-0 against the rest of the field, with their closest margin of victory being 13 points! They didn't get any breaks in the draw, however, in that they'll likely have to play their three strongest competitors. Here’s the picks:
Parke Heritage over Cloverdale
North Putnam over South Putnam; Cascade over Riverton Parke
Parke Heritage over Southmont; North Putnam over Cascade;
Parke Heritage over North Putnam
*44. at MILAN: South Ripley-$65; South Decatur-25; Milan-10.
Comments: South Ripley has had a great season and quite deservedly rates as a solid favorite here. Their second round matchup against defending champ South Decatur will likely be the key game here. SR won at SD by seven points in mid-December. Here are the picks:
South Ripley over North Decatur
Milan over Triton Central; South Ripley over South Decatur
South Ripley over Milan
*45. at SOUTHWESTERN (Hanover): Southwestern-$65; Providence-20; Henryville-15.
Southwestern over Switzerland County; Providence over Austin
Southwestern over Henryville; Providence over Clarksville
Southwestern over Providence
*46. at PAOLI: Perry Central-$60; Paoli-40.
Comments: Perry Central will be seeking their first sectional title since 2014. They and host
Paoli appear to be the class of this field. PC dumped Paoli by 35 points just a few days ago.
Here are the picks:
Perry Central over Eastern (Pekin)
Paoli over Crawford County; Perry Central over Tell City
Perry Central over Paoli
*47.at EASTERN GREENE: Linton-$80; Eastern Greene-20.
Comments: Linton will be going for their third straight sectional crown. They will have to likely get by Eastern Greene. EG is one of the few teams to have beaten the Miners this year--a ten point win in late January on EG's home floor. Here are my picks:
Linton over South Knox
North Knox over Mitchell; Linton over Eastern Greene
Linton over North Knox
*48. at SOUTHRIDGE: So.Spencer-$45; Evans.Mater Dei-35; Southridge-15; Forest Park-5.
Comments: This is an solid group of teams. Only one team with a losing record. However, South Spencer is clearly the favorite. They have beaten all of the other five teams here--all by
double-digits except for Mater Dei. The latter is a likely opponent for SS in the sectional finale.
They've played a better schedule than the rest of the group. And they came within four points
of SS in an early December game. Here are my picks:
Evans.Mater Dei over Southridge; South Spencer over Forest Park
Evans.Mater Dei over North Posey; South Spencer over Tecumseh
South Spencer over Evansville Mater Dei
