Boys basketball regionals will be intriguing
It's hard to believe it has almost been two full years since the last state high school basketball champions were crowned, but here we are.
A year after the boys basketball playoffs were shut down right before the sectional finals due to the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the WIAA has plans to hold the first boys state tournament since the 2019 tournament ended with Brookfield Central hoisting the Division 1 trophy.
The playoff brackets were revealed Sunday for all five divisions, and regional play begins Feb. 16. The state tournament is slated to run March 4-6 across two locations, La Crosse and Oshkosh.
Here are five takeaways from the brackets.
Regionals are competitive
If there was just one takeaway from this year's postseason format, it's this.
In years past, the goal of the playoff process and seeding was to split the top teams up in different regionals so that, say, the two highest-rated teams would not have a chance of meeting until the sectional final. It was because of this that sectionals often featured some of the best matchups of the postseason, state included.
For 2021, the WIAA will limit travel as much as possible in early rounds, lumping teams from the same sectional into smaller regional groupings based solely on location. Add in the fact that there are now over 30 more teams in Division 1 than previously and you wind up with some highly competitive regionals.
Teams that advance to sectionals will be re-seeded, but there will be plenty of top teams that are knocked out before that.
The most apparent example of this is in Sectional 4 in D1, where three of the state's top teams are lumped together: Brookfield Central, Brookfield East and Wauwatosa East. One of the Brookfield teams – both ranked in the top 10 in the state – won't make it out of the regional semifinal.
Other intriguing possible regional games include Cedarburg vs. Nicolet in the semis, with the winner potentially playing Menomonee Falls in the next round; Wisconsin Lutheran vs. Whitefish Bay; Pewaukee vs. East Troy; and St. John's Northwestern vs. Lakeside Lutheran.
Sleeper watch
If you're looking for a team not ranked in the state that could make a run, look no further than Kettle Moraine. The Lasers are the No. 2 seed in a Sectional 3 regional with a semifinal matchup with either Waukesha South or Badger up first. If Kettle Moraine wins that game, it will likely face No. 1 seed Waukesha West.
The Wolverines won both of the matchups between the teams this year, but only by three points the first time and seven the next. The Lasers' combination of size down low and shooters on the perimeter creates a balanced attack that could be a problem.
While the Lasers are 10-5, those five losses have been by an average of just 3.6 points. They are adept at keeping every game against quality competition close, which makes them a dangerous out in single-elimination in a sectional devoid of a dominant team.
A run at a regional title
Kenosha Public Schools teams got a late start to the season and the ones from Racine got an even later start, but one of them will still win a regional title.
One of the regionals in Sectional 4 features teams solely from those districts. Kenosha Indian Trail, at just 5-4, is the No. 1 seed, but don't overlook Kenosha Bradford, the No. 2 seed, which has won four straight and already beaten the Hawks this year.
Taking on the Angels
Can anyone slow down Racine St. Catherine's?
The Angels have held the top spot in the Division 3 rankings all season long and have lost just once since March 2019.
That loss came to Martin Luther just over one week ago, but the Spartans were bumped up to Division 2 when the rearranged divisional assignments came out last month.
Both Lake Country Lutheran and St. John's Northwestern, the next two highest-ranked D3 teams, were moved out of the Angels' sectional, leaving Milwaukee Academy of Science and Oostburg as the toughest competition for St. Catherine's on the road to state.
The Angels will hope to have standout point guard Tyrese Hunter back for the postseason run after he missed the last five games with an injury.
Toughest sectional
We've gone over the toughest regional – the D1 grouping with Wauwatosa East, Brookfield East and Brookfield Central – but which is the toughest overall sectional from which to advance?
That claim may belong to Sectional 4 in D2.
Pewaukee, Wisconsin Lutheran and Whitnall are all dangerous No. 1 seeds that could all have a shot at winning state.
Two-seeds Whitefish Bay and East Troy are also ranked, while Martin Luther is peaking at the right time and has wins over both Racine St. Catherine's and Lake Country Lutheran.