A sneak peak at the state tournaments

The CIAC state tournament pairings are due to come out on Wednesday. Let’s take a brief sneak peak:

East Catholic will be the top seed in Division I, followed by Notre Dame-West Haven. Bassick still had two games left at press time that could impact its seeding — and Sacred Heart as well.

Since there are just 20 teams in this stacked division, the top 12 seeds get byes into the second round on March 6 — and none of them will get to play a home game. All secondround games will be played at neutral sites. One of the notable first-round games on March 4: Hillhouse at Wilbur Cross.

Waterford, last year’s Division III state champion, is now the top seed in Division II and will receive a first-round bye, as will Glastonbury, Wilton and Manchester. Amity, which advanced to the Division II final last season, is the No. 5 seed and will host Kennedy on March 5.

Some dangerous mid-level seeds lurking in this bracket include Stamford (10), Crosby (11) and WCA (13).

Wamogo, one of three remaining undefeated teams, is the top seed in Division III. The Warriors were a Division V finalist last season. Prince Tech and Farmington will be the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively.

The top eight seeds will receive a bye into the second round. Dangerous lower seeds that can make a run are Newtown (11), Stratford (12) and West Haven (13).

Another unbeaten, Cromwell, last year’s Division V state champion, is the top seed in Division IV. Classical Magnet, which has only lost at Wamogo, is the No. 2 seed, followed by Granby and New Canaan, all of who will receive firstround byes.

The top five seeds in Division V — Innovation, Somers, Old Lyme, Nonnewaug and Valley Regional — all receive first-round byes. Morgan, the No. 6 seed, will host HaddamKillingworth in the third matchup of the season between Shoreline Conference rivals.

CIAC COACHES CLINIC AT MOHEGAN

Prior to the CIAC state finals on March 16-17, the CIAC will be holding the Connecticut High School Basketball Coaching Clinic on March 15 at 7 p.m.

The three-hour event will feature presentations from three state collegiate coaches: Sacred Heart University men’s head coach Anthony Latina, Eastern Connecticut State women’s head coach Denise Bierly and Coast Guard Academy men’s head coach Kevin Jaskiewicz. There will also be a question-and-answer session on National Federation High School (NFHS) rules.

Any high school basketball coach can attend the clinic for $15. This also includes a complimentary ticket for all three sessions of the state finals.

For more information, contact FCIAC commissioner Dave Schulz at 203650-5765 or commishfciac@gmail.com.