The boys basketball playoff field is set with 87 teams in six classifications, with seemingly half the field in the Class 2A bracket.
The Class A boys will go right into the quarterfinals round with eight teams, Class 5A and 2A are a tad bloated with 19 teams each, Class 4A has 14 teams, Class 6A has 11 teams and the Class 3A bracket is a perfect 16-team field.
The brackets will be unveiled Monday afternoon. Don’t miss the WPIAL Basketball Playoff Pairings Show on Trib HSSN at 2:10 p.m.
So everybody has an opinion; here is mine. The committee will have its hands full in determining the top of the bracket in half of the six classifications.
Class 6A
First round
No. 1 Upper St. Clair – Bye
No. 9 Norwin at No. 8 Pine-Richland
No. 4 North Hills –Bye
No. 5 Hempfield – Bye
No. 2 New Castle –Bye
No. 10 Fox Chapel at No. 7 Mt. Lebanon
No. 3 Central Catholic – Bye
No. 11 Imani Christian at No. 6 Seneca Valley
Don’s take: There will be great debate as to who is No. 1 in this bracket. No offense to Central Catholic, but the choice came down to the two one-loss teams in New Castle and Upper St. Clair. I only look to the past when trying to break a tie, and the Panthers win that tiebreaker. The last two days of the regular season proved to be a boom for North Hills, which defeated both Pine-Richland and Woodland Hills to grab the No. 4 seed. The Rams, who were in line for No. 4, fall to No. 8 after losses to the Indians and Seneca Valley.
Class 5A
First round
No. 16 McKeesport/Latrobe winner at No. 1 Chartiers Valley
No. 9 Franklin Regional at No. 8 Shaler
No. 13 South Fayette at No. 4 Moon
No. 12 Penn-Trafford at No. 5 Penn Hills
No. 15 Mars/Montour winner at No. 2 Thomas Jefferson
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Peters Township
No. 14 Laurel Highlands/Ringgold winner at No. 3 Lincoln Park
No. 11 Hampton at No. 6 Gateway
Don’s take: Defending district champion Chartiers Valley has been No. 1 all season, so that should remain the case heading into the 5A playoffs. The Colts’ two dance partners in a strong Section 4 should also be in the Top 5. I have Lincoln Park at No. 3 and Moon at No. 4. The other section champs are Thomas Jefferson at No. 2, Penn Hills at No. 5 and Gateway at No. 6. It will be interesting to see how good the depth of both Section 1 and Section 2 is. I like that the committee in recent years has gone with section foes when it comes to preliminary round games, and that’s what I went with for the No. 15 and 16 seeds.
Class 4A
First round
No. 1 Quaker Valley – Bye
No. 9 Burrell at No. 8 Belle Vernon
No. 13 Deer Lakes at No. 4 Derry
No. 12 Greensburg Salem at No. 5 Hopewell
No. 2 North Catholic – Bye
No. 10 Avonworth at No. 7 Elizabeth Forward
No. 14 East Allegheny at No. 3 Knoch
No. 11 Highlands at No. 6 Central Valley
Don’s take: At the top, this class is very similar to Class 6A where there are three teams that could be No. 1. The nod goes to Section 2 outright champion Quaker Valley thanks to a 10-game winning streak. North Catholic won the most recent matchup with Knoch, which is how the committee usually breaks section ties. Congrats to Derry on its first section championship in nearly seven decades. Four of the 14 seeds needed a victory on the last night of section play just to get in. Tough draw for defending champion Belle Vernon after finishing tied for second in Section 3.
Class 3A
First round
No. 16 Waynesburg Central at No. 1 Mohawk
No. 9 Riverside at No. 8 Charleroi
No. 13 Ligonier Valley at No. 4 South Park
No. 12 Ellwood City at No. 5 Keystone Oaks
No. 15 Sto-Rox at No. 2 Aliquippa
No. 10 Washington at No. 7 Seton LaSalle
No. 14 Shady Side Academy at No. 3 Bishop Canevin
No. 11 South Allegheny at No. 6 Southmoreland
Don’s take: Mohawk made a statement with a win this past week at Aliquippa to nail down the top spot in the classification. The loss didn’t hurt the Quips’ stock much, though, as they sit at No. 2. Kudos to Bishop Canevin for playing a grueling nonsection schedule that others should take note of. Having a dominant record without being challenged out of section should never be rewarded. The highest scoring team in the classification is Section 4-3A runner-up Charleroi, averaging over 67 points per game.
Class 2A
First round
No. 16 West Greene/Beth-Center winner at No. 1 Sewickley Academy
No. 9 Eden Christian Academy at No. 8 Laurel
No. 13 Winchester Thurston at No. 4 Neshannock
No. 12 Fort Cherry at No. 5 Clairton
No. 15 Union/Brentwood winner at No. 2 Jeannette
No. 10 Shenango at No. 7 Chartiers-Houston
No. 14 Greensburg Central Catholic/Springdale winner at No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
No. 11 Bentworth at No. 6 Jefferson-Morgan
Don’s take: Sewickley Academy and Jeannette are a combined 39-1 and should grab the top two seeds. I have the undefeated Panthers earning the top line. It’s not a given that those two teams will meet in the finals, however, with a couple of tough co-champions from Section 4 in OLSH and Neshannock ready to take a run at gold. Clairton jumps ahead of the Section 3 co-champions in Jefferson-Morgan and Chartiers-Houston thanks to a win over Wash High and a near upset of Jeannette this past Friday.
Class A
Quarterfinals
No. 8 Summit Academy vs. No. 1 Neighborhood Academy
No. 5 Aquinas Academy at No. 4 Monessen
No. 7 St. Joseph at No. 2 Nazareth Prep
No. 6 Serra Catholic at No. 3 Avella
Don’s take: Neighborhood Academy is the team to beat as the Bulldogs look to repeat; however, the other seven teams strike a good balance, which should lead to a competitive postseason. Keep an eye on an Avella team that won eight of its last 10 regular season games.