Upset Alert! 13 Regional Quarterfinals That Could End in Upsets
So the regional pairings are set and two games have already been played. Which district champions could be upset in the regional quarterfinals?
Monday’s Upset Alerts:
- 1st Region: McCracken loses to Graves. This would only be an upset in the sense that a district champion loses to a district runner-up. These two teams split two regular season meetings and whoever wins can win the region and get to Rupp.
- 4th Region: Warren Central loses to Glasgow: Honestly, if Vegas were making a line for this game, Warren Central would be the heavy favorite even though the Scotties are the district champions. Central beat Glasgow by 22 at the start of the season but Glasgow has improved and Nik Sorrell has taken his game up a notch lately.
- 5th Region: Taylor County loses to Central Hardin. These two didn’t play during the regular season but Central has played a MUCH tougher schedule than the Cardinals have. Jacob Hobbs is going to have to play his best game for Central to win.
- 6th Region: Jefferstontown beats Butler. 11 days ago Butler beat J-Town by 1. They have the rematch tonight. I don’t necessarily think J-Town will get the win on the road but they are very talented and will have revenge on their minds.
- 7th Region: Trinity beats Male. The Rocks and Bulldogs split two regular season games when Trinity won by 10 then Male won in triple OT. Again, Trinity would likely be favored by Vegas now that David Johnson is healthier but this game will be a barn burner either way.
- 11th Region: Dunbar beats Frankfort. Dunbar is red hot and have the size to match up with Jon Tillman in the post but Juanya Frank is the X-Factor in this one. It will be interesting to see if anyone can stay in front of him or Dunbar plays zone to try to limit him.
- 11th Region: Madison Central beats Scott County. Another match-up where the road team is the favorite, this will be the last battle between Michael Moreno and Isaiah Cozart. Central almost beat Scott earlier this season and could pull it off this time if the Cardinals play as poorly as they did Friday.
- 13th Region: Middlesboro beats Corbin. Yet another match-up where the district champs would be underdogs, Middlesboro will need to beat Corbin to keep their amazing run going. Corbin still has many members of last year’s region title team on it while Middlesboro is fairly inexperienced in big games.
Tuesday’s Upset Alerts:
- 8th Region: Spencer County beats South Oldham. The Bears actually beat the Dragons in the regular season. If South struggles to make shots and Spencer can shoot it well enough, Coach Jason Burns’ team could be set up for a semifinal match-up later in the week.
- 9th Region: Conner beats Newport. Conner should have beaten Newport in the regular season but gave the game away late. Newport has much more talent but have to move the ball to be their best version of themselves. If Conner makes a bunch of 3s and can control Tahj Harding, they can win.
- 12th Region: Mercer County beats Lincoln County. Lincoln won the two regular season games by a combined 39 points. Mercer will need to get hot and win a low possession game because you know Lincoln will play slow and sit in a 2-3 zone. If Carter Baughman and Kaelin Drakeford can combine for 45+ points, Mercer wins.
- 15th Region: Floyd Central beats Paintsville. File this under “Never Say Never”. Floyd is riding a 3 game winning streak into this game and Brady Conn is playing well at the right time. Nick Keeton will look to neutralize Conn and let the Tiger guards do the scoring and advance to the semifinals.
- 16th Region: West Carter beats Rowan County. Rowan County feasted on a very weak schedule. They beat West Carter 55-53 in the regular season but the post season is a different animal. I could see this game being a close win for West Carter or a Rowan County blowout win.