Things to Watch in IHSAA Sectional Draw

One of the biggest days in the IHSAA Basketball season is here tomorrow, and every person across the state is waiting to see the fate of their team. Every single team makes the draw, and with a no-seeding, blind draw, there are always people who complain about the matchups early on in the Sectional that could result in a "worse" Sectional finals game. The Selection Show begins at 5:00 pm ET on Sunday, February 20, and it can be seen live <a href="https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=344511">HERE</a>. Now, let’s take a look at a few of the numerous storylines to watch during the Sectional Draw.   HIGH-POWERED SECTIONALS <ul> <li>Sectional 8 - Noblesville</li> </ul> Sectional 8 features five teams with winning records and each of these teams have at least one player with Division one offers. #2 Fishers is led by [player_tooltip player_id="769666" first="Jeffrey" last="Simmons"] (Miami-OH Football) and [player_tooltip player_id="1297052" first="Jalen" last="Haralson"] who has three Big 10 offers as a freshman. #3 Carmel is led by their three Division one players; [player_tooltip player_id="769678" first="Charlie" last="Williams"] (William & Mary), Pete Suder (Bellarmine), and [player_tooltip player_id="1042491" first="Sam" last="Orme"] (4 D1 offers). This is the matchup everyone is waiting for. However, Westfield can beat anyone with their duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1158186" first="Braden" last="Smith"] (Purdue) and [player_tooltip player_id="870245" first="Cameron" last="Haffner"]. Zionsville is finally back to full strength as they were when they were ranked #1 at the beginning of the season. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"] (Penn State), [player_tooltip player_id="868244" first="Nick" last="Richart"], and [player_tooltip player_id="774740" first="Isaiah" last="Davis"] (Huntington). Noblesville is led by five different players averaging double figures including [player_tooltip player_id="868230" first="Preston" last="Roberts"] who holds a Coastal Carolina offer. The big thing to watch will be if Carmel and Fishers are on the same side of the draw. Also, the byes will be huge in this high-powered Sectional, so the two teams that get the byes will have a major advantage. This will be one of the most competitive Sectional tournaments in the state, and the draw is going to be highly anticipated by everyone. <ul> <li>Sectional 10 - North Central</li> </ul> Sectional 10 is always high-powered and features a ton of top-level talent, and this year is no different. This Sectional is home to three top-10 teams and one more top-15. #5 Indianapolis Tech, #6 Indianapolis Cathedral, #8 North Central, and #14 Lawrence North lead the way. There are also several players with Division one offers including Indianapolis Tech: [player_tooltip player_id="1006434" first="Reggie" last="Bass"], [player_tooltip player_id="769679" first="Matt" last="Spears"], [player_tooltip player_id="643490" first="Rasheed" last="Jones"]; Indianapolis Cathedral: [player_tooltip player_id="870212" first="Tayshawn" last="Comer"] (Eastern Kentucky), [player_tooltip player_id="1063971" first="Jaxon" last="Edwards"] (Murray State), [player_tooltip player_id="868219" first="Xavier" last="Booker"]; North Central: [player_tooltip player_id="868259" first="Joey" last="Brown"]; Lawrence North: [player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] (Indiana); Warren Central: [player_tooltip player_id="769654" first="D’Ante" last="Davis"] (Louisville). With this being a 7-team tournament, the team with the bye will have a major advantage in terms of not having to play these Division one prospects. It will also be interesting to see how many of these four favorites end up on the same side of the Sectional draw. If Tech and Cathedral play in the first round as we saw with Lawrence Central and Lawrence North back in 2020, it may open the door for an upset later on. <ul> <li>Sectional 29 - Connersville</li> </ul> Sectional 29 has been dominated by Greensburg for years, but with the reclassification of Connersville, there is a new sheriff in town. This year, it appeared early on that Connersville was in the driver’s seat, but there are several teams sitting and waiting for their chance. There are really four to five teams with a chance to take home the title. #12 Connersville, #14 Franklin County, and #17 Greensburg are all ranked in 3A, and Lawrenceburg and South Dearborn are each riding in with winning records. Connersville had a big win over Franklin County last night, and they have another big game with Lawrenceburg tonight. With another 7-team Sectional, the bye is huge. The team with a bye will be at a major advantage. Also, the placement of Batesville and Rushville will be huge in determining the result of this Sectional. If four of the five favorites end up on the same side of the draw, you had better believe we will be in for an outstanding Wednesday of basketball. <ul> <li>Sectional 63 - Loogootee</li> </ul> In probably one of the most exciting Sectional tournaments every year, Sectional 63 should not disappoint once again. This Sectional is home to #1 North Daviess, #4 Barr-Reeve, #5 Loogootee, and #12 Orleans. The four games between the top three teams this year have been decided by a combined 12 points. Also, each of these three favorites is led by an absolute stud of a player with [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] for North Daviess, [player_tooltip player_id="958397" first="Hagen" last="Knepp"] for Barr-Reeve, and [player_tooltip player_id="868254" first="Peyton" last="Bledsoe"] for Loogootee. This Sectional draw is huge as Loogootee already has the advantage of being the home team, so if they are able to pick up one of the two byes, they will be in a prime position. Another thing to watch is if there is one of these three teams that end up on the opposite side of the other three. No matter what, we will be in the position for two outstanding games between these three teams. TWO CLEAR FRONT RUNNERS <ul> <li>Sectional 11 - Ben Davis</li> </ul> Sectional 11 features two star-studded teams with #4 Ben Davis and #15 Pike. Ben Davis is led by their inside-outside duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1042497" first="Zane" last="Doughty"] and Karl Windham Jr. Pike is led by their guard duo of [player_tooltip player_id="870226" first="Ryan" last="Conwell"] (South Florida) and [player_tooltip player_id="1049176" first="Devon" last="Woods"]. These two teams are the dominating favorites for this Sectional, and it is the expected Sectional final. Ben Davis won at Pike earlier this year by three points, and then they blew them out on a neutral court. Everyone knows that it is hard to beat a team three times, if we will get this game in the championship as we should or if the blind draw will turn evil in Sectional 11. <ul> <li>Sectional 35 - Westview</li> </ul> Sectional 35 is dominated by 2A #1 Central Noble and 2A #4 Eastside who have combined for a 38-2 record with each of their losses coming to each other. On January 15, Central Noble took an 18 point win on a neutral court in the Northeast Corner Conference Tournament. However, less than a week later, on January 21, Eastside bounced back for an 8 point win on their home floor. Eastside has won each of their games against Sectional opponents by double digits, and Central Noble has won each of their games by more than 22 points. If these two teams end up on the same side of the draw, the Sectional championship game will not be on Saturday. <ul> <li>Sectional 40 - Alexandria</li> </ul> Sectional 40 is led by 2A #2 Monroe Central and 2A #10 Wapahani. Monroe Central is undefeated on the year with wins over the second and third best teams in the Sectional and several wins over the top teams around the state. Wapahani comes in with three wins over Sectional opponents by an average of 27 points per game. These two teams played to a one-point thriller which Monroe Central won on their home floor, so this will be one of the most anticipated Sectional finals matchups as long as the blind draw gods don’t mess things up. <ul> <li>Sectional 41 - Hagerstown</li> </ul> Sectional 41 will have two favorites leading the way with 2A #11 Eastern Hancock and 2A #12 Northeastern. Shenandoah is the only other team in the Sectional that comes in with a winning record, but they suffered a 30 point defeat to Northeastern and a 9 point defeat to Eastern Hancock. Northeastern has won their six games against Sectional opponents by an average of 33 points, and Eastern Hancock has won their six games by an average of 37 points. Eastern Hancock won at home by 4 points over Northeastern back in December. Again, if these two teams are on the same side of the draw, the title game will not be on Saturday night. The other thing to watch is where Shenandoah falls in the draw as they will be the biggest threat to these two favorites.