What if the Tournament was Single Class?

<p>It is a debate as old as time. Well, at least as old as 1998. The movie Hoosiers popularized Indiana High School Basketball as a romantic event on the national level. The idea of a small town like Milan (portrayed as Hickory in the movie) could make it to Hinkle Fieldhouse and knock off a school the size of Muncie Central is what has created Hoosier Hysteria for generations to follow. However, at least in the eyes of small people, that died with the creation of class basketball. The IHSAA Tournament is now split up into four classes based on enrollment size. That obviously means there are four state champions.</p> <p>On message boards, Twitter, and any other forum that features Indiana High School Basketball fans, the class basketball debate still rages on to this day. Were the good old days better? Now, a popular opinion is that there actually needs to be a fifth class added creating. Here are Prep Hoops Indiana we thought it would be fun to enter fantasy land for a minute and image what the "Sweet 16" would look like if we reseeded the teams into a single class format.</p> <h2>#1 Cathedral vs. #16 Jac-Cen-Del</h2> <p>Jac-Cen-Del had a terrific season led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="870287" first="Wyatt" last="Day"]. However, their lack of size would likely make things difficult against the Fighting Irish. Cathedral played the best schedule in the state of Indiana this season and still enters Semi-State with a 24-6 record playing their best basketball of the year. [player_tooltip player_id="870212" first="Tayshawn" last="Comer"], [player_tooltip player_id="868219" first="Xavier" last="Booker"], and company are the most talented team and would earn the #1 seed in our eyes despite Chesterton’s undefeated record.</p> <h2>#8 Sullivan vs. #9 Beech Grove</h2> <p>This is a matchup that we actually get to see in real life on Saturday at Washington High School. Sullivan has ridden a historic run of buzzer-beaters from senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="870312" first="Randy" last="Kelley"] to reach the Semi-State. Kelley is averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game for the 25-2 Golden Arrows. For Beech Grove, 6’6" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="868242" first="Anthony" last="Ball"] leads and athletic Hornets roster. This game will feature contrasting styles between two very good teams.</p> <h2>#5 Leo vs. #12 North Daviess</h2> <p>After spending a lot of time this year atop the Class 1A rankings, North Daviess needed some late heroics to survive the Regional semi-finals on Saturday morning. However, [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] and company got it done eventually cutting down the nets at Loogootte. Leo is one of the bigger teams left in the field featuring Indiana Wesleyan recruit [player_tooltip player_id="870232" first="Caedmon" last="Bontrager"] and Rutgers football signee [player_tooltip player_id="870240" first="D.J." last="Allen"]. They will go as far as their front court can take them.</p> <h2>#4 Mishawaka Marian vs. #13 Eastern Hancock</h2> <p>Two teams with really good guard play would matchup in our hypothetical 4 vs. 13 game. Marian features [player_tooltip player_id="1049162" first="Deaglan" last="Sullivan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="769703" first="Richard" last="Brooks"] while the Royals have [player_tooltip player_id="1269995" first="Landon" last="O’Neal"], [player_tooltip player_id="1393268" first="Jacob" last="Spaulding"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1393269" first="Silas" last="Spaulding"]. We could see a lot of points being put on the board in this one.</p> <h2>#6 Kokomo vs. #11 Carroll (Flora)</h2> <p>Carroll (Flora) has a talented, young team but they would struggle guarding 6’10" center [player_tooltip player_id="1363488" first="Flory" last="Bidunga"]. In fairness, everyone in the state has had a hard time guarding the sophomore sensation and that is why Kokomo surprised everyone with a trip to Semi-State. Beating Lafayette Jefferson, Fort Wayne Snider, and then Westfield along the way has really solidified the Wildkats as a force.</p> <h2>#3 Bloomington North vs. #14 Providence</h2> <p>6’7" junior [player_tooltip player_id="868224" first="JaQualon" last="Roberts"] played some of his best basketball in the Regional at Seymour. Providence would be unlikely to be able to match his size and athleticism on the wing though they have plenty of skill that would help to put points on the board. It would likely come down to the superior athleticism of Bloomington North that would allow them to advance.</p> <h2>#2 Chesterton vs. #15 Lafayette Central Catholic</h2> <p>Okay Chesterton fans, I know it doesn’t seem right to have the Trojans as a #2 seed when they are sitting at 28-0. [player_tooltip player_id="870243" first="Travis" last="Grayson"] has emerged as a likely Indiana All-Star selection with an incredible senior season and will look to secure to more wins to finish off a historic season. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="870267" first="Clark" last="Barrett"] leads LCC with 14.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.</p>