It's still a long way to March, but Northern Kentucky's road to a state basketball championship has been charted after the Kentucky High School Athletic Association conducted its random draws for the Sweet 16 brackets Friday afternoon.
In boys basketball, Covington Catholic is the prohibitive favorite in the Ninth Region. CovCath (19-4) is sixth in the state in this week’s Associated Press poll. Its only two in-state losses are to second-ranked Male and fourth-ranked Ashland Blazer. CovCath plays fifth-ranked North Laurel tonight at BB&T Arena.
CovCath is 5-0 against Ninth Region teams, with the closest win by 20 points over Dixie Heights (17-4). CovCath plays at Conner (17-8) Tuesday and does not play other top teams Cooper (19-4), Lloyd (18-5) or reigning state champion Highlands (18-7) during the regular season.
The Ninth Region champ drew the 16th Region in the first round, and the winner faces either the Second Region or the Fifth Region in the quarterfinals.
The leading contender in the 16th is Ashland Blazer, who beat CovCath 71-60 last week.
The Eighth Region champion will play the Third Region champion. Owensboro (17-6) has the best record in the region. The 32nd District teams will face a competitive field in the regionals.
Campbell County (14-10) has won five 10th Region championships under head coach Aric Russell, and has won six in a row as Russell is getting the Camels poised to peak in the postseason once again. George Rogers Clark (24-1), ranked second in the state, is the top favorite in the 10th.
The 10th Region champ will play the 14th, led by Perry County Central.
In girls, reigning Ninth Region champion Dixie Heights (19-6) is part of a deep field that could come out of the region this year.
Notre Dame, 20-3 overall, is ranked fifth in the state. The Pandas are 5-0 against Ninth Region teams but have not yet played Dixie, Conner (20-3) or Ryle (16-6) yet. NDA hosts Ryle on Tuesday.
The Ninth Region champ plays the 15th Region in the first round. Pikeville (24-2), the leading contender in the region, has a 52-27 win over Highlands. The Ninth Region champ couldn’t face a high-ranked team in the state polls until the semifinals.
Reigning 10th Region champion Bishop Brossart (15-9) is the top contender from the 37th District. Any 37th District team will have a tough mountain to climb in George Rogers Clark (22-1), who is ranked second in the state.
The 10th Region champ will start with the 13th Region champ, which is led by North Laurel (18-4).
Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona will also have a tough mountain to climb later this month in sixth-ranked Anderson County. The Eighth Region champ will play the Seventh Region champ, with state title favorite Sacred Heart the likely opponent.
Both tournaments will be held inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, with the 61st installment of the Girls’ Sweet 16® taking place March 9-12 followed by the 104th Boys’ Sweet 16® on March 16-19.
Tickets will be available the week of Feb. 14 on KHSAA.org. Renewal ticket purchasers have already been contacted about continuing to purchase prior held tickets.
Each game of the Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16® will be webcast live at KHSAA.tv for subscribers of the NFHS Network. By purchasing a month-long pass to the NFHS Network, fans can watch all 30 games of the Girls’ and Boys’ Sweet 16® for just $10.99 along with every live and on-demand broadcast by the KHSAA and the more than 45 participating state associations.
Boys' Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 16: 6 vs. 12, 11 a.m.; 3 vs. 8, 1:30 p.m.; 14 vs. 10, 6 p.m.; 13 vs. 15, 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 17: 4 vs. 7, 11 a.m.; 2 vs. 5, 1:30 p.m.; 11 vs. 1, 6 p.m.; 9 vs. 16, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 18: Quarterfinals - 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. (9th Region), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Final, 7 p.m.
Girls' Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 9: 3 vs. 16, 11 a.m.; 5 vs. 6, 1:30 p.m., 1 vs. 12, 6 p.m; 2 vs. 11, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 10: 4 vs. 14, 11 a.m.; 9 vs. 15, 1:30 p.m.; 10 vs. 13, 6 p.m.; 7 vs. 8, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11: Quarterfinals - 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. (9th Region), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Final, 7 p.m.
Boys RPI
First: 1. McCracken County (20-2) .682, 2. Murray (20-4) .643, 3. Marshall County (17-8) .601.
Second: 1. Lyon County (18-5) .617, 2. Hopkinsville (16-4) .602, 3. Madisonville (17-8) .579.
Third: 1. Owensboro (17-6) .596, 2. Ohio County (16-6) .584, 3. Muhlenberg County (12-9) .561.
Fourth: 1. Bowling Green (21-4) .671, 2. Greenwood (21-3) .666, 3. Warren Central (17-4) .653.
Fifth: 1. John Hardin (17-8) .586, 2. LaRue County (19-5) .585, 3. Bardstown (13-9) .550.
Sixth: 1. Pleasure Ridge Park (18-4) .648, 2. Western (20-4) .639, 3. Iroquois (20-3) .637.
Seventh: 1. Male (21-3) .682, 2. Ballard (20-6) .652, 3. Manual (16-4) .624.
Eighth: 1. Collins (18-5) .636, 2. Woodford County (22-5) .628, 3. Oldham County (16-7) .609.
Ninth: 1. Covington Catholic (19-4) .668, 2. Cooper (19-4) .654, 3. Dixie Heights (17-4) .646.
10th: 1. Clark County (24-1) .694, 2. Mason County (19-5) .630, 3. Bracken County (19-6) .586.
11th: 1. Madison Central (17-8) .654, 2. Lexington Catholic (21-5) .637, 3. Great Crossing (21-5) .625.
12th: 1. Pulaski County (23-1) .683, 2. Lincoln County (21-6) .640, 3. Boyle County (17-6) .624.
13th: 1. North Laurel (21-4) .691, 2. Knox Central (21-6) .654, 3. South Laurel (18-6) .650.
14th: 1. Perry County Central (21-4) .661, 2. Breathitt County (21-5) .632, 3. Wolfe County (16-9) .559.
15th: 1. Pikeville (22-1) .741, 2. Paintsville (17-4) .639, 3. Lawrence County (21-5) .632.
16th: 1. Ashland Blazer (18-5) .650, 2. Boyd County (17-4) .649, 3. Bath County (22-2) .642.
Girls RPI
First: 1. McCracken County (23-1) .730, 2. Graves County (19-4) .627, 3. Marshall County (15-5) .621.
Second: 1. Henderson County (16-4) .651, 2. Madisonville (18-5) .627, 3. Webster County (15-8) .607.
Third: 1. Owensboro Catholic (21-7) .668, 2. Breckinridge County (20-4) .634, 3. Meade County (20-6) .632.
Fourth: 1. Bowling Green (21-5) .651, 2. Franklin-Simpson (16-3) .639, 3. Barren County (17-6) .600.
Fifth: 1. Central Hardin (18-4) .631, 2. Bethlehem (15-6) .615, 3. Nelson County (17-8) .574.
Sixth: 1. Bullitt East (23-3) .723, 2. Mercy (!7-6) .674, 3. Whitefield Academy (20-7) .594.
Seventh: 1. Sacred Heart (23-2) .722, 2. Male (16-4) .658, 3. Christian Academy-Louisville (19-7) .654.
Eighth: 1. Anderson County (22-3) .685, 2. Owen County (20-6) .630, 3. Simon Kenton (15-10) .577.
Ninth: 1. Notre Dame (17-3) .706, 2. Conner (20-3) .671, 3. Ryle (16-6) .632.
10th: 1. George Rogers Clark (22-1) .721, 2. Montgomery County (16-9) .609, 3. Bishop Brossart (15-9) .565.
11th: 1. Franklin County (19-5) .651, 2. Berea (20-4) .630, 3. Douglass (18-7) .603.
12th: 1. Danville (21-3) .674, 2. Southwestern (18-6) .644, 3. Pulaski County (19-5) .639.
13th: 1. North Laurel (18-4) .660, 2. Corbin (18-4) .641, 3. Bell County (19-7) .621.
14th: 1. Letcher County Central (19-8) .577, 2. Knott County Central (15-9) .561, 3. Perry County Central (15-11) .544.
15th: 1. Pikeville (24-2) .691, 2. Shelby Valley (20-7) .610, 3. Lawrence County (19-7) .597.
16th: 1. Russell (19-5) .697, 2. Ashland Blazer (15-4) .648, 3. West Carter (18-7) .639.
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