CLASS 6A
District Upsets: Not many, but there were a pair that stood out in a major way. In District 4, #3 ranked Mainland fell to #6 Lake Howell in the title game. A couple miles to the south, #2 ranked Evans was taken to the woodshed by #5 Edgewater on Evans’ home court. Over in the Bay area in District 8, top seed Armwood lost to bottom seed Bloomingdale in the opening round. Bloomingdale went on to a runner-up finish, losing to Tampa Gaither and leaving Armwood out of the regional playoffs. In all, thirteen of the sixteen top seeds won their respective district title.
Toughest Region: Region 1 has five of the top ten ranked teams in the classification: Mainland (#2), Lake Howell (#5), Tocoi Creek (#7), Milton (#9) and Buchholz (#10). Oviedo (#11) has an excellent case for being in the top ten.
Best Opening Matchup: Two standout and both are in Region 1. Milton host Buchholz, a #9 vs #10 matchup. It is a long ride to Milton from Gainesville. It is a much shorter ride from Oviedo to Tocoi Creek, just outside of St. Augustine. The #11 Lions from Oviedo take on a 22-4 TC team. We’ll see if Oviedo’s high Strength of Schedule rating helps them in this contest.
Best Chance for an Upset: Not surprisingly, it is Oviedo at Tocoi Creek. Oviedo should have the best player on the floor in 6’1 junior Carter Oden and he’s got a decent cast around him. Also, the Lions have a bit more size to throw at Tocoi Creek.
Our Picks:
Mainland over Forest
Milton over Buchholz
Lake Howell over Nease
Tocoi Creek over Oviedo
Evans over Gaither
Wekiva over Viera
Edgewater over East River
Bartow over Lakeland
Sickles over Sunlake
Charlotte over Wiregrass Ranch
Parrish Community over Palmetto Ridge
East Lake over Land O’Lakes
St. Thomas Aquias over Mater Academy
Coral Springs over Boyd Anderson
Dwyer over South Plantation
Miramar over Fort Lauderdale
CLASS 7A
District Upsets: Only four districts were not claimed by the top seed. In District 2, third seed Sanford Seminole defeated top seed Lake Mary. Seminole was not going to make the regional round unless they won the tournament. In District 8, two seed Palm Beach Central beat neighboring Wellington, the top seed. Both teams were going to make the regional round regardless of the outcome. Over in the Bay area, a pair of two seeds took home district titles. In District 10, Winter Haven upended Newsome while in District 11, Sumner took down Tampa Plant.
Toughest Region: Region 2 stretches from Central Florida to Palm Beach County and seven of the eight teams are ranked #14 or higher. Oak Ridge (#4), Olympia (#5), Dr. Phillips (#10) and Windermere (#12) all come out of the bloodbath that is District 5. Wellington (#13), Jupiter (#9) and Palm Beach Central (#14) comprise a power trio out of Palm Beach County. Region Four in South Florida is close with #1 Columbus, #2 Palmetto, #3 Coral Glades, and #7 Cypress Bay. However, it feels like Columbus is way ahead of its regional opponents while Region 2 feels a bit more open.
Best Opening Matchup: In Region 2, the Jupiter/Wellington matchup is very appealing. Both teams are well-coached and have multiple players that could go off for a big game. Wellington’s Strength of Schedule rating is much higher but it is always tough to play on the road, especially at Jupiter.
Best Chance for an Upset: Olympia, #5, has to go on the road to #14 Palm Beach Central as district tournament winners are guaranteed a home game in the first round of the regionals. So, is it an upset if Olympia wins on the road or if Palm Beach Central knocks off a higher seed at home?
Our Picks:
Winter Park over Sanford Seminole
Lake Brantley over Apopka
Lake Mary over Hagerty
Atlantic Coast over Flagler Palm Coast
Oak Ridge over St. Cloud
Dr, Phillips over Windermere
Palm Beach Central over Olympia
Jupiter over Wellington
Sarasota over Winter Haven
Sumner over Lehigh
Kissimmee Osceola over Sarasota Riverview
Tampa Plant over Ridge Community
Columbus over Doral Academy
Cypress Bay over Western
Palmetto over Coral Gables
Coral Glades over West Broward