Regional Previews

Next week, the 16 regional tournaments get underway to determine who goes to the State Tournament in boys' basketball. Here is the draw for the First Region (all games at Murray State):

Fulton City (16-12) v. Lone Oak (14-17)
Marshall Co. (28-2) v. Graves Co. (19-13)
St. Mary (20-10) v. Carlisle Co. (14-14)
Paducah Tilghman (16-13) v. Calloway Co. (11-19)

Of course, anything can happen, and all that, but it would be a stunning upset if Marshall County doesn't win the First Region. On the other hand, Marshall's first game could be its toughest -- Graves County is the only First Region team to beat the Marshals all year, downing them 63-60 on February 3.

Here is the draw for the Second Region (all games at Madisonville-North Hopkins):

Madisonville-North Hopkins (21-8) v. Lyon Co. (15-16)
Webster County (20-10) v. Christian Co. (8-21)
Livingston Central (21-10) v. Henderson Co. (17-14)
Hopkinsville (29-2) v. Caldwell Co. (4-24)

On January 3, Hoptown came to Madisonville and just barely escaped with a 70-68 victory. If those two teams meet again in Madisonville for the regional title, that could be a real thriller.

Now that we've covered the two most important regions, here's what the others look like:

3d Region (at Owensboro Sportscenter):
The two best teams here are supposed to be Ohio County (29-2) and Muhlenberg County (20-10), and their meeting in the 10th district final was spectacular, with Ohio County winning 69-68 in overtime. Also keep an eye on 12th district champ Grayson County (25-6).

4th Region (at W. Kentucky Univ.):
Like almost everything in this part of the state, this will come down to a re-match between Bowling Green (26-6) and Warren Central (23-8). Can the Purples really beat the Dragons in both football and basketball?

5th Region (at Central Hardin):
Should come down to Bardstown (23-9) and John Hardin (19-8).

6th Region (at Bellarmine Univ.):
There are four very strong teams here: Bullitt East (24-4), Moore (27-4), Pleasure Ridge Park (24-6), and Jeffersontown (21-10). Also watch out for Southern (22-9). Should be a fantastic tournament.

7th Region (at Bellarmine Univ.):
Another very strong field. Trinity (28-3) has been number 1 in the state all year, but Ballard (23-8), St. X (21-8), Manual (19-10), and Eastern (17-13) are all highly regarded. Given that the 6th and 7th regions will meet in the first round of the Sweet 16, we have the extraordinary spectacle of all 16 teams in the Louisville area fighting for a single spot in the Elite Eight -- a true example of Kentucky populism at work.

8th Region (at Henry Co.):
Oldham County (26-5) will be the heavy favorite, but keep an eye on Simon Kenton (23-7) and South Oldham (20-9).

9th Region (at N. Kentucky Univ.):
Covington Holy Cross (28-3) has already been eliminated, and Dixie Heights (20-10) lost its district tournament, so this is wide open. I'm keeping an eye on Covington Holmes (23-6), which traditionally has a very strong program.

10th Region (at Montgomery Co.):
Clark County (27-5) crushed Montgomery County (22-10) 55-38 in the 40th District Championship, and Montgomery was supposed to be the second-best team in this region.

11th Region (at E. Kentucky Univ.)
Traditionally one of the strongest regions, this tournament should be very good this year, as Scott Co. (28-4), Madison Central (30-1), and Lexington Catholic (24-7) all have very good teams.

12th Region (at Pulaski Co.):
Should come down to Southwestern (24-8) and East Jessamine (27-4).

13th Region (at The Arena, Corbin):
Middlesboro (18-13) scrambled this region by upsetting Harlan County (27-5) in the 52d District Final. Now Harlan County and Clay County (22-10), the two favorites in the region, will have to play in the regional quarter-finals. (Love the name of Corbin's arena, by the way.)

14th Region (at Knott County Central):
Perry County Central (23-5) was supposed to win this region, but they were eliminated from the whole tournament by tiny Buckhorn in the district semi-finals. The favorite in this region is now Knott County Central (25-5), but everyone will be watching to see if Buckhorn (24-5) can continue their run.

15th Region (at E. Kentucky Expo Center, Pikeville):
For the first time since 2008, Shelby Valley will not win this region. Sheldon Clark (26-6) is the favorite, but keep an eye on Prestonsburg (16-15), which looked very good in its 56-46 victory over Betsy Layne (22-5) in the 58th District Final.

16th Region (at Morehead State Univ.):
Should come down to Rowan County (22-7) and Ashland Blazer (21-11).