Kentucky high school basketball Sweet 16 brackets set for boys and girls state tournaments
Who knows what surprises might be in store between now and mid-March, but Monday’s draw for the Kentucky boys basketball state tournament produced what appears to be a balanced bracket.
Based on the most recent Kentucky High School Media Poll, four of the state’s top five teams could reach the semifinals without having to face each other, as the 11th, Second, Ninth and Seventh regions all drew in different quadrants of the bracket.
The 11th Region features No. 1 Great Crossing and No. 2 Lexington Catholic. No. 3 Newport leads the Ninth Region, No. 4 Trinity tops the Seventh Region and No. 5 Lyon County headlines the Second Region.
The UK Healthcare/KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 is set for March 20-23 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
The Eighth Region, led by Oldham County, North Oldham and Woodford County, drew in the top half of the bracket and will face a tough first-round matchup against the 11th Region winner.
The Sixth and Seventh Region champions drew in the bottom half of the bracket and received relatively favorable draws.
The Sixth Region, led by Evangel Christian, DeSales and Fairdale, will face the Third Region champion in the first round. The Seventh Region, led by Trinity, St. Xavier and Manual, will face the 12th Region winner in the first round.
“Balance” was not the buzzword surrounding the bracket for the Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Girls Sweet 16 set for March 13-16 at Rupp Arena.
The Seventh and 10th regions drew each other in the first round, meaning No. 1 and three-time defending champion Sacred Heart could face No. 3 George Rogers Clark in the opener. Sacred Heart beat GRC 61-49 on Friday.
The bottom half of the bracket also includes champions from the Ninth Region (led by No. 2 Cooper), 15th Region (No. 4 Pikeville) and Third Region (No. 7 Owensboro Catholic).
“We have to win our region first, and it’s one of the toughest in the state,” Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said. “Can’t look ahead, but the bottom bracket is loaded. … If we have the opportunity to four-peat, we will earn it.”
The Sixth Region, led by No. 11 Butler, drew in the top half of the bracket and will face the Eighth Region champion in the first round.
Here are the draws for both tournaments. Games are listed in bracket order. The top three teams from each region, according to the Kentucky High School Basketball Media Polls, are included.
Girls KHSAA Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 13
14th Region (Owsley County, Letcher County Central, Knott County Central) vs. Fourth Region (Franklin-Simpson, Bowling Green, Warren East), 11 a.m.
16th Region (Ashland Blazer, Russell, Boyd County) vs. First Region (McCracken County, Marshall County, Calloway County), 1:30 p.m.
Eighth Region (Anderson County, Grant County, Simon Kenton) vs. Sixth Region (Butler, Whitefield Academy, Mercy), 6 p.m.
13th Region (North Laurel, South Laurel, Corbin) vs. 11th Region (Franklin County, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay), 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 14
Seventh Region (Sacred Heart, Assumption, Central) vs. 10th Region (George Rogers Clark, Montgomery County, Scott), 6 p.m.
15th Region (Pikeville, Johnson Central, Martin County) vs. Fifth Region (North Hardin, Bethlehem, Taylor County), 11 a.m.
12th Region (Pulaski County, Danville Christian, West Jessamine) vs. Ninth Region (Cooper, Covington Holy Cross, Ryle), 8:30 p.m.
Second Region (Henderson County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Christian County) vs. Third Region (Owensboro Catholic, Daviess County, Owensboro), 1:30 p.m.
Friday, March 15
Quarterfinals at 11 a.m., 1:30, 6 and 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 16
Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Final, 7:30 p.m.
Boys KHSAA Sweet 16
Wednesday, March 20
14th Region (Hazard, Knott County Central, Breathitt County) vs. 15th Region (Pikeville, Martin County, Pike County Central), 11 a.m.
11th Region (Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic, Bryan Station) vs. Eighth Region (Oldham County, North Oldham, Woodford County), 8:30 p.m.
Second Region (Lyon County, Henderson County, University Heights) vs. 16th Region (Boyd County, Ashland Blazer, Rowan County), 1:30 p.m.
First Region (Calloway County, Murray, Marshall County) vs. Fifth Region (North Hardin, Adair County, Elizabethtown), 6 p.m.
Thursday, March 21
Fourth Region (Bowling Green, Warren Central, Warren East) vs. 13th Region (Harlan County, Bell County, Whitley County), 11 a.m.
10th Region (George Rogers Clark, Campbell County, Mason County) vs. Ninth Region (Newport, Cooper, Covington Catholic), 8:30 p.m.
Seventh Region (Trinity, St. Xavier, Manual) vs. 12th Region (Danville Christian, Wayne County, Pulaski County), 6 p.m.
Sixth Region (Evangel Christian, DeSales, Fairdale) vs. Third Region (Daviess County, Owensboro Catholic, Butler County), 1:30 p.m.
Friday, March 22
Quarterfinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30, 6 and 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 23
Semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Final, 7:30 p.m.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet16 draw: Kentucky high school basketball tournament bracket
