Predicting the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament. Is this Central's year? Will Nixa repeat?

Wyatt D. Wheeler, Springfield News-Leader

The Blue and Gold Tournament starts next week and we're bringing back our predictions for the holiday classic before it tips off.

Last year, I was 23-7 in my selections and picked five of eight semifinal teams and one champion correctly. In 2021, I was 25-5. Being wrong is a part of the fun and I hope there are a few surprises this year.

Here's how I see the Blue and Gold going down in 2023.

Blue Division first round

First-round games in Hammons Student Center on Dec. 26

  • 9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Lebanon vs. Mountain Grove

  • 11 a.m. — No. 1 Nixa vs. Reeds Spring

  • 12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Fair Grove vs. Aurora

  • 2 p.m. — No. 4 Logan-Rogersville vs. Camdenton

  • 5 p.m. — No. 7 Catholic vs. West Plains

  • 6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Republic vs. Buffalo

  • 8 p.m. — No. 6 Willard vs. Bolivar

  • 9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Hartville vs. Stockton

Chalk: These predictions are as boring as it gets but none of the unseeded teams had winning records entering Monday, while none of the seeded teams had more than two losses except for No. 2 seed Republic — which played a few games without key frontcourt pieces during the football playoffs. It's worth noting that all 16 seeded teams last year advanced to the quarterfinals.

More: 5 big things we're looking for in the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament

Gold Division first round

First-round games in Great Southern Bank Arena on Dec. 26

  • 9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Ash Grove vs. Willow Springs

  • 11 a.m. — No. 1 Central vs. Skyline

  • 12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Greenwood vs. Crane

  • 2 p.m. — No. 4 Sparta vs. Spokane

  • 5 p.m. — No. 7 Branson vs. Ava

  • 6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Ozark vs. Clever

  • 8 p.m. — No. 6 Strafford vs. Mount Vernon

  • 9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Glendale vs. Marshfield

A little more competitive: A few games in here will be worth the price of admission. Willow Springs can knock out Ash Grove but I'm siding with the Pirates because Brady Nicholson will be the best player on the floor. I went with Ava as my upset pick as Branson has struggled in recent games while Ava's played some bigger teams tough. Keep an eye on the nightcap, with Falcons star Amare Witham going up against Blue Jays star Tegen Curley. There's not a better matchup between two players on opening day.

More: Here are the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament boys basketball brackets

Blue Division quarterfinals

  • No. 1 Nixa vs. No. 8 Lebanon

  • No. 4 Logan-Rogersville vs. No. 5 Fair Grove

  • No. 2 Republic vs. No. 7 Catholic

  • No. 3 Hartville vs. No. 6 Willard

Catholic earns an upset: Republic is going to end up being as good as anyone in southwest Missouri before the end of the season. Playing better basketball entering Monday, however, is Jay Osborne's Fightin' Irish who were 6-0 and have been dominant in every game, including a 55-38 win over a good Strafford team. Osborne is still the tournament's all-time winningest coach and there's reason to believe his team is playing as well as anyone early this season.

More: Here is the 2023 Pink and White girls basketball tournament bracket

Gold Division quarterfinals

  • No. 1 Central vs. No. 8 Ash Grove

  • No. 4 Sparta vs. No. 5 Greenwood

  • No. 2 Ozark vs. Ava

  • No. 3 Glendale vs. No. 6 Strafford

Chalk: I know, it's boring. But Central looks like the best team in the area early this season and the experience it and Ozark bring back should avoid any upset bids. Sparta has the best player in the tournament in Jacob Lafferty, who led the Trojans to a runner-up finish last year, but you can't sleep on Collin Clark's ability to lead Greenwood past them. Glendale should be in the process of announcing itself to the area. A semifinal berth for the Falcons should let everyone know how real they are.

Blue Division semifinals

  • No. 1 Nixa vs. No. 4 Logan-Rogersville

  • No. 3 Hartville vs. No. 7 Catholic

Both Eagles teams to the title game: Nixa has a bit more experience than Logan-Rogersville this season, but I think Logan-Rogersville has a shot at winning at least two Blue and Gold titles in the coming years with freshman Chase Branham and what's supposed to be an incredibly talented eighth-grade class behind him. Hartville returns most of its roster from the state semifinals a year ago and is one of the best No. 3 seeds you'll find anywhere — when the Eagles should have been more in the conversation for a top spot.

More: 5 big things we're looking for in the 2023 Pink and White girls' basketball tournament

Gold Division semifinals

  • No. 1 Central vs. No. 4 Sparta

  • No. 2 Ozark vs. No. 3 Glendale

The top two seeds make it: The Bulldogs have so much everywhere that it should be able to get past a Sparta squad aiming to return to the title game and win it this year. Ozark has played a very difficult out-of-area schedule and should be challenged with matchups against Kickapoo and Central this week before the tournament. Its path to a title game isn't the most difficult and Mark Schweitzer's Tigers always seem to play well in the Blue and Gold.

Blue Division championship

  • No. 1 Nixa vs. No. 3 Hartville

Hartville takes the Blue: Both teams have recent Blue and Gold championship experience but I'm going to go with the roster that's the most experienced right now and is going to force everyone to play its way. Hartville was left behind in the semifinals last year after late-game heroics as a part of Republic's run. It will have an opportunity to earn quite a bit of respect if it was to go up against an elite area large-school program like Nixa and give it a run for its money.

Gold Division championship

  • No. 1 Central vs. No. 2 Ozark

Bulldogs claim the Gold title: We're believers in the Central Bulldogs and you should be too. Dominant wins over Staley and Father Tolton show how great these guys can be. Keion Epps, Tyrique Brooks and Devin Sanford are among the many weapons this team has. They can shoot from anywhere, they can get to the basket and they're unselfish. The toughness can't be questioned and I think they're the most athletic team in the area. It should have enough to get past an Ozark team that it will play on Friday before next week's tournament.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 2023 Blue and Gold high school boys basketball tournament predictions

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