What are the odds that the two regions with the two teams with the best boys basketball programs in the state this season, the two teams that have challenged themselves with the state’s toughest schedules, the two teams from the two biggest urban areas — Covington Catholic and Louisville St. Xavier — two private schools from that small minority of Kentucky’s high schools, two all-boys Catholic schools from an even smaller minority in this state, would draw one another in a Wednesday, March 18, first-round game for this year’s Sweet 16.
What are the odds these two regions would “draw” each other out of the 14 other regions/teams that either of them could have “drawn” Tuesday?
No math major here but the odds would seem so long that we’re not going to attempt to calculate them.
But what are the odds that getting rid of one of the two clear favorites to win the Sweet 16 on Day 1 is overwhelmingly popular with the other 14 teams that will be in Lexington and the many of the 260 or so other teams that play basketball in the Commonwealth?
One of these two will be gone, even if both make it here as they’re favored to do. And no one from the other 14 regions will have to play that one. Cool – for the rest of the field, anyway.
But how odd is it that the KHSAA, which seeds nearly every other team sport for postseason play, and seeds basketball for district and regional tournament play, does not do so for the historic – not to mention lucrative – Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena?
How is that possible? Sure, they’d have to wait a bit to see who makes it before seeding them. But that’s it — if you wanted to be fair.
Who wouldn’t want to do that? Who would take the kind of chance that something like this would happen?
The KHSAA, that’s who.
For years now, those of us from the Ninth Region have been unhappy about the way the KHSAA “draw” almost always had the Ninth Region champ playing a Thursday game, when it’s better for the weekend crowd, forcing a Northern Kentucky team that gets all the way to the Saturday championship game to play four games in 48 hours or so. While upper bracket teams – often local teams from Central Kentucky – get some 75 hours to play their four games.
Not exactly fair. More like idiocy.
Just like potentially matching up the top two programs in the state in the Sweet 16’s first round.
Because it sure seems they don’t want them playing one another in the championship game. Or having both around all week.
Can’t have that. Two private, big city, all boys’ schools all week in the Sweet 16. Eeeewwww!
And now they won’t have that.
If only they could bring back Carr Creek and Corinth and legendary Wayland scoring machine King Kelly Coleman.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X @dweber3440.