IHSAA Releases Sectional Pairings for 2021-22 Boys Basketball State Tournament

Monday, February 21, 2022 at 10:06 AM

Some interesting matchups are on the horizon.

Shutterstock photo.

INDIANAPOLIS - We are a week away from "win or go home" season.

Sectional pairings for the 112th annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament were released on Sunday night.

The state tournament will tip-off on Tuesday, March 1. Sectional play will run through Saturday, March 5, followed by the regional round on Saturday, March 12.

The semi-state will be held the following Saturday, March 19 with winners playing at the state championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, March 26.

In Class 4A, the East Central Trojans (14-6) received a bye to the semifinals of Sectional 14 at Martinsville. They await the winner of Bloomington South (15-7) and Martinsville (7-15).

The Martinsville Sectional features three of the top 35 teams in the state, according to the Sagarin Ratings. Bloomington North is the top-ranked team in the sectional at #17 (18 in the Sagarin). Columbus North checks in at 23rd in the Sagarin, followed by Bloomington South at 35th.

In Class 3A, Connersville will play host to what can be called the "EIAC Sectional". All of the conference teams minus East Central will compete in this seven-team sectional. To date, the EIAC has the highest-combined winning percentage in the state at .721 (80-31 overall).

The host Spartans and defending champions are the top ranked team at #11 in Class 3A, but they will be challenged out of the gate as they will take on #13 Greensburg in the first round. The winner will take on either Franklin County or Batesville. On the top half of the bracket, Lawrenceburg is a win against Rushville away from a third meeting with South Dearborn this season.

Connersville could be considered the clear favorite, ranked as the 22nd best team in the state, according to the Sagarin. They have already defeated every team in the sectional, going 7-0 on their way to their second-consecutive EIAC title. Greensburg is the next highest ranked team in the Sagarin at 73rd overall.

A couple of 2A sectionals will feature teams from Eagle Country. South Ripley will host Sectional 44, drawing South Decatur in the first round.

The Raiders will be tasked with stopping Hunter Johnson, who is one of the top scorers in the state at 32.7 points per game. The other first round game will feature Milan vs. North Decatur. The Indians and Chargers have played some nail-biting sectional games in recent memory.

Sectional 45 at Southwestern (Hanover) will feature the Switzerland County Pacers. They will play Austin in the first round, a team the Pacers defeated by four points in November. The winner will play #16 Providence in the semifinals.

Finally, the Class 1A Sectional at Southwestern (Shelbyville) has three teams from Eagle Country. Rising Sun and Jac-Cen-Del will square off in round one, while Oldenburg Academy has drawn the host school.

Jac-Cen-Del has a strong chance to win the sectional. They have gone 4-0 against sectional opponents this year. Waldron has had great success against sectional opponents as well, going 7-1 during the regular season. Their one loss came against JCD (90-64).

*Records and rankings as of 2/21/22

Class 4A Sectional 14 at Martinsville

G1: Columbus East (7-13) vs. #17 Bloomington North (17-3)

G2: Bloomington South (15-7) vs. Martinsville (7-15)

G3: Columbus North (15-6) vs. Winner Game 1

G4: East Central (14-6) vs. Winner Game 2

Championship: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Class 3A Sectional 29 at Connersville

G1: Rushville (5-15) vs. Lawrenceburg (16-6)

G2: #13 Greensburg (19-4) vs. #11 Connersville (17-6)

G3: Franklin County (16-4) vs. Batesville (9-12)

G4: South Dearborn (13-7) vs. Winner Game 1