It all begins tonight.
The AIA Division I boys basketball state playoffs are loaded with contenders, no surefire favorite, and 24 teams vying for one of eight spots at Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena, the site of the 2016 finals. Here are some noteworthy things to watch for as the tournament tips off around the state Thursday:
Opening Round Games to Watch:
No. 9 Chandler versus No. 24 Liberty
The Wolves (13-12) had somewhat of an unbalanced regular season. Seemingly for every moment of progress, they were saddled with a setback. Still, they come into the tournament battled-tested. They played six of the top eight teams at least once in the regular season, including Gilbert, Perry and No. 1 Corona del Sol since Jan. 12. Chandler lost all three games by a combined eight points, and led in the second half of each of them.
Liberty (10-15) and Chandler met in the Wolves’ regular-season finale, and played to a draw in regulation before Chandler prevailed, 94-91, in overtime. The Lions made the postseason as the 24th seed in large part because they won three of their last five games, with one of the losses coming at Chandler in overtime.
Pay attention to N’Keal Harry. The do-it-all senior forward averaged a double-double (21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds) in 21 games and is dynamic enough to carry Chandler into a potential quarterfinal date with Corona del Sol a week from now.
No. 16 Mountain Pointe versus No. 17 Brophy Prep
Arguably the most evenly matched game of the night, Brophy (13-13) and Mountain Pointe (16-10), is full of unknowns. It is the first matchup between them since a 65-62 Brophy win in November, and both teams ended the season on somewhat of a downswing. The Broncos lost by 19 to Basha, who earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament, and Mountain Pointe, after starting the season with wins in seven of its first eight games, lost four out of five down the stretch.
Pay attention to senior guard Malik Simmons, who averaged 17.2 points and 3.0 assists per game. He is coming off a rough outing against Perry, where he finished with just nine points. Simmons has not netted single digit scoring outputs in back-to-back games all season.
No. 1 is Rolling
Corona del Sol closed the season with six wins in a row, including beating Perry and Chandler on the road, closing out Basha with clutch free throws, and knocking off Gilbert in the regular-season finale to lockup the No. 1 seed. Effectively, the Aztecs (14-8) played one of the state’s toughest schedules, as they always do, and seem to be peaking at the perfect time. The most frightening element for their opponents may be that Saben Lee and Alex Barcello are both underclassmen, meaning the best may still be yet to come from the backcourt duo.
What About Us?
While the Aztecs are seeded higher than everyone else, they are not necessarily the prohibitive favorites. Basha, Mesa, Gilbert, Mountain View and Mountain Ridge all lurked near the state’s top spot in the AIA power rankings and spent much of the year beating up on each other. And, of course, there is always the possibility for a Cinderella team to catch fire for three games and reach the Final Four. In that case, it may just be No. 14 Highland, who dipped from a probably top 5 seed early in the year to losing out on a first-round bye after a nearly month-long slump, or No. 10 St. Mary’s, another team with plenty of experience advancing through the state tournament.
