When breaking down the Central Coast Section boys basketball playoff picture, we have to assume the role of a mindreader. Because the first trigger in the
selection process is the work of the Selection & Seeding Committee, which will determine the eight teams that will participate in the Open Division and
by extension, receive automatic berths into the Northern California Regional Tournament. And the last we checked, Prep2Prep was not invited into that
select group.
The Open Division makes projecting playoff scenarios difficult, because the nine-member seeding committee determines the teams selected for Open Division competition.
The committee may select up to four teams from one league, and up to three teams from any particular enrollment division.
Aside from the Open Division, teams are eligible for the CCS Playoffs by meeting one of the following criteria: Be designated a league champion, be designated
a league automatic qualifier, have a league record of at least .500 or have a non-league record of at least .500.
The Open Division consists of an eight-team bracket while all other divisions will accept the number of teams that qualify. However, only the first 12 teams
receive seeds so for the purposes of our projections, we will only rank those 12 teams.
NOTE: Seeding projections are in parenthesis.
These projections are based on our best available information; if you would like to correct a team's result or would otherwise
like to comment on our seedings, please contact Prep2Prep
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Here is what we have for the final seedings - for the complete breakdown of the basketball bylaws, please click
here (PDF).
OPEN DIVISION:
There are a couple of teams - St. Ignatius and Gunn - that have strong cases to be included in the Open Division field. That is especially true if St. Ignatius
defeats Bellarmine on the final day of the regular season. However, with St. Francis, Serra and Mitty already representing Division II, SI and Gunn will likely
be left out.
As far as the seeding goes, the committee may be swayed by the history of the Open tournament, which suggests that WCAL teams don't lose to non-WCAL teams. However, we feel
Half Moon Bay deserves the No. 2 spot based on its overall body of work.
What's going to be tricky for the committee is seeding the teams fairly while avoiding first-round matchups between league mates. We feel Half Moon Bay should be seeded
ahead of Serra and Palma should be ahead of Bellarmine. This means Mitty would have to be the No. 7 seed, which somehow just doesn't seem right based on the Monarchs'
pedigree.
Santa Cruz got the nod for the No. 8 spot mainly because of the Division II restriction and the fact that the BVAL does not have a dominant team this year.
DIVISION II:
We considered the top four teams together based on their overall results. We feel the committee will give the nod to St. Ignatius based on its affiliation
with the WCAL and overall pedigree. Gunn is another deserving high seed that may get consideration for the Open, but it would be tough to make the case over the
three Division II teams we have projected in the Open field - St. Francis, Serra and Mitty.
Leland has a slightly better resume against common opponents than Los Gatos, so we have the Chargers at No. 3. We have Christopher standing out among the next
clump of teams as the No. 5 seed. But seeds 5-10 are extremely tight and worthy of quite a bit of discussion.
DIVISION III:
Ordinarily, the first-place team in the BVAL-Mount Hamilton - Gunderson - would merit consideration for the Open Division, but we feel the Grizzlies
were too inconsistent, especially in the preseason. Gunderson has a slight advantage over league mate Prospect heading into the final week of the season.
Burlingame has a better record vs. common opponents than Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Panthers feature a signature win over Serra. SHC is the clear choice
among the WCAL teams and we have the Irish No. 4 followed by league mates Riordan and Valley Christian.
At the lower half of the seedings, we gave strong consideration to Mt. Pleasant - particularly for its upset of Gunderson in the preseason - but feel the
Cardinals, as representatives of the BVAL-West Valley Division, will not get the support from the committee for a top 12 seed. The teams seeded No. 7-12
are very tight heading into the homestretch of the regular season.
