Boys, girls Sweet 16 basketball tournaments nearing. Our expert predictions for qualifiers
The picks are in for next month's boys and girls Sweet 16s.
The voters in this season's Kentucky High School Basketball Media Polls — one from each of the state's 16 regions —have made their selections to reach the state tournaments.
Girls regional champions will advance to the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Sweet 16 set for March 12-15, and boys regional winners will advance to the UK Healthcare Sweet 16 slated for March 26-29. Both will be held at the University of Kentucky's Rupp Arena.
Here are the voters: Steve Springer (Murray Ledger & Times), Edward Marlowe (WKDZ-FM), Mark Mathis (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer), Micheal Compton (Bowling Green Daily News), Josh Claywell (Bardstown Kentucky Standard/LaRue County Herald News), Demetrius Stanton, (DeadStock Visuals), Alyx White (Rise Up Sports Media), Jason Frakes (The Courier Journal), James Weber (Cincinnati Enquirer), Brendan Connelly (Cincinnati Enquirer), Evan Dennison (LinkNKY.com), Jared Peck (Lexington Herald-Leader), Mike Marsee (Danville freelancer), Les Dixon (13thRegionMediaNetwork.com), Brendon Miller (Bluegrass Sports Nation), Randy White, (Appalachian News-Express) and James Collier (WLGC-FM).
Teams are ranked by the number of votes they received to win their respective regions. For teams that didn't receive the majority of votes, voters' names are listed.
16 – Graves County (unanimous)
16 – Henderson County (unanimous)
13 – Owensboro Catholic
2 – Breckinridge County (Peck, Marsee)
1 – Meade County (Claywell)
14 – Franklin-Simpson
1 – Barren County (Frakes)
1 – Metcalfe County (Miller)
7 – Taylor County (Mathis, Compton, Claywell, A. White, Connelly, Peck, Dixon)
6 – Bethlehem (Springer, Marlowe, Weber, Miller, R. White, Collier)
3 – Elizabethtown (Frakes, Dennison, Marsee)
16 – Butler (unanimous)
16 – Sacred Heart (unanimous)
16 – Simon Kenton (unanimous)
14 – Cooper
2 – Covington Holy Cross (Springer, Claywell)
16 – George Rogers Clark (unanimous)
13 – Franklin County
2 – Madison Central (Connelly, Miller)
1 – Frederick Douglass (Springer)
12 – Danville Christian
4 – West Jessamine (Springer, Mathis, Compton, Dixon)
11 -– North Laurel
5 – South Laurel (Marlowe, Mathis, Claywell, Connelly, Dennison)
14 – Knott County Central
1 – Hazard (Springer)
1 – Perry County Central (Marsee)
11 – Johnson Central
5 – Pikeville (Springer, A. White, Marsee, Dixon, R. White)
13 – Ashland Blazer
2 – Rowan County (Frakes, Marsee)
1 – Russell (Miller)
11 – Marshall County
4 – Calloway County (Springer, Claywell, Stanton, Frakes)
1 – Graves County (Marsee)
13 – Henderson County
3 – Lyon County (Stanton, Connelly, Miller)
7 – Daviess County (Springer, Mathis, Compton, Claywell, Stanton, Dennison, Peck)
4 – Grayson County (Marlowe, Dixon, Miller, R. White)
2 – Owensboro Catholic (Frakes, Collier)
2 – Butler County (Connelly, Marsee)
1 – Breckinridge County (Weber)
16 – Warren Central (unanimous)
9 – Adair County
7 – Green County (Springer, Marlowe, Mathis, Connelly, Miller, R. White, Collier)
12 – Butler
3 – Jeffersontown (Stanton, Frakes, Peck)
1 – Pleasure Ridge Park (Weber)
16 – St. Xavier (unanimous)
7 – North Oldham (Springer, Marlowe, Mathis, Frakes, Peck, R. White, Collier)
6 – Simon Kenton (Compton, Weber, Connelly, Dennison, Marsee, Dixon)
3 – South Oldham (Claywell, Stanton, Miller)
11 – Cooper
5 – Covington Catholic (Mathis, Stanton, Dixon, Miller, R. White)
14 – George Rogers Clark
1 – Montgomery County (Peck)
1 – Campbell County (Marsee)
14 – Great Crossing
2 – Frederick Douglass (Mathis, Stanton)
13 – Danville Christian
3 – Mercer County (Marlowe, Dennison, Peck)
8 – Harlan County (Mathis, Compton, Weber, Dennison, Peck, Marsee, Miller, R. White)
5 – South Laurel (Marlowe, Claywell, Stanton, Dixon, Collier)
3 – Bell County (Springer, Frakes, Connelly)
16 – Hazard (unanimous)
9 – Martin County
5 – Pikeville (Mathis, Stanton, Dixon, Miller, R. White)
2 – Paintsville (Claywell, Marsee)
12 – Ashland Blazer
4 – Boyd County (Springer, Marlowe, Weber, Collier)
More high school basketball: Kentucky's Mr. and Miss Basketball award finalists named, including four from Louisville
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA Sweet 16: Media picks for state tournament qualifiers
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