Yes, it’s early. But it’s not too early to start tracking potential sectional seeds.
The coaches will submit their seeds next month, so a lot could change between now and then with so much basketball still to be played. But if the sectional seeds were to be awarded today, here’s how the City/Suburban Hoops Report would seed each Class 4A sectional.
Proviso East Sectional
1. Young
2. Curie
3. Kenwood
4. St. Patrick
Quick sectional thought: This is going to be a battle for the top spot right up until the week of seeding between Young and Curie. A Young win over Joliet West next week, though, would go a long way in securing the top seed with Curie having lost to Joliet West. A strong Oak Park is sitting at No. 5 right now and has the potential to move itself up to No. 3 or No. 4.
Waukegan Sectional
1. Evanston
2. Stevenson
3. Notre Dame
4. Waukegan
Quick sectional thought: You could flip the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in this sectional pretty easily but Stevenson has just two losses by a combined six points. Stevenson will play Waukegan next week in a matchup that could shake up the seeding of this sectional.
Elgin Sectional
Sub-Sectional A
1. Jacobs
2. St. Charles North
Sub-Sectional B
1. Rockford Boylan
2. Rockton-Hononegah
Quick sectional thought: Jacobs is unbeaten overall and Boylan is unbeaten in the NIC-10, where the majority of the sub-sectional teams reside. This one is fairly locked in aside from the fact St. Charles East could move its way up to No. 2.
Elk Grove Village Sectional
1. Fremd
2. Conant
3. Prospect
4. Lake Zurich
Quick sectional thought: Prospect and Conant have split this season, with Prospect winning the most recent meeting between the two. Conant has wins over Benet, Brother Rice, Downers South and St. Patrick. But at the end of the day there really isn’t a whole lot of difference between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in this sectional as far as the impact the particular seed has.
Ottawa Sectional
Sub-Sectional A
1. East Moline United Twp.
2. Danville
Sub-Sectional B
1. Edwardsville
2. Belleville Althoff
Quick sectional thought:Danville has been solid while playing a very tough schedule and owns the most impressive win, beating state power Curie. But United Twp. is 17-2 on the season. Edwardsville, which already owns two wins over defending 3A champ Belleville Althoff, has emerged as a legitimate Class 4A state championship threat.
Thornwood Sectional
1. Simeon
2. Marist
3. H-F
4. Thornton
Quick sectional thought: Bloom is lingering outside the top four as a very dangerous No. 5 seed and capable of inching its way up.
Lincoln-Way East Sectional
1. Bolingbrook
2. Joliet West
3. Joliet Central
4. West Aurora
Quick sectional thought: Bolingbrook plays both Joliet West and Joliet Central before seeding takes place. Can a Lincoln-Way East or Sandburg put a run together and crack the top four?
Hinsdale Central Sectional
1. Wheaton South
2. Benet
3. Geneva
4. Naperville North
Quick sectional thought: When the time comes to seed this sectional it could be particularly dicey in sorting things out. No one in this sectional plays the schedule Benet plays. But Wheaton South has just one loss on the year and it came to a team with a 14-1 record (Joliet Central). Wheaton North and Downers Grove South could make a push towards a top four seed.
Follow Joe Henricksen and the City/Suburban Hoops Report on Twitter @joehoopsreport
