The Class 6A and 5A boys basketball brackets will be trimmed to 16 teams after play concludes Friday night.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the key storylines in a couple of quadrants in each classification.
Class 6A
Top-left quadrant
It’s No. 1 Chaparral’s to lose.
The Wolverines have arguably been the best team in the state and are led by one of the top junior duos in Colorado, with Christian Williams and Luke Howery both averaging around 20 points per game.
Chaparral finished a perfect 10-0 in the juggernaut 6A/5A Continental League and has won 14 straight games.
No. 8 Mountain Vista could be waiting in a potential Great 8 matchup. The Golden Eagles gave Chaparral a major scare in their regular-season finale, with the Wolverines hanging on for a 57-56 win.
Friday’s second-round winner between No. 16 Brighton and No. 17 Chatfield could be a handful as well. Brighton is 22-1 despite a weaker schedule, while Chatfield finished third in the 6A Jeffco League behind No. 2 Ralston Valley and No. 4 Arvada West.
Bottom right
This quadrant features three league champions: No. 3 Rangeview (6A City), No. 6 Cherry Creek (6A/5A Centennial) and No. 11 Fossil Ridge (6A/5A/4A Northern).
The Raiders (20-3) haven’t lost to an in-state opponent this season. They went 10-0 in the 6A City League, beating No. 7 George Washington, No. 15 Denver South, No. 22 Denver East and No. 24 Northfield each twice.
Cherry Creek won its final seven games to edge defending 6A champion Eaglecrest for the 6A/5A Centennial League title.
Fossil Ridge, meanwhile, brings with it an efficient offense that shot 52% from the field and averaged 69 points per game during the regular season. The SaberCats went a perfect 12-0 in the 6A/5A/4A Northern League.
Class 5A
Top left
Time will tell how Palisade out of the Western Slope stacks up against some of the best teams from Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
The No. 1 Bulldogs finished third in a loaded 6A/5A Southwestern League. They finished the regular season 21-2, with both losses coming to No. 2 Grand Junction.
Palisade faces No. 33 Pueblo County on Friday and shares its quadrant with 5A/4A South Central League champion Pueblo South (No. 9), No. 15 Lewis-Palmer — a perennial postseason threat — and 2025 5A runner-up Air Academy (No. 24).
The winner between No. 16 Frederick and No. 17 Roosevelt could also be a tough out. Both teams are very efficient offensively, with Frederick shooting 47% from the field and Roosevelt at 46%.
Bottom right
The teams in last year’s 5A state finals — champion Windsor and runner-up Green Mountain — are both in this quadrant, though neither holds the top seed.
Instead, No. 3 Severance, which won the 5A/4A Longs Peak League, and No. 6 Regis Groff are seeded above them. The Fusion opened the season 20-0 before dropping two games in last week’s Denver Public Schools tournament.
Windsor is seeded 11th, led by Wyoming commit Madden Smiley, who is averaging 24 points per game on 60% shooting. Green Mountain sits at No. 14 and is headlined by a fantastic junior in Sam Mielenz, who is also averaging 24 points per game.
Class 4A
The 4A-1A postseasons begin next week, with each bracket featuring 32 teams and eight hosts for the opening two rounds.
In 4A, the final hosting spot is coming down to the wire between No. 8 Prospect Ridge Academy and No. 9 Denver West. The ninth seed will have to travel to the eighth seed’s home court for the opening two rounds.
Prospect Ridge rebounded from a slow start to the month with five straight wins. Jack Brandt is averaging 24 points per game on 48% shooting for the Miners.
Denver West wrapped up its regular season in last week’s Denver Public Schools tournament, where the 4A/3A City League champions fell to 6A No. 15 Denver South and No. 24 Northfield.
The Cowboys will be watching PRA’s finale against No. 39 Bennett closely Friday night. A loss would almost certainly knock the Miners out of the No. 8 spot. However, even a win for the Miners against the low-seeded Tigers, could drop them in the rankings.
