In just a few short days, eight programs are going to know its postseason fate, while 24 teams will have to wait just a little longer.
With boys basketball district tournament play in Class 3A, 2A and 1A is in full swing this week, teams have one more chance to make a case for state. The final field of 32 will be established Sunday – the eight district winners punch their tickets to next week’s regional play, and 24 at-large teams will be added to the field by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index.
That means some teams on the bubble had some work to do this week to make a final push at one of those 32 spots. Here is a brief look at some teams who could fall into that category:
Class 3A
So far only one district championship game is set, with Highland and Platte Valley advancing to the finale of the Patriot League tournament. Brush, which fell 50-48 to Platte Valley, is currently 18th in the seeding index. Strasburg is 27th, but made a strong case by reaching the Patriot semis before falling 84-71 to regular-season champion Highland.
The first two rounds of the Tri-Peaks district are in the books, with the top four seeds advancing to Friday’s semis. Florence, which fell to top-seeded Salida on Tuesday night, is currently sitting 29th. Buena Vista, the 10th seed in the district, upended Rye on Monday night before falling to Vanguard. Rye is currently 30th, with Buena Vista at No. 31. St. Mary’s, which is 33rd, fell in the first round Monday.
The Metro League semis are also set. Fifth-seeded Manual, currently 24th in the seeding index, upended No. 4 Stargate School to elevate the Thunderbolts.
Platte Canyon, sitting 35th overall, needs a victory over The Pinnacle in the Frontier district semis Friday to keep its hopes alive. It could be a similar situation for Grand Valley in the West Slope district tournament, with the Cardinals moving up to No. 32 after routing North Fork on Tuesday. Grand Valley faces top-seeded Cedaredge in one semi, while No. 25 Meeker is matched up with Roaring Fork.
In the Black Forest/Santa Fe district, the semis are set for Wednesday. Thomas MacLaren School is currently 33rd in the index, and faces No. 3 Fountain Valley. A loss could allow another teams to move up into that coveted final spot.
Ignacio, 27th in the seeding index, helped its case with a play-in game victory Tuesday night over Crested Butte (seeded 36th). The Bobcats draw top-seeded Centauri on Friday.
In the Mile High/Foothills district, Clear Creek – 37th in the seeding index – needs to top Dawson School in the quarterfinals Wednesday, and then get past No. 1 Windsor Charter Academy to keep its hope alive.
Class 2A
The district semifinals are all set except in District 8, where the quarterfinals are scheduled for Wednesday. Three of the top four teams in the current seedings index reside in this district in Limon, Simla and Evangelical Christian. Byers and Burlington are in the top 20 as well, while both Colorado Springs School (28th) and Elbert (29th) are attempting to hold their current spots.
Las Animas, currently 31st in the seeding index, lost its first-round game in District 6 to top-seeded Fowler; in the same district, No. 33 Swink fell by two points to Hoehne, opening the door for a lower-seeded program to move up.
Rangely is holding the 32nd overall spot headed into the District 5 semis against Plateau Valley on Friday. Vail Mountain, currently 34th, is in the other semifinal against top-seeded Vail Christian.
A victory for Telluride – No. 30 in the index – over Ridgway in the District 3 semis would be big for the Miners. In District 1, Monte Vista helped its case by overcoming fourth-seeded Cotopaxi to move to No. 26.
In District 4, Friday’s semi between Loveland Classical and Union Colony Prep will be a big one. The teams are currently 35th and 36th in the seeding index with a chance to move up.
Akron will have to wait it out after falling to Holyoke in the District 2 semis. The Rams are sitting 27th overall.
Class 1A
There is still plenty to be decided in 1A, with some quarterfinals game taking place Wednesday and Thursday.
In District 1, the remaining two semifinalists will be decided Thursday. No. 3 De Beque and No. 4 Ouray both need victories, especially Ouray, which is in the 32nd spot in the seeding index. Nucla, the No. 2 seed, is 25th, while No. 3 De Beque is 26th.
Seven of the top seeds in District 2 are in the top 16 of the index. Kit Carson, which fell to Cheyenne Wells on Tuesday, is 34th.
In District 3, while La Veta and Springfield are in the top 23, the other two semifinalists – Primero and Walsh – would likely need to win the district tournament to earn a regional berth. Walsh did upset third-seeded Kim/Branson 57-56 in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
Perhaps the district with the most at stake is District 4. Two quarterfinals take place Wednesday, with the biggest between Peetz and Longmont Christian. Peetz is 31st in the seeding index, and Longmont Christian is 33rd. In the other quarterfinal, Prairie faces Weldon Valley, with Prairie currently 30th overall.
Sangre de Cristo strengthened its case in District 6 with a 57-43 victory over Creede on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds are 28th in the index headed into Thursday’s semifinal with Centennial.
Hanover is on the outside looking in at the moment in District 7, meaning that the Hornets will need to upset Pikes Peak Christian to move up from 35th overall. That district does have a third-place game as well though.
Denver Waldorf, currently 29th, fell to Flatirons Academy in the District 8 quarterfinals Monday.
