State Boys’ Basketball Tournament Preview

            The coaches have selected the top seeds in all four classes for the fourth time — Rushford-Peterson in Class A, St. Croix Lutheran of West St. Paul in Class AA, DeLaSalle of Minneapolis in Class AAA, and Champlin Park in Class AAAA.

            Three teams are returning to defend their 2014 titles; Esko in Class AA; DeLaSalle in Class AAA; and Lakeville North in Class AAAA. Both Esko and Lakeville North are unseeded in their respective classes this year.

            Two teams are making first appearances: Nevis in Class A and Hermantown in Class AAA.

            This is the 19th year of the four-class format and the 12th year that all games are being played in Minneapolis. This year and the next three years the boys’ basketball tournament will precede the girls’ basketball tournament because Target Center is hosting the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff tournament.

            The seeding process had all 32 coaches of the section champions log onto a special page of the League Web site. Each coach then ranked the other teams in their class one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top five teams were seeded. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class, League Associate Director Kevin Merkle announced the top five seeds. Tom Critchley, representing the boys’ basketball coaches association, then blindly drew the three remaining teams to establish the opponent for each seeded team. Numbers four and five automatically play each other.

            The 2015 State Boys’ Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 11. Quarterfinal games will be played at Target Center on Wednesday, March 11, and at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on both Wednesday and Thursday, March 11 and 12. Semifinals will be played at Target Center on Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13. The championship games of all four classes will be played at Target Center on Saturday, March 14. Third-place games will be played on Saturday at Concordia University in St. Paul.

            Detailed statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League’s Web site — www.MSHSL.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Boys’ Basketball.

            Class A Preview

            (Section 7) Fond du Lac Ojibwe, Cloquet (18-12) vs. (Section 1 & No. 1 Seed) Rushford-Peterson (29-1): The Ogichidaag, which means Warriors, of Fond du Lac are making their second consecutive and overall appearance. They are looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place showing. The Ogichidaag enter the tournament unranked in the final Minnesota Basketball News (MBN) poll. Rushford-Peterson looks to improve on last year’s runner-up finish. It is the fourth consecutive and 14th overall tournament appearance for the Trojans, who won a championship in 2006. Competing as Rushford, the team was the Class A champion in 1989. Peterson also made one additional appearance in 1986. This year’s squad was ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll.

            (Section 5 & No. 5 Seed) Nevis (26-3) vs. (Section 3 & No. 4 Seed) Central Minnesota Christian, Prinsburg (23-3): The Nevis Tigers are making their first tournament appearance. Nevis closed the season unranked in the final MBN poll. Central Minnesota Christian, which includes students from Community Christian High School of Willmar, is making its second appearance. The Bluejays made their only other appearance in 1998 and were ranked No. 7 in this year’s final MBN poll.

            (Section 8) Red Lake (23-5) vs. (Section 4 & No. 2 Seed) Maranatha Christian Academy, Brooklyn Park (27-2): This is the second consecutive year these teams are meeting in the quarterfinals; Maranatha won last year’s contest 95-67. Unranked Red Lake arrives at the tournament for its second consecutive and seventh overall appearance. Maranatha Christian Academy returns for its third consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Mustangs, who were ranked No. 3 in the final MBN poll, are hoping to improve on last year’s third-place showing.

            (Section 2) Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (21-9) vs. (Section 6 & No. 3 Seed) Battle Lake (29-1): Unranked Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City is making its second consecutive and overall appearance. The Falcons fell in the quarterfinals of the 2014 tournament. No. 4-ranked Battle Lake returns after a one-year hiatus to make its third tournament appearance.

            Class A Quarterfinal Schedule — Thursday, March 12

            11:00 a.m. — Fond du Lac Ojibwe vs. Rushford-Peterson at Williams Arena, U of M

            1:00 p.m. — Nevis vs. Central Minnesota Christian at Williams Arena, U of M

            3:00 p.m. — Red Lake vs. Maranatha Christian Academy at Williams Arena, U of M

            5:00 p.m. — Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City vs. Battle Lake at Williams Arena, U of M

            Class AA Preview

            (Section 7) Esko (23-7) vs. (Section 4 & No. 1 Seed) St. Croix Lutheran, West St. Paul (28-2): The defending champions from Esko return to make their third consecutive and fifth overall appearance. They were not ranked in this year’s final MBN poll. The Crusaders of St. Croix Lutheran return to tournament action after a two-year hiatus. They were ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll and are making their second overall appearance.

            (Section 3 & No. 5 Seed) Redwood Valley, Redwood Falls (23-6) vs. (Section 6 & No. 4 Seed) Melrose Area (26-5): Redwood Valley is making its eighth appearance under this name. The Cardinals, who were not ranked in the final MBN poll, made their last appearance in 2013. Redwood Falls made three additional appearances between 1930 and 1977. The Dutchmen of Melrose Area return to tournament action for the first time since 1974. It is the sixth appearance for the Dutchmen, who won two previous titles in 1971 and 1974. Melrose Area finished the season unranked in the final MBN poll.

            (Section 5) Annandale (20-10) vs. (Section 1 & No. 2 Seed) Caledonia (26-4): These teams met in the semifinals last year and Annandale won 81-76. Unranked in the final MBN poll, the Cardinals of Annandale look to improve on last year’s runner-up showing. It is Annandale’s third consecutive and fourth overall appearance. Caledonia is making its second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Warriors, who placed third in 2014, won their only title in 1997. Caledonia finished No. 2 in this year’s final MBN poll.

            (Section 8) Breckenridge (21-7) vs. (Section 2 & No. 3 Seed) Maple River, Mapleton (27-3): The Cowboys of Breckenridge return for their seventh appearance but first since 1979. The Cowboys won one previous championship in 1940 and were not ranked in this year’s final MBN poll. Maple River finished the season ranked No. 6 by MBN. The Eagles are making their sixth appearance under this name. Their last appearance was in 2008 and their won their only title in 1993. Mapleton made one additional appearance in 1979.

            Class AA Quarterfinal Schedule — Wednesday, March 11

            6:00 p.m. — Esko vs. St. Croix Lutheran at Target Center

            8:00 p.m. — Redwood Valley vs. Melrose Area at Target Center

            6:00 p.m. — Annandale vs. Caledonia at Williams Arena, U of M

            8:00 p.m. — Breckenridge vs. Maple River at Williams Arena, U of M

            Class AAA Preview

            (Section 8) Albany (26-3) vs. (Section 3 & No. 1 Seed) DeLaSalle, Minneapolis (24-4): Albany returns to make its fourth appearance but first since 1997. This year’s team was not ranked in the final MBN poll. The three-time defending champions from DeLaSalle are making their fourth consecutive and 20th overall appearance. The Islanders are in the hunt for their ninth title and were ranked No. 1 in the final MBN poll. In addition to the past three years, DeLaSalle also won in 1985, 1988, 1998, 1999, and 2006.

            (Section 2 & No. 5 Seed) Mankato East (20-9) vs. (Section 1 & No. 4 Seed) New Prague (20-8): Mankato East, which was not ranked in the final MBN poll, returns for its eighth appearance. The Cougars made their last appearance in 2012. The Trojans of New Prague return to the tournament after a three-year absence to make their 10th appearance. They were ranked No. 10 in the final MBN poll.

            (Section 7) Hermantown (24-5) vs. (Section 4 & No. 2 Seed) St. Paul Johnson (25-3): The unranked Hermantown Hawks are their debut tournament appearance. The Governors of St. Paul Johnson return to the tournament after a one-year hiatus. This is their 12th appearance overall and they won their only championship in 2010. St. Paul Johnson was ranked No. 2 in this year’s final MBN poll.

            (Section 6) Waconia (16-13) vs. (Section 5 & No. 3 Seed) Orono (24-5): The unranked Wildcats of Waconia return for their third appearance but first since 2011. The Orono Spartans are making their second consecutive and fourth overall appearance. They placed fourth last year and won one previous title in 2011.Orono was ranked No. 4 in this year’s final MBN poll.

            Class AAA Quarterfinals Schedule — Wednesday, March 11

            10:00 a.m. — Albany vs. DeLaSalle at Williams Arena, U of M

            12:00 p.m. — Mankato East vs. New Prague at Williams Arena, U of M

            2:00 p.m. — Hermantown vs. St. Paul Johnson at Williams Arena, U of M

            4:00 p.m. — Waconia vs. Orono at Williams Arena, U of M

            Class AAAA Preview

            (Section 7) St. Francis (21-8) vs. (Section 5 & No. 1 Seed) Champlin Park (29-0): St. Francis returns for a second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Fighting Saints fell in the quarterfinals in 2014 and were not ranked in this year’s final MBN poll. Champlin Park, which includes students from Groves Academy in St. Louis Park, was the No. 1 team in the MBN poll. The Rebels are making their third appearance but first since 2010.

            (Section 2 & No. 5 Seed) Shakopee (22-7) vs. (Section 4 & No. 4 Seed) Roseville Area (24-5): No. 8-ranked Shakopee is making its second consecutive and eighth overall appearance. The Sabers, who claimed one previous title in 2005, are looking to improve on last year’s third-place showing. Roseville Area is making its second appearance but first since 1997. The Raiders closed the year ranked No. 7 in the final MBN poll.

            (Section 8) St. Michael-Albertville (24-5) vs. (Section 3 & No. 2 Seed) Apple Valley (27-2): St. Michael-Albertville returns to tournament action for the first time since 2008. It is the third overall appearance for the Knights, who finished the season unranked in the final MBN poll. The Eagles of Apple Valley are making their seventh appearance. They made their last appearance, and won their only championship, in 2013. The Eagles ended their season at No. 2 in the final MBN poll.

            (Section 1) Lakeville North (18-11) vs. (Section 6 & No. 3 Seed) Hopkins (23-6): This is a rematch of last year’s championship game that Lakeville North won 84-82. The defending champions from Lakeville North are making their fourth consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Panthers, who were not ranked in the final MBN poll, are looking for their second title. No. 6-ranked Hopkins returns to make its second consecutive and 21st overall appearance. The Royals have earned championship honors eight times: 1952, 1953, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

            Class AAAA Quarterfinals Schedule — Wednesday, March 11

            10:00 a.m. — St. Francis vs. Champlin Park at Target Center

            12:00 p.m. — Shakopee vs. Roseville Area at Target Center

            2:00 p.m. — St. Michael-Albertville vs. Apple Valley at Target Center

            4:00 p.m. — Lakeville North vs. Hopkins at Target Center

           

            Television and Webcast Coverage

            All semifinal and championship games will be televised live by KSTC-TV, Channel 45, and also streamed live at Prep45.com for a fee of $4.97 per day. Live statistics of all games will also be displayed on the League website (www.MSHSL.org).

            Ticket Information

            Tickets will be available at Target Center and Williams Arena. Quarterfinal tickets cost $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students. Quarterfinal wristbands, which are good at both venues on Wednesday only, are $19.00 for adults and $12.00 for students. Semifinal and championship tickets will be available at Target Center and are $14.00 for adults and $9.00 for students per session. Third-place tickets will be available at Concordia University and are $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for students.
(via MSHSL)