State Tourney: This week’s seeds and schedules
The seedings are in. The schedule is out. The field is set for the 2020 Minnesota girls state high school basketball championship which begins Wednesday in Minneapolis. There were not any huge surprises with the seeding.
In class 4A Hopkins was a no-brainer #1 and Farmington makes perfect sense at #2. You could make a case for St. Michael-Albertville, Park Center and Stillwater in any particular order you want. According to Todd Goudy’s Prep Girls Hoops computer ratings Eden Prairie, ranked #4 in the class, should have been seeded. Unseeded Cambridge-Isanti is the lowest-ranked team at #35 and has been awarded the opportunity to face Hopkins on opening day. As far as I am aware no representative of section 7 has won a game at state in more than 20 years.
In 3A the primary surprise has to be Waconia. According to the computer the Wildcats have played the most difficult schedule in the class, and they are ranked slightly ahead of #2 seed Becker. The selection committee holds the keys to the castle, however, and they decided that Waconia was not worthy of a seed. Red Wing is a little surprising, as well. The Wingers, at #9, are the 6th-highest ranked team in the event but got the #3 seed. Having watched them completely dismantle Kasson-Mantorville in the section final, however, I think Red Wing’s defense is going to be difficult for any opponent to overcome. The lowest-rated team in the 3A tournament is Simley at #14 and they have the tools to potentially win the whole thing. That’s why they are seeded #4.
In 2A it’s hard to argue with the seedings. The top six teams are ranked between 1st and 12th so it’s all good. Providence Academy (unseeded) is #24. Concordia Academy (unseeded) is at #58, but that is misleading. The Beacons lost their first 8 games of the season and have been steamrolling opponents ever since. Finally in 1A you’ll get no arguments from me. The top six teams are ranked between 1st and 9th. Unseeded Red Lake is at #31. Fillmore Central is #36.
Here’s a run-down of the seeds by class along with opening-round schedules for Wednesday and Thursday.
CLASS AAAA
- Hopkins (28-0)
- Farmington (27-2)
- St. Micheal-Albertville (19-8)
- Park Center (25-4)
- Stillwater (19-8)
Unseeded: Cambridge-Isanti (20-9), Eden Prairie (18-11), Lakeville North (18-10)
Quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena
- 10 a.m. – Hopkins vs Cambridge-Isanti
- 12 p.m. – Stillwater vs Park Center
- 2 p.m. – Farmington vs Eden Prairie
- 4 p.m. – St. Michael-Albertville vs Lakeville North
CLASS AAA
- DeLaSalle (24-4)
- Becker (26-2)
- Red Wing (26-2)
- Simley (27-2)
- Holy Angels (22-6)
Unseeded: Alexandria (22-7), Hermantown (26-3), Waconia (19-10)
Quarterfinals Wednesday at Maturi Pavilion
- 10 a.m. – Hermantown vs DeLaSalle
- 12 p.m. – Holy Angels vs Simley
- 2 p.m. – Becker vs Alexandria
- 4 p.m. – Waconia vs Red Wing
CLASS AA
- Rochester Lourdes (27-2)
- Sauk Centre (28-2)
- New London-Spicer (28-1)
- Pelican Rapids (29-0)
- Waseca (24-6)
Unseeded: Concordia Academy (20-9), Duluth Marshall (25-5), Providence Academy (25-5)
Wednesday at Maturi Pavilion
- 6 p.m. – Providence Academy vs Sauk Centre
- 8 p.m. – Duluth Marshall vs New London-Spicer
Wednesday at Williams Arena
- 6 p.m. – Rochester Lourdes vs Concordia Academy
- 8 pm. – Waseca vs Pelican Rapids
CLASS A
- Minneota (30-1)
- Cromwell-Wright (28-2)
- Henning (28-2)
- Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (26-4)
- Heritage Christian (22-7)
Unseeded: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (19-10), Fillmore Central (22-8), Red Lake (21-9)
Thursday at Maturi Pavilion
- 11 a.m. – Minneota vs Red Lake
- 1 p.m. – Heritage Christian vs W-E-M
- 3 p.m. – Cromwell vs B-B-E
- 5 p.m. – Henning vs Fillmore
Top photo: The Minneota Vikings have had plenty to celebrate at the state tournament over the years. (Photo courtesy of StarTribune)