Yags’ Point Forward - Prep Tournament Previews
The NEPSAC playoff participants were chosen on Sunday. The final pairings promise to provide plenty of action in each conference with things culminating at Rhode Island College this weekend for the A, AA, and AAA championship games. The NEPSAC class B, C and D tournaments will be played at Clark University. This week’s results will also impact how the rest of the National Prep Championship field is filled out.
Here’s a look at what certain teams have on the line and who I expect to see at Rhode Island College on Sunday. Brackets can be found here.
Power 5
The inaugural Power-5 conference tournament will include two programs that have already stamped a ticket to New Haven for the National Prep Championship next week at Albertus Magnus. Putnam Science Academy and Springfield Commonwealth Academy are the top seeds and will face off against Redemption Christian and Notre Dame Prep, respectively.
Notre Dame will be fighting for the right to extend their season both in their conference and by possibly earning a bid to New Haven with a win over SCA and strong showing in the championship game. There isn’t a coach in New England that would willingly volunteer their team to face a Ryan Hurd-led squad that is backed into a corner and fighting for their life. Matter of fact, the majority would probably take their chances against rabid and wounded jackal in the same position, rather than subject their team to that type of environment.
Meanwhile, the team that ends up winning this conference tournament will head into New Haven with a ton of momentum after two big wins. Putnam is the prohibitive favorite and is playing some of their best ball of the season down the stretch. Springfield Commonwealth has a chance to get the majority of their roster healthy, minus Shyheim Hicks who is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, for the first time all season. Hurd and Notre Dame would love to make sure neither happens.
Class AAA
Brewster is the overwhelming favorite heading into the AAA tourney and it will take a major upset for them not to be playing on Sunday afternoon at RIC. A similar upset would have to occur for Northfield-Mt Hermon not to come out of the other side of the bracket.
In order to improve their resume for National Prep Championship consideration, St Thomas More will have to pull off the unenviable task of defeating both New Hampton and Brewster this week. South Kent could really use a win against one of the top seeds in order to gain some confidence heading into Albertus Magnus next week.
If things stay true to the seedings, a Brewster-NMH final would be the third matchup of the year between the two teams and the type of star-studded finale that could cap an extremely exciting series of games on Sunday.
Class AA
This is the tournament that can really upset the proverbial apple cart and chew into the number of National Championship tournament bids gained by New England’s Power-5 (previously independent) and AAA prep programs.
Cushing earned the #1-seed and also received a 1st Round bye due to the limited number of teams that qualified for the AA tournament. What seems like a reward also has a negative side as they’ll be facing a very good team, either #4 Proctor or #5 Cheshire, which will be walking into the gym with a victor’s swagger after their 1st Round victory.
(Don’t even get me started on “Saylor Points” and NEPSAC technicalities!)
#2 Tilton has built a Prep Championship-worthy resume over the course of the season and a few wins in their conference tourney will only cement their case. #3 Vermont has come on strong at the end of the season and is finally looking like a team with a handful of high-major college prospects. A possible 2nd Round matchup between the two would have playoff implications galore and be as important as any game of the week.
#6 St Andrew’s and #7 Lawrence Academy have plenty of wins against the top seeds of their own and will be prime position to ruin their opponents’ season though. Meanwhile, Proctor and Cheshire also have experience to draw from and could easily throw a wrench into everyone’s postseason plans.
This is by far the most interesting NEPSAC tourney and could include as many as three teams who end up with invitations to New Haven when it’s all said and done.
Class A
Over the past two postseasons, the average margin of victory by teams in the 1st Round of the Class A tournament has been just over 5-points. There hasn’t been a 1st Round game decided by more than 8-points and 5 of the 8 games have been decided by 5-points or less. Going back even further; since 2013, 13 of the 16 first round games in A have been decided by 8-points or less. Don’t expect that trend to change.
AA might have more effect on the national championship picture, but their brethren at the A-level are guaranteed to provide some passionate battles of their own this week.
Suffield was rewarded with the #1-seed but they arguably have the toughest road to a championship that any top seeded Class-A program has faced in recent memory. If they can get past a tough #8 Trinity-Pawling squad, the winner of #4 Avon-Old Farms vs #5 Loomis Chaffee will await. On the other side of the bracket, #2 Phillips-Exeter is expecting to face #3 Kent in the semifinals for a trip to Rhode Island.
Suffield is a veteran squad with talented wide-eyed youngsters who have grown accustomed to playing with non-stop motors and tenacity in order to compete against the older competition. Jeff Depelteau’s squad is the slight favorite heading into the tournament and they’re also my pick to come out with the championship when it’s all said and done.