The 2021 KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 presented by UK HealthCare Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine begins Wednesday as teams from around the state will square off to see who will be the first state champion in two years.
The pandemic canceled last year’s event and continues to impact this year’s tournament with limits on attendance, tickets for individual games instead of multiple-game sessions and coin flips to decide who gets the ball first instead of tipoffs (yes, welcome to high school basketball in 2021 for the uninitiated).
Here are 16 things to think about as Kentucky high school basketball’s grand spectacle returns:
1. The Mr. Basketball hopefuls. While the votes have already been cast, fans will get to see what all the fuss is about as six of this year’s nominees for Mr. Basketball will take the court this week. All were named their respective region players of the year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches and one could walk away with the Kentucky high school basketball’s top individual honor later this month.
The seniors are McCracken County’s Noah Dumas, Muhlenberg County’s Nash Devine, Bowling Green’s Isaiah Mason, Elizabethtown’s Jaquias Franklin, Highlands’ Sam Vinson and Knox Central’s Jevonte Turner.
2. They are who we thought they were. Seven teams from the Herald-Leader’s Preseason Top 25 as selected by the state’s coaches have endured the most unusual and trying season almost anyone can recall to make the tournament field. H-L No. 3 Ballard, No. 4 Ashland Blazer, No. 6 Bowling Green, No. 7 Elizabethtown, No. 11 Highlands, No. 13 Clark County and No. 21 Madison Central will all suit up in Rupp this week, a testament to their coaches, players and programs.
3. Out of nowhere? The 6th Region’s Bullitt East might be the most unlikely participant this week. Although the Chargers have had success over the years with three trips here since 2005, Bullitt East began the year picked to finish fifth in the region by its coaches and had a ho-hum 10-8 record as postseason play began. The Chargers rectified those misconceptions by toppling Fern Creek, Jeffersontown and DeSales on the way to Rupp.
4. Overdogs and underdogs. Ballard, the 7th Region champion out of Louisville, ranks as the tournament favorite, according to Dave Cantrall’s ratings, which offer a glimpse of how teams compare on paper. By the same measure, the 14th Region’s Knott County Central ranks as the biggest underdog facing potentially the most lopsided matchup in the first round.
The Patriots (63.5 rating) take on Elizabethtown (83.6) in the first game of the event at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Panthers rate second only to Ballard and have 5th Region KABC player of the year Jaquias Franklin. Knott Central will counter with Transylvania commit Colby Napier.
5. Gridiron glory carries over. Four schools who earned state championships on the football field are represented this week. Paintsville basketball standouts Colby and Connor Fugate also suited up for the Tigers’ Class A champions. Ashland Blazer senior Hunter Gillum was the second-leading tackler on the Class 3A champion Tomcats. Boyle County’s Jagger Gillis led the Rebels at quarterback to the 4A Crown and has with him Luke Sheperson, Ayden Collins, Jakei Tarter and Tommy Ziesmer on the basketball squad. And Bowling Green’s Class 5A football champs suit up six players on the basketball court, most notably UK tight end commit Jordan Dingle, who averages 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for the hoops team.
6. Doubling up this week and next. Bowling Green and Bullitt East have already secured Girls’ Sweet 16 bids next week to match their boys’ teams. And one more double up is possible with Knott County Central’s girls’ team still alive ahead of their region championship game on Tuesday.
7. Who’s not here? There are always shocking upsets each season, and 2021 is no exception. Preseason No. 1 Male, No. 2 Covington Catholic, No. 5 Fern Creek, No. 6 Lexington Catholic and No. 9 Marshall County were each ousted in their regionals. LexCath held the top spot in the media rankings for most of the season and only lost three games, the last being in the first round of the 11th Region Tournament. Covington Catholic held the top spot in the Cantrall Ratings much of the season and fell in the first round of the 9th Region Tournament.
9. Finding their way back to Rupp after lost Sweet 16. Elizabethtown, Ashland Blazer, Knox Central, McCracken County and Clark County have all persevered to bring their teams back to the tournament they lost last season because of the pandemic. All of them feature players who were also key to their success in 2020.
Clark County Coach Josh Cook said earning that trip back and doing it for those who couldn’t be here has been something his team has talked about.
“We return quite a few and they still have a close relationship with the four seniors who didn’t have a chance to go,” Cook said. “Obviously, Winchester is a very strong basketball-passionate community, so I know it was on a lot of people’s minds. Our guys wanted the opportunity. At times, in fact, they wanted it too bad, and they would try to force a few things. But deep down it was something they wanted to get back to and they had a belief they could do it.”
8. Close calls. Clark County and Paintsville each earned their spots this week thanks to buzzer-beating shots with the Tigers’ coming in overtime on a third successive offensive rebound by Jaxon Watts. Ashland Blazer also got pushed to overtime twice in the 16th Region Tournament. And Bullitt East faced a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter of its district semifinal against Jeffersontown before rallying for a two-point win.
10. The usual suspects. Ashland Blazer has earned 35 bids to the Boys’ Sweet 16, second only to Owensboro’s 40. Clark County checks in with 25 region titles, while Ballard and Bowling Green each have 18. Ashland Blazer has the most state titles in the field with four, the last in 1961. Ballard has three state titles, the last in 1999. Bowling Green has 18 appearances with a title in 2017. The Tomcats hold the record for most Boys’ Sweet 16 wins with 49.
11. Fewest appearances. This is Muhlenberg County’s second trip to the Boys’ Sweet 16, having also accomplished the feat in 2010. While program experience helps, it’s no real indicator of success. Madison Central won the state title on its fourth trip. And Elizabethtown won its crown on its fifth time around.
12. Longest absence. It seems hard to believe, but this is the first Highlands appearance since 2001. That Bluebirds team was led by all-state quarterback Gino Guidugli, who went on to play football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and is now the quarterbacks coach there. Highlands had appeared in three straight Sweet 16s from 1997 to 1999 with teams that featured the dynamic football/basketball duo of Jared Lorenzen and Derek Smith.
13. Another welcome back. Bowling Green Coach DG Sherrill stepped away from the game after his Purples won it all in 2017, figuring he would go out on top. He couldn’t stay away and said as much during interviews about his return to the team this season. “I do miss the relationships, I miss the gym, I miss working with young people, so I’m just really excited to get back into a gym and try to see where we can go with this thing,” Sherrill told the Daily News as his return was announced last April. Sherrill notched his 400th career win this season and has his team back at the Sweet 16. Seems like things are working out.
14. Longest win streak. Highlands has not only strung the most wins together coming into Rupp Arena — 17 — they also have arguably the most impressive wins in the bunch. Since losing 67-63 to Beechwood on Feb, 12, the Bluebirds have taken down a who’s who of highly regarded teams, including St. Xavier, Rowan County, Campbell County, Oldham County and St. Henry. And St. Henry’s mild upset of Covington Catholic in the 9th Region Tournament helped Highlands avoid a rematch of their 81-65 loss to the Colonels back on Jan. 23.
15. Fewest games. It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the basketball season as teams got swept up in restrictions, cases and contacts after play began Jan. 4. While some teams were able to get in almost a normal season of games, some who’ve made it to Rupp did not. Oldham County had three distinct spells of COVID-19 cancellations along the way with games wiped out in January, February and March as they finished with a 14-4 record. The next fewest games were played by Muhlenberg County at 18-1. The Mustangs only played eight games in January and six games in February.
16. Toughest draw. Madison Central (79.0) rates as the tournament’s seventh-best team, according to the Cantrall Ratings, making the Bruins-Indians tilt the matchup with the highest combined rating (84.2+79.0).
By those some ratings, Ballard faces potentially the most difficult side of the bracket with fourth-rated Bowling Green possibly on deck in the quarterfinals and second-rated Elizabethtown in their semifinals path.
Here’s a look at how the first-round games shape up, according to Cantrall’s ratings.
▪ 2. Elizabethtown 83.6 vs. 16. Knott County Central 63.4.
▪ 4. Bowling Green 82.2 vs. 15. University Heights 68.8.
▪ 1. Ballard 84.2 vs. 7. Madison Central 79.0.
▪ 5. Oldham County 80.1 v 10. Clark County 75.1.
▪ 3. Highlands 83.0 vs. 8. Muhlenberg County 77.0.
▪ 11. McCracken County 74.5 vs. 12. Bullitt East 73.8.
▪ 13. Boyle County 72.1 vs. 14. Paintsville 68.9.
▪ 6. Knox Central 79.4 vs. 9. Ashland Blazer 76.3.
Boys’ Sweet 16
What: Sixteen-team tournament to decide Kentucky’s high school basketball state champion
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Rupp Arena
Tickets: Seating is limited because of COVID-19. Tickets available for purchase at KHSAA.org.
Boys’ Sweet 16 schedule
At Rupp Arena
Wednesday
11 a.m.: Knott County Central vs. Elizabethtown
2 p.m.: Bowling Green vs. University Heights
5 p.m.: Madison Central vs. Ballard
8 p.m.: Clark County vs. Oldham County
Thursday
11 a.m.: Muhlenberg County vs. Highlands
2 p.m.: Bullitt East vs. McCracken County
5 p.m.: Boyle County vs. Paintsville
8 p.m.: Knox Central vs. Ashland Blazer
Friday
11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m.: Quarterfinal games
Saturday
11 a.m., 2 p.m.: Semifinal games
8 p.m.: Championship game