Boys basketball: State tournament preview and predictions

NORTH 2 GROUP IV

Favorite: Linden.

Contenders: Ridge.

Sleeper: Plainfield

Player(s) to Watch: Max Mahoney, Ridge; Otis Livingston, Linden.

Outlook: The way this bracket sets up, No. 1 Ridge and No. 2 Linden appear on a crash-collision to meet once again in the final for a third straight season. The big difference though this time is Ridge is the top seed, and thus would get to host the Tigers rather than having to travel to Union County to play in Linden’s bandbox of a gym, one of the toughest places in the states to play. Ridge hosts Skyland Conference foe No. 16 North Hunterdon with another conference foe possibly waiting in No. 8 Bridgewater-Raritan, which hosts No. 9 Bayonne first round. No. 4 Perth Amboy hosts No. 13 J.P. Stevens in a GMC first round tilt. In the lower side of the bracket, awaiting No. 2 Linden in the quarterfinals after they ease by No. 15 Millburn will be the winner of No. 7 Westfield and No. 10 Watchung Hills. No. 11 Woodbridge visits No. 6 Union while outside of the top two teams, No. 14 Plainfield may be the most dangerous team in this bracket. The Cardinals visit No. 3 Barringer, a game they could very easily win as we project Plainfield to win two rounds on the road before visiting Linden in the semifinals for a fourth meeting between the teams. In the end though, no team will be able to get in the way of another Ridge-Linden final.

Projected final: Linden over Ridge.

North 2 Group III

Favorite: Colonia

Contenders: West Side, Newark East Side.

Sleeper: Summit.

Player(s) to Watch: J.J. Corbett, Colonia.

Outlook: Not many area teams reside in this section, but GMC champion No. 1 Colonia will hold the home court advantage throughout. The Patriots will host No. 16 West Morris, the face the No. 8-9 winner of Passaic Valley-Warren Hills, and then figure to have a very tough semifinals game against the winner of a presumed quarterfinal between No. 4 West Side and defending Group III champion No. 5 Newark East Side. In the lower half, No. 11 Carteret gets a first round road game at No. 6 Orange and should they pull off the upset, would most likely face No. 3 Mendham. No. 15 Voorhees visits No. 2 Chatham in the first round. The upper half of the bracket appears to be much stronger – whoever emerges from the projected semifinal between Colonia and West Side/Newark East Side would be the odds on favorite in the final.

Projected final: Newark East side over Orange.

North 2 Group II

Favorite: None.

Contenders: Snyder, Hackettstown, Lincoln.

Sleeper: Newark Tech.

Player(s) to Watch: Isaac Neal Jr., Snyder.

Outlook: The only area team in this bracket is Bernards, which drew the No. 14 seed and visits No. 3 Hanover Park in the first round. This is another bracket that’s pretty wide open with no clear-cut dominant team. No. 1 Snyder, No. 2 Hackettstown, and No. 4 Lincoln round out the top four seeds. No. 8 Newark Tech is a team with some postseason history that makes for a dangerous sleeper. Expect the unexpected to happen in this section.

Projected final: Newark Tech over Hackettstown.

North 2 Group I

Favorite: Dunellen

Contenders: New Providence, Ridgefield, Weehawken.

Sleeper: University

Player(s) to Watch: Dylan Thomas, New Providence; David Johnson, Dunellen.

Outlook: The only two area teams in this section take the top two seeds in No. 1 New Providence and No. 2 Dunellen, as the two would meet in the finals if the seeds were to hold through. Both shouldn’t have problems getting through round one, though both could have challenging games in the quarterfinals. The winner of No. 7 North Arlington-No. 10 American History awaits Dunellen while the victor of No. 8 Shabazz-No. 9 University awaits the Pioneers. This is another hard-to-predict section with

Projected final: Dunellen over New Providence.

CENTRAL GROUP IV

Favorite: None.

Contenders: Montgomery, Freehold Township, Manalapan, East Brunswick, South Brunswick.

Sleeper: Sayreville.

Player(s) to Watch: Chase Ta, Montgomery; Matt Ross, East Brunswick; Jehyve Floyd, Sayreville.

Outlook: With no clear dominant team, this bracket has the potential to be one of the most open in the state. No. 1 Montgomery gets no cakewalk in the first round as they get a No. 16 seed in Sayreville that has a pair of 6-foot-8 athletes in Jehvye and Jahsim Floyd that very few teams can match with. If Montgomery can survive the first round, we like them to get through to the semifinals where No. 4 Manalapan, No. 5 East Brunswick, and even No. 13 Hillsborough can all potentially get through. On the lower side of the bracket, No. 2 Freehold Township looks to have a pretty clear path to the semifinals. If No. 6 South Brunswick can get by rival No. 11 North Brunswick in the first round, they would have a winnable quarterfinal game against No. 3 Colts Neck. No. 8 Monroe hosts No. 9 Marlboro in the first round.

Projected final: Freehold Township over East Brunswick.

CENTRAL GROUP III

Favorite: Ewing.

Contenders: Red Bank, Hamilton West.

Sleeper: Neptune.

Player(s) to Watch: Trey Lowe, Ewing.

Outlook: Defending sectional champion and last year’s Group III runner-up No. 1 Ewing is a heavy favorite in this section, and in Group III overall. They should breeze into the semifinals where either No. 4 Somerville or No. 5 Neptune, which has impressed in the second half of the season, should await them. No. 2 Red Bank has a favorable draw on the other side of the bracket; No. 3 Hamilton West and No. 6 Wall, which gets a first round visit from No. 11 J.F. Kennedy, has the potential for a competitive quarterfinal. We like the chalk in this bracket.

Projected final: Ewing over Red Bank.

CENTRAL GROUP II

Favorite: Lakewood.

Contenders: Manasquan, Rumson-Fair Haven.

Sleeper: Matawan.

Player(s) to Watch: Brendan Barry, Rumson-Fair Haven.

Outlook: This section has a Shore Conference-feel to it as three of the top four seeds hail from the Shore in No. 1 Lakewood, No. 2 Manasquan, and Shore Conference champion No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven, which is playing the best basketball of any team in this bracket right now. We see all three getting through the first two round without any big stumbling blocks in the way. Two matchups between area teams that could have some intrigue are No. 7 Spotswood and no. 10 Rahway in the first round and a potential meeting between No. 3 North Plainfield and No. 6 Governor Livingston in the quarterfinals. Defending sectional champion Matawan is dangerous and has a favorable draw as a No. 11 seed.

Projected final: Rumson-Fair Haven over Manasquan.

CENTRAL GROUP I

Favorite: Point Pleasant Beach.

Contenders: Piscataway Tech, Perth Amboy Tech, Shore.

Sleeper: South Hunterdon.

Player(s) to Watch: Jordan Little, Perth Amboy Tech; Jesse Hill, Point Pleasant Beach

Outlook: Despite being the No. 3 seed, two-time defending sectional champion Point Pleasant Beach has to be considered the favorite here. While this Beach team may not have the multitude of Division I talent like in previous years, they’re still a dangerous foe. A pair of GMC Gold Division teams in No. 1 Perth Amboy Tech and No. 2 Piscataway Tech occupy the top two seeds, and both could host Shore teams in the semifinals if the seeds hold in Point Beach and No. 4 Shore. No. 6 Bound Brook hosts No. 11 South Amboy and No. 7 South Hunterdon hosts No. 10 East Brunswick Tech in a pair of GMC-Skyland tilts in the first round. No. 9 South River and No. 13 Metuchen also are in the field, visiting No. 8 Asbury Park and Shore in the first round, respectively.

Projected final: Point Pleasant Beach over Shore.

Non-Public South A

Favorite: St. Augustine

Contenders: Camden Catholic, Christian Brothers, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Union Catholic.

Sleeper: Paul VI

Player(s) to Watch: Breein Tyree, St. Joseph; Isaiah Still, Union Catholic.

Outlook: A bracket that’s been dominated by St. Joseph-Metuchen the past three years, now has more openness this year than it has during that time. No. 1 St. Augustine and No. 2 Camden Catholic hold the top two seeds as the road will go through South Jersey. No. 3 Christian Brothers, off a stunning loss in the Shore Conference final, could be vulnerable to a No. 14 seed in Paul VI that’s lost to St. Joseph-Metuchen in the final each of the last three years. The Falcons, who are the No. 4 seed, are expected to meet No. 5 Union Catholic in the quarterfinals in a game that has plenty of intrigue and is a rematch of a game played just over two weeks ago, won by Union Catholic. No. 10 Immaculata visits No. 7 Red Bank Catholic in the first round while No. 15 Bishop Ahr visits Camden Catholic.

Projected final: Camden Catholic over St. Augustine.

Non-Public South B

Favorite: Roselle Catholic

Contenders: Trenton Catholic, Cardinal McCarrick, Rutgers Prep, St. Mary-Elizabeth.

Sleeper: Gill St. Bernard’s.

Player(s) to Watch: Isaiah Briscoe, Roselle Catholic; Myles Powell, Trenton Catholic; Tyus Battle, Gill St. Bernard’s.

Outlook: This is hands down the deepest bracket in the state. No. 1 Roselle Catholic is a strong favorite, though they could be vulnerable. No. 2 Trenton Catholic appears to be the Lions’ biggest threat. No. 3 Cardinal McCarrick has appeared vulnerable since a 19-0 start. No. 4 Rutgers Prep is likely to see a stiff quarterfinals test in No. 5 St. Mary-Elizabeth should the two teams advance past the first round. No. 9 Gill St. Bernard’s could be a sleeper, depending on the health of Tyus Battle. Should the Knights get by No. 8 Holy Spirit, they would be daunted with the task of visiting Roselle Catholic, which plays host to No. 16 Pingry in the first round. We’re going to be a little different here and go with the upset.

Projected final: Trenton Catholic over Roselle Catholic.

Staff writer Mike Becker: mbecker@mycentraljersey.com