Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament predictions: Who will win in each class?
History will be made in Des Moines on March 8 as four boys basketball teams etch their names into the history books at the Iowa state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.
The field across all four brackets is stacked, with several teams in each class capable of walking away with the state title. Three undefeated teams remain, but how many of those programs will win a state championship?
The Register combed through the brackets, analyzed potential matchups and came away with predictions for the winner of all four classes at the tournament.
More: The 2024 Iowa high school basketball state tournament brackets are set. See schedule here
Class 4A: West Des Moines Valley
This, honestly, might be the toughest bracket to predict.
Kennedy’s two-point, down-to-the-buzzer win over North Scott in the substate championship certainly gives us pause. Do we still think the top-seeded Cougars can win the title? Absolutely. Kennedy is one of the most complete and unselfish teams we’ve seen play, and that could take them far.
But the Cougars also entered last year’s tournament with an undefeated record, and they lost in the quarterfinal. If Kennedy plays Ankeny in the semifinal, that will be a tough matchup for the Cougars.
Now that Valley is back to full strength following some injuries earlier in the season, the Tigers look like the team that won last season’s state title. Cedar Falls would be a challenging opponent in the semifinal and, if they make it to the title game, Kennedy or Ankeny could easily steal the championship.
Runner-up: Ankeny
Class 3A: Waverly-Shell Rock
If this championship game features Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock – the top-two seeds in the state tournament – get ready for some solid shooting. Decorah’s leading scorer Ben Bockman averages 19.8 points per game while shooting 53% from the field and 49.1% from 3-point range.
Waverly-Shell Rock is led by Luke Frazell, with 18.8 points per game, a 57% overall success rate and a 55% rate from beyond the arc. No one in the Go-Hawks' starting lineup makes less than 45% of their shots, and all but one of the starting five shot 43% or better on 3-pointers.
Those are the two teams we think will make it to the title game, but MOC-Floyd Valley has the potential to prove us wrong.
Runner-up: Decorah
Class 2A: Western Christian
Hudson is the 2-seed for a reason. Camden Davis is a tough matchup for opponents, and he’s backed up by sharp-shooting, veteran teammates. The Pirates beat Grundy Center – their quarterfinal opponent – in the regular season. Hudson lost badly to Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Feb. 10, but we imagine that helped this team improve.
But then there’s top-seeded Western Christian. Led by Kaden Van Regenmorter (19.4 pts., 5.9 reb., 3.7 ast.), it looks like all the pieces are there for the Wolfpack. Plus, losing the title to Central Lyon last season should serve as major motivation for the Western Christian players who experienced that loss in the championship game.
Runner-up: Hudson
Class1A: North Linn
It must be North Linn, right?
There is no current team in 1A as historically dominant as the Lynx, especially with Mike Hilmer at the helm. He continues to produce championship-winning results, and it doesn’t seem like this year will be any different. With Mason Bechen and Ty Pflughaupt – who each average over 20 points per game – this is a tough team to slow down.
A few of the other teams in the bracket could make things interesting. But it’s tough to beat North Linn’s resume…and the experience that comes with playing in the championship game on what feels like an annual basis.
Runner-up: Lake Mills
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament predictions 2024
