KHSAA conducts Sweet 16 draws. See where Northern Kentucky teams stand.
Northern Kentucky teams know their potential paths to a state championship after the Kentucky High School Athletic Association conducted the draws for the Sweet 16 state tournaments Monday.
Both basketball tournaments will be held inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, with the 63rd installment of the Girls’ Sweet 16® taking place March 13-16 and the 106th Boys’ Sweet 16® scheduled one week later on March 20-23.
Each game of the 2024 Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16® will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network to subscribers. A monthly subscription to the NFHS Network entitles users to every broadcast by the KHSAA and the more than 45 participating state associations.
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Here’s a quick look at the draws for local teams:
Girls Eighth Region: Simon Kenton and Grant County would play the Sixth Region champion. The favorite is Louisville Butler, who is ranked 11th in last week’s Kentucky Media Poll and 19-7 overall. Butler has lost by 17 to Ninth Region defending champion Cooper and by seven to Ryle.
Girls Ninth Region: The Ninth Region has four teams in the top 15 in the state media poll, led by Cooper in second. Holy Cross, Ryle and Notre Dame are also ranked. The Ninth Region plays the 12th Region. Pulaski County and Danville Christian are receiving votes in the state media poll and Pulaski County has been in the top 15 for parts of the season.
The Ninth Region plays either the Second Region or Third Region in the second round. Owensboro Catholic of Region Three is ranked seventh in the state.
The Ninth Region would avoid three-time defending state champion and heavy favorite Sacred Heart until the semifinals, assuming SHA wins the Seventh Region.
Girls 10th Region: George Rogers Clark, the 10th Region favorite, would play the Seventh Region champ, likely Sacred Heart, in the first round.
Boys Eighth Region: The 32nd District, led by top seed Walton-Verona (19-8), is the only local group that drew a short straw in the bracket. The Eighth Region plays the 11th, led by the top two teams in the state media poll, Great Crossing (26-1) and Lexington Catholic (24-2).
Boys Ninth and 10th regions: The regions drew each other in the first round on Thursday, March 21. Campbell County (18-6) is in contention in the 10th Region, led by George Rogers Clark (24-2), ranked ninth in the state poll. Campbell lost by three to GRC, 63-60, in the season's second game.
The Ninth, of course, is one of the deepest regions in the state, with Cooper, Covington Catholic, Lloyd Memorial and defending champion Newport leading the contenders.
The winner of this game plays either the Fourth Region or the 13th Region in the quarterfinals. The Fourth is led by Bowling Green, ranked eighth in the state, and the 13th is led by 11th-ranked Harlan County.
Fourth-ranked Trinity is the highest-ranked potential opponent in the semifinals. The top-two pair of Great Crossing and LexCath, and fifth-ranked Lyon County led by UK commit and the state’s all-time leading scorer Travis Perry, are on the other half of the draw.
Girls Sweet 16
Games are listed in bracket order.
Girls first round: Wednesday, March 13 - 4 vs. 14, 11 a.m.; 1 vs. 16, 1:30 p.m.; 6 vs. 8, 6 p.m.; 11 vs. 13, 8:30 p.m.
Girls first round: Thursday, March 14 – 7 vs. 10, 6 p.m.; 5 vs. 15, 11 a.m.; 9 vs. 12, 8:30 p.m.; 2 vs. 3, 1:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 15 – 4/14 vs. 1/16, 11 a.m.; 6/8 vs. 11/13, 1:30 p.m.; 7/10 vs. 5/15, 6 p.m.; 9/12 vs. 2/3, 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Saturday, March 16 – 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Championship game: Saturday, March 16 – 7:30 p.m.
Boys Sweet 16
Games are listed in bracket order.
Boys first round: Wednesday, March 20 – 14 vs. 15, 11 a.m.; 8 vs. 11, 8:30 p.m.; 2 vs. 16, 1:30 p.m.; 1 vs. 5, 6 p.m.
Boys first round: Thursday, March 21 – 4 vs. 13, 11 a.m.; 9 vs. 10, 8:30 p.m.; 7 vs. 12, 6 p.m.; 3 vs. 6, 1:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 22 – 14/15 vs. 8/11, 11 a.m.; 2/16 vs. 1/5, 1:30 p.m.; 4/13 vs. 9/10, 6 p.m.; 7/12 vs. 3/6, 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals: Saturday, March 23 – 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Championship game: Saturday, March 23 – 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: KHSAA conducts Sweet 16 draws. See where Northern Kentucky teams stand.
