Pardon my tardiness... I was distracted by our Beloved Northside Hitless Wonders the last 2 days.
Every Monday, I bracket the 256 playoff teams using the IHSA Playoff Outlook. This is NOT a prediction. These are NOT my opinions. It is simply the most logical way the playoffs would be bracketed, using the IHSA's specific system, if today's standings were the final standings.
Each week I usually have to add/subtract teams to get a true 256. The Outlook doesn't adjust for a conference champion falling below the cutoff. I take care of that before proceeding.
My adjustments.....
I made sure to keep conference leaders Wood River-East Alton (3-3/23) and Clemente (3-3/22) in the field of 256. Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Outlook is WRONG again. Unreal. But, this week proved to be pretty easy. I started with a field comprised of every team with a 3-3 record or better AND in which every 6-member conference was represented at least once. This gave us 313 teams.
I need to eliminate 57 teams. Starting at the bottom (3A Westmont 3-3/12), I begin crossing out teams until I'm left with 378 teams, all being conference reps or 3-3/27. I need to eliminate 22 more teams. Let's count how many teams are 3-3/27..... TWENTY-TWO! My lucky day. Cross off all those guys, and we're left with 256 teams and a clean cutoff of 28 playoff points.
The classes I'm left with, per the Outlook, are 34-33-34-30-33-34-25-33 from biggest to smallest. Scoot some teams up and down until we're balanced, plug 'em in, and go hang with wifey because there isn't a local baseball to watch for just the second time in 44 days... Damn you, Cubs!
* is the smallest team in the class
^ is the biggest team in the class
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Edwardsville at #1 Brother Rice
#17 Glenbard West at #16 New Trier
#25 St. Charles East at #8 Maine South
#24 Bartlett at #9 Bolingbrook
#29 Barrington at #4 Oswego East
#20 Neuqua Valley at #13 Plainfield South
#28 Loyola at #5 Oswego
#21 Evanston at #12 West Aurora
Lower Bracket
#31 Taft at #2 Lincoln-Way East
#18 Warren at #15 Stevenson
#26 Oak Park at #7 Marist
#23 Minooka at #10 Hinsdale Central
#30 Fremd at #3 Glenbard East* (2263)
#19 Naperville Central at #14 South Elgin
#27 Huntley at #6 Homewood-Flossmoor
#22 Conant at #11 Waubonsie Valley
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Schaumburg at #1 Nazareth
#17 Normal at #16 Maine West
#25 Rockford East at #8 Hoffman Estates
#24 Lincoln-Way Central at #9 TF South
#29 Highland Park at #4 Hononegah
#20 Belleville West at #13 St. Charles North
#28 Alton at #5 Rolling Meadows
#21 Benet Academy at #12 DeKalb
Lower Bracket
#31 Prospect at #2 Simeon^ (2202.75)
#18 Wheaton-Warrenville South at #15 Andrew
#26 Lincoln-Way West at #7 Willowbrook
#23 Lake Zurich at #10 Mount Carmel
#30 Wheaton North at #3 Hersey
#19 Moline at #14 Harlem
#27 Glenbrook North at #6 Batavia
#22 Reavis* (1792) at #11 East St. Louis
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Fenton at #1 Richards
#9 Hubbard #8 Notre Dame
#13 Von Steuben at #4 Antioch
#12 Lemont at #5 Kaneland
#15 Wheeling at #2 Cary-Grove
#10 Hinsdale South at #7 Lakes
#14 Lake Forest at #3 Kenwood
#11 Phillips at #6 Prairie Ridge
Lower Bracket
#16 TF North at #1 Washington
#9 Bloomington at #8 Peoria
#13 Dunlap* (1304) at #4 Normal West
#12 Thornton at #5 Yorkville^ (1781)
#15 Rock Island at #2 Glenwood
#10 Sacred Heart-Griffin at #7 Shepard
#14 Crete-Monee at #3 Providence
#11 Springfield at #6 Quincy
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Marian Central Catholic at #1 Sterling
#9 Amundson #8 Sycamore
#13 De La Salle at #4 St. Francis
#12 Glenbard South at #5 Back of the Yards
#15 Westinghouse at #2 Payton
#10 St. Patrick at #7 Elmwood Park
#14 Rochelle at #3 Montini
#11 Ridgewood at #6 Boylan Catholic* (856)
Lower Bracket
#16 Joliet Catholic at #1 Metamora
#9 MacArthur #8 Marton
#13 Peoria Notre Dame at #4 Mattoon
#12 Champaign Central at #5 Cahokia
#15 Rich East at #2 Hillcrest
#10 Mascoutah at #7 Marion
#14 CVS at #3 Highland
#11 Perspectives/Leadership^ (1295) at #6 Carbondale
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Clemente at #1 Immaculate Conception
#9 Stillman Valley #8 Evergreen Park
#13 Morris^ (851) at #4 Richmond-Burton
#12 Hyde Park at #5 Ag Science
#15 Wheaton Academy at #2 Genoa-Kingston
#10 Dixon at #7 Marengo
#14 St. Edward at #3 Johnsburg
#11 Raby at #6 Urban Prep/Bronzeville
Lower Bracket
#16 Civic Memorial at #1 Pontiac
#9 Breese Central #8 Herrin
#13 Richland County at #4 Taylorville
#12 Freeburg at #5 Columbia
#15 Salem at #2 Paris* (581)
#10 Murphysboro at #7 Rochester
#14 Mount Zion at #3 Mater Dei
#11 Effingham at #6 Coal City
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Princeton at #1 Elmwood-Brimfield
#9 Clark #8 Monmouth-Roseville
#13 Seneca at #4 Bishop McNamara
#12 Urban Prep/Englewood at #5 Dunbar
#15 Herscher at #2 Lisle
#10 Hall* (437) at #7 Prairie Central
#14 Wilmington at #3 Byron
#11 North Boone at #6 Eureka
Lower Bracket
#16 Wood River-East Alton at #1 Beardstown
#9 St. Joseph-Ogden at #8 Frankfort
#13 Anna-Jonesboro at #4 Carlinville
#12 St. Thomas More at #5 Monticello
#15 Mt. Carmel at #2 DuQuoin
#10 Greenville at #7 Williamsville
#14 Newton at #3 Farmington
#11 Clinton^ (581) at #6 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
~~~ 2A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Harlan at #1 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
#9 Chicago Christian #8 Rockridge
#13 Rockford Christian at #4 Collins
#12 Clifton Central at #5 Newman Central Catholic
#15 Urban Prep/West at #2 Eastland-Pearl City
#10 ROWVA-Mid County at #7 Mercer County
#14 Deer Creek-Mackinaw at #3 Orion
#11 Hope Academy at #6 Knoxville
Lower Bracket
#16 Oblong at #1 Illini West
#9 Pana at #8 Athens
#13 Marshall at #4 Farfield
#12 Chester at #5 Vandalia^ (429)
#15 Tri-Valley at #2 St. Teresa
#10 Eldorado at #7 Tuscola* (298)
#14 Hamilton-West Hancock at #3 Maroa-Forsyth
#11 Nashville at #6 Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin
Every Monday, I bracket the 256 playoff teams using the IHSA Playoff Outlook. This is NOT a prediction. These are NOT my opinions. It is simply the most logical way the playoffs would be bracketed, using the IHSA's specific system, if today's standings were the final standings.
Each week I usually have to add/subtract teams to get a true 256. The Outlook doesn't adjust for a conference champion falling below the cutoff. I take care of that before proceeding.
My adjustments.....
I made sure to keep conference leaders Wood River-East Alton (3-3/23) and Clemente (3-3/22) in the field of 256. Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Outlook is WRONG again. Unreal. But, this week proved to be pretty easy. I started with a field comprised of every team with a 3-3 record or better AND in which every 6-member conference was represented at least once. This gave us 313 teams.
I need to eliminate 57 teams. Starting at the bottom (3A Westmont 3-3/12), I begin crossing out teams until I'm left with 378 teams, all being conference reps or 3-3/27. I need to eliminate 22 more teams. Let's count how many teams are 3-3/27..... TWENTY-TWO! My lucky day. Cross off all those guys, and we're left with 256 teams and a clean cutoff of 28 playoff points.
The classes I'm left with, per the Outlook, are 34-33-34-30-33-34-25-33 from biggest to smallest. Scoot some teams up and down until we're balanced, plug 'em in, and go hang with wifey because there isn't a local baseball to watch for just the second time in 44 days... Damn you, Cubs!
* is the smallest team in the class
^ is the biggest team in the class
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Edwardsville at #1 Brother Rice
#17 Glenbard West at #16 New Trier
#25 St. Charles East at #8 Maine South
#24 Bartlett at #9 Bolingbrook
#29 Barrington at #4 Oswego East
#20 Neuqua Valley at #13 Plainfield South
#28 Loyola at #5 Oswego
#21 Evanston at #12 West Aurora
Lower Bracket
#31 Taft at #2 Lincoln-Way East
#18 Warren at #15 Stevenson
#26 Oak Park at #7 Marist
#23 Minooka at #10 Hinsdale Central
#30 Fremd at #3 Glenbard East* (2263)
#19 Naperville Central at #14 South Elgin
#27 Huntley at #6 Homewood-Flossmoor
#22 Conant at #11 Waubonsie Valley
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Schaumburg at #1 Nazareth
#17 Normal at #16 Maine West
#25 Rockford East at #8 Hoffman Estates
#24 Lincoln-Way Central at #9 TF South
#29 Highland Park at #4 Hononegah
#20 Belleville West at #13 St. Charles North
#28 Alton at #5 Rolling Meadows
#21 Benet Academy at #12 DeKalb
Lower Bracket
#31 Prospect at #2 Simeon^ (2202.75)
#18 Wheaton-Warrenville South at #15 Andrew
#26 Lincoln-Way West at #7 Willowbrook
#23 Lake Zurich at #10 Mount Carmel
#30 Wheaton North at #3 Hersey
#19 Moline at #14 Harlem
#27 Glenbrook North at #6 Batavia
#22 Reavis* (1792) at #11 East St. Louis
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Fenton at #1 Richards
#9 Hubbard #8 Notre Dame
#13 Von Steuben at #4 Antioch
#12 Lemont at #5 Kaneland
#15 Wheeling at #2 Cary-Grove
#10 Hinsdale South at #7 Lakes
#14 Lake Forest at #3 Kenwood
#11 Phillips at #6 Prairie Ridge
Lower Bracket
#16 TF North at #1 Washington
#9 Bloomington at #8 Peoria
#13 Dunlap* (1304) at #4 Normal West
#12 Thornton at #5 Yorkville^ (1781)
#15 Rock Island at #2 Glenwood
#10 Sacred Heart-Griffin at #7 Shepard
#14 Crete-Monee at #3 Providence
#11 Springfield at #6 Quincy
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Marian Central Catholic at #1 Sterling
#9 Amundson #8 Sycamore
#13 De La Salle at #4 St. Francis
#12 Glenbard South at #5 Back of the Yards
#15 Westinghouse at #2 Payton
#10 St. Patrick at #7 Elmwood Park
#14 Rochelle at #3 Montini
#11 Ridgewood at #6 Boylan Catholic* (856)
Lower Bracket
#16 Joliet Catholic at #1 Metamora
#9 MacArthur #8 Marton
#13 Peoria Notre Dame at #4 Mattoon
#12 Champaign Central at #5 Cahokia
#15 Rich East at #2 Hillcrest
#10 Mascoutah at #7 Marion
#14 CVS at #3 Highland
#11 Perspectives/Leadership^ (1295) at #6 Carbondale
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Clemente at #1 Immaculate Conception
#9 Stillman Valley #8 Evergreen Park
#13 Morris^ (851) at #4 Richmond-Burton
#12 Hyde Park at #5 Ag Science
#15 Wheaton Academy at #2 Genoa-Kingston
#10 Dixon at #7 Marengo
#14 St. Edward at #3 Johnsburg
#11 Raby at #6 Urban Prep/Bronzeville
Lower Bracket
#16 Civic Memorial at #1 Pontiac
#9 Breese Central #8 Herrin
#13 Richland County at #4 Taylorville
#12 Freeburg at #5 Columbia
#15 Salem at #2 Paris* (581)
#10 Murphysboro at #7 Rochester
#14 Mount Zion at #3 Mater Dei
#11 Effingham at #6 Coal City
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Princeton at #1 Elmwood-Brimfield
#9 Clark #8 Monmouth-Roseville
#13 Seneca at #4 Bishop McNamara
#12 Urban Prep/Englewood at #5 Dunbar
#15 Herscher at #2 Lisle
#10 Hall* (437) at #7 Prairie Central
#14 Wilmington at #3 Byron
#11 North Boone at #6 Eureka
Lower Bracket
#16 Wood River-East Alton at #1 Beardstown
#9 St. Joseph-Ogden at #8 Frankfort
#13 Anna-Jonesboro at #4 Carlinville
#12 St. Thomas More at #5 Monticello
#15 Mt. Carmel at #2 DuQuoin
#10 Greenville at #7 Williamsville
#14 Newton at #3 Farmington
#11 Clinton^ (581) at #6 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
~~~ 2A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Harlan at #1 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
#9 Chicago Christian #8 Rockridge
#13 Rockford Christian at #4 Collins
#12 Clifton Central at #5 Newman Central Catholic
#15 Urban Prep/West at #2 Eastland-Pearl City
#10 ROWVA-Mid County at #7 Mercer County
#14 Deer Creek-Mackinaw at #3 Orion
#11 Hope Academy at #6 Knoxville
Lower Bracket
#16 Oblong at #1 Illini West
#9 Pana at #8 Athens
#13 Marshall at #4 Farfield
#12 Chester at #5 Vandalia^ (429)
#15 Tri-Valley at #2 St. Teresa
#10 Eldorado at #7 Tuscola* (298)
#14 Hamilton-West Hancock at #3 Maroa-Forsyth
#11 Nashville at #6 Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin
Last edited:
