4A this year is absolutely loaded with talented teams, and every substate has one or two powers. All this could make for one of the most exciting 4A tournaments in a long time. In their substates the two top seeds in each have a first round bye.
In Substate 1 there is CB Abraham Lincoln, CBTJ, Lewis Central, Sioux City East, SC North and SC West. In this one, SC East is the overwhelming favorite, with possibly Lewis Central or West giving them a problem. East is an offensive juggernaut, but will have to polish their defense to make a run at state if they qualify. Favorite: SC East.
Substate 2 has Ames, Des Moines Lincoln, DM North, Marshalltown, Mason City and Urbandale. Perhaps Ames can cause some trouble, but I'll be shocked if Des Moines North doesn't win all and become a formidable foe for anyone at Wells Fargo Arena. Tyree Locure has been on fire this season. But, North does have four losses, so who knows. Favorite: DM North
Substate 3- Cedar Falls, Western Dubuque, Iowa City, Linn-Mar, Waterloo East and Wat. West make up the six in this bracket. This one is a little more interesting in that, aside from Iowa City, there are five competitive teams. Cedar Falls has had a strong year and would be favored by most, but Linn-Mar can outshoot anyone on a given night, and East, West (which beat Cedar Falls early) and WD are just good enough to manage an upset in any singe game. Favorite: Cedar Falls.
Substate 4- I don't know which IHSAA official had a concussion the day they put Bettendorf and Senior in the same substate, but so be it. This substate has MVC overall champ Dubuque Senior, MAC powerhouse Bettendorf with D.J. Carton, and then CR Washington, Clinton, Davenport North, and Iowa City Liberty, which recently defeated Senior. Bettendorf last year missed two free throws with seconds to play that allowed Senior to win, and you can bet they haven't forgotten that. Also, Senior, due to snow and ice, did not play Cedar Falls or Linn-Mar this year, weakening their schedule somewhat. Favorite: Bettendorf.
Substate 5 has CR Jefferson, Dubuque Hempstead, Muscatine, North Scott, Pleasant Valley and CR Prairie. Muscatine is winless and PV had a bad year. The other four could make this substate interesting. CR Jefferson has been impressive, but not consistent; Dubuque Hempstead relies heavily on two shooters, the Duax brothers. Prairie could win this, and so could a deep North Scott team. Both can be very strong, as Prairie showed in beating IC West Saturday night. Favorite: North Scott.
Substate 6 comprises Burlington, CR Kennedy, Dav. Central, Dav. West, Iowa City West and Ottumwa. Kennedy can be tough on any given night, but the two powers who should fight for the substate title are Dav. Central and Iowa City West. Central can be a little inconsistent, while Iowa City West has played 4A's toughest schedule, according to BC Moore. Favorite: Iowa City West.
Substate 7 has Ankeny, DM Roosevelt, WDM Dowling, Indianola, SE Polk and Valley of West Des Moines. The best three are Ankeny, Dowling and Valley, and while each has been impressive at times this season, Valley has been the most consistent and has a good defense. Favorite: West Des Moines Valley.
Substate 8 is possibly the weakest of the three Des Moines- area substates, but don't tell that to Ankeny Centennial, DM East, DM Hoover, Fort Dodge, Johnston and Waukee. Centennial, Hoover, and Johnston could cause some fuss in the subwstate, but it would be a shocker if tall and veteran Waukee didn't qualify for state. Favorite: Waukee.
I'm sure that I have said something that someone doesn't agree with, so let's hear some comments.
In Substate 1 there is CB Abraham Lincoln, CBTJ, Lewis Central, Sioux City East, SC North and SC West. In this one, SC East is the overwhelming favorite, with possibly Lewis Central or West giving them a problem. East is an offensive juggernaut, but will have to polish their defense to make a run at state if they qualify. Favorite: SC East.
Substate 2 has Ames, Des Moines Lincoln, DM North, Marshalltown, Mason City and Urbandale. Perhaps Ames can cause some trouble, but I'll be shocked if Des Moines North doesn't win all and become a formidable foe for anyone at Wells Fargo Arena. Tyree Locure has been on fire this season. But, North does have four losses, so who knows. Favorite: DM North
Substate 3- Cedar Falls, Western Dubuque, Iowa City, Linn-Mar, Waterloo East and Wat. West make up the six in this bracket. This one is a little more interesting in that, aside from Iowa City, there are five competitive teams. Cedar Falls has had a strong year and would be favored by most, but Linn-Mar can outshoot anyone on a given night, and East, West (which beat Cedar Falls early) and WD are just good enough to manage an upset in any singe game. Favorite: Cedar Falls.
Substate 4- I don't know which IHSAA official had a concussion the day they put Bettendorf and Senior in the same substate, but so be it. This substate has MVC overall champ Dubuque Senior, MAC powerhouse Bettendorf with D.J. Carton, and then CR Washington, Clinton, Davenport North, and Iowa City Liberty, which recently defeated Senior. Bettendorf last year missed two free throws with seconds to play that allowed Senior to win, and you can bet they haven't forgotten that. Also, Senior, due to snow and ice, did not play Cedar Falls or Linn-Mar this year, weakening their schedule somewhat. Favorite: Bettendorf.
Substate 5 has CR Jefferson, Dubuque Hempstead, Muscatine, North Scott, Pleasant Valley and CR Prairie. Muscatine is winless and PV had a bad year. The other four could make this substate interesting. CR Jefferson has been impressive, but not consistent; Dubuque Hempstead relies heavily on two shooters, the Duax brothers. Prairie could win this, and so could a deep North Scott team. Both can be very strong, as Prairie showed in beating IC West Saturday night. Favorite: North Scott.
Substate 6 comprises Burlington, CR Kennedy, Dav. Central, Dav. West, Iowa City West and Ottumwa. Kennedy can be tough on any given night, but the two powers who should fight for the substate title are Dav. Central and Iowa City West. Central can be a little inconsistent, while Iowa City West has played 4A's toughest schedule, according to BC Moore. Favorite: Iowa City West.
Substate 7 has Ankeny, DM Roosevelt, WDM Dowling, Indianola, SE Polk and Valley of West Des Moines. The best three are Ankeny, Dowling and Valley, and while each has been impressive at times this season, Valley has been the most consistent and has a good defense. Favorite: West Des Moines Valley.
Substate 8 is possibly the weakest of the three Des Moines- area substates, but don't tell that to Ankeny Centennial, DM East, DM Hoover, Fort Dodge, Johnston and Waukee. Centennial, Hoover, and Johnston could cause some fuss in the subwstate, but it would be a shocker if tall and veteran Waukee didn't qualify for state. Favorite: Waukee.
I'm sure that I have said something that someone doesn't agree with, so let's hear some comments.
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