Louisiana High School Boys Basketball Playoff Bracketology: Divisions I & II

High School on SI previews the LHSAA postseason.

St. Thomas More coach Danny Broussard / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There will be 10 state champions crowned in the coming weeks in Louisiana high school boys basketball with the opening round of the playoffs set to unfold Friday.

Here is a look at the top two divisions with favorites, intriguing matchups and potential upsets. You can find the complete brackets here: LHSAA brackets.

Division I Nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive byes)

1. Zachary (29-4)

2. Ruston (20-3)

3. Natchitoches-Central (27-4)

4. Denham Springs (26-6)

5. Westgate (18-5)

6. Central-BR (21-7)

7. Sulphur (27-4)

8. St. Amant (27-5)

9. Northshore (22-9)

10. Slidell (24-7)

Oops! We did it again: Three of the top four seeds - Zachary, Denham Springs and Natchitoches-Central - made the state tournament last season. Zachary won the title by downing district rival Central in the finals. Denham Springs, a No. 3 seed last year, edged Ruston in the 2024-25 quarterfinals. Central lost a couple of games late in the season without some of its top players, including Jace Conrad. The Wildcats could travel to Natchitoches-Central in the quarterfinals.

Quartefiinal game we'd love to see: No. 5 Westgate at No. 4 Denham Springs. If you like fast-paced basketball, Denham Springs scored 102 points and Westgate had 93 in games this season.

They'll have to work to get there. Sophomore-laden Westgate, which faces No. 28 Terrebonne (13-13) in bi-district, would get either No. 12 Neville (20-9) or No. 21 Southside (18-14) in the second round. Neville has great size and a strong, physical team. The Tigers lost seven of eight before winning eight of their last nine, including a victory over Alexandria. Southside has played a stout schedule, with 24 games away from its gym. The Sharks had 13 straight road games at one point.

Denham Springs hosts the winner of No. 13 Destrehan/No. 20 New Iberia. The Wildcats (22-9) have won 12 of 13 games. New Iberia has a 13-12 record.

Division I Select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. John Curtis Christian (25-2)

2. Alexandria (29-3)

3. St. Augustine (27-4)

4. St. Thomas More (26-8)

5. Teurlings Catholic (21-6)

6. Archbishop Rummel (20-11)

7. Tioga (27-7)

8. Jesuit (18-10)

Catholic League excellence: Six of the top 11 seeds are from District 9-5A in New Orleans. In addition to Curtis, St. Aug, Rummel and Jesuit in the top eight, there's No. 10 Brother Martin (21-10) and No. 11 Edna Karr (24-10).

Curtis and Jesuit & St. Aug and Rummel could meet in the quarterfinals. The defending state champion Purple Knights drummed Rummel by 20 points (69-49) in the regular season. John Curtis, which lost on a buzzer-beater in last year's semifinal to St. Thomas More, beat Jesuit by 11 points to win its second straight league title and lost a previous meeting by one point.

Upset specials: No. 17 Woodlawn-BR and Kingston Jarrell (16-15) over No. 16 McDonogh 35 (22-10) and No. 9 Huntington (19-8) over No. 8 Jesuit in the second round. Woodlawn is battle-tested, coming out of the district with Zachary, Catholic BR and Central (which it defeated). Huntington at Curtis in the quarterfinals has the potential to be epic. Can the Raiders survive back-to-back trips from Shreveport to New Orleans? Also, we're picking No. 10 Brother Martin over No. 7 Tioga. The Crusaders, who face No. 23 Scotlandville (15-17) in bi-district, topped Jesuit and St. Aug near the end of the regular season.

Lafayette Holy War quarterfinal? No. 4 St. Thomas More could face two local teams in its first two games if No. 13 Lafayette and No. 5 Teurlings Catholic win as projected. Teurlings Catholic split games with St. Thomas More - both on the Rebels' court - in the regular season. In the latter meeting, the Rebels' three big men - Jordan Senegal, AJ Price and De'Von Warren - accounted for all of the scoring in a 49-39 loss. The Rebels don't have an easy draw with the winner of No. 12 Catholic BR (17-12) and No. 21 St. Paul's (17-12). The Bears own the only win in 2026 (on the court) vs. Division II select frontrunner Washington-Marion.

Lafayette High (21-7), which lost three of its last seven games (all District 3-5A), can be a dangerous team with 6-foot-5 Sprague Hebert. STM, winners of 16 of its last 17 games, doubled up a good Neville team early in the season 53-26 at home. Matthew Cook is an excellent perimeter shooter, while 6-foot-5 Ryan Robertson (both juniors) has been a star all season. Senior Mack Tasman stepped up after another 6-foot-5 junior, Michael Lacour II, was lost for the season due to injury.

Division II Nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive byes)

1. Wossman (21-7)

2. Northwest (22-7)

3. Brusly (22-5)

4. Bossier (20-9)

5. Franklin Parish (21-7)

6. DeRidder (22-7)

7. Plaquemine (20-11)

8. West Feliciana (21-10)

9. Opelousas (22-11)

10. Belle Chasse (22-11)

Upset special: No. 22 Cecilia (13-13) over No. 11 Sterlington (23-9). A few years ago, Cecilia made the quarterfinals as a No. 29 seed. They'll have to make a long road trip north of Monroe to clash with Sterlington's leading career scorer, Cooper Nelson. From top to bottom, Cecilia's district is tougher than Sterlington's Class 3A league. In fact, the Bulldogs could meet a 5-4A rival if No. 27 Breaux Bridge (12-16) and Cottrell Gordon can surprise DeRidder, which bounced back from a 2-5 start to win 20 of its last 22, including a victory over Zwolle. Malik Joseph and Jermaine Davis are active guards for Cecilia.

Upset special part II: No. 21 North Vermilion (13-15) over No. 12 Abbeville (19-11). We're sticking with the same blueprint, this time a Class 4A team from a rugged district (St. Thomas More, Westgate, David Thibodaux, Northside and Teurlings Catholic) vs. a parish rival from an average Class 3A league. (Note: North Vermilion forfeited the game due to an inelgible player).

North by Northwest: The Northwest Raiders, who feature 1,000-point scorer Courtlon Young, sensational junior Markez Davis and college football signee Reginald Lavergne, should face West Baton Rouge parish rival schools Plaquemine and Brusly in the third and fourth rounds. Northwest edged Brusly in the regular season. They're hard to face at home in the boondocks northwest of Opelousas. That could prove beneficial for the Class 3A Raiders vs. a solid 4A Plaquemines squad in the quarterfinals.

Division II Select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Madison Prep (29-4)

2. Pebody Magnet (27-2)

3. Washington-Marion (18-8)

4. Parkview Baptist (24-7)

5. Lake Charles College Prep (21-6)

6. John F. Kennedy (22-8)

7. University Lab (20-10)

8. Archbishop Hannan (17-12)

Top heavy? Madison Prep and Peabody were the top two overall teams in the most recent Top 25 rankings, although the Warhorses suffered (an unofficial) defeat last Saturday in the Hall of Fame Game to Marksville. Madison Prep has a win over Zachary, as does University Lab, which lost Ethan Kimmie to the Broncos (transfer).

Upset special: No. 9 David Thibodaux over No. 8 Archbishop Hannan, which is the reigning state champion. The Bulldogs have three tough guards in Ja'Nathan Dalcour, Bryston Sledge and Kortlan Williams who can penetrate and dish to their corner shooters or drain the long ball themselves. David Thibodaux hosts No. 24 Sophie B. Wright (15-15) first.

Lake Charles College Prep is our prediction to make the semifinals vs. Madison Prep. The Trailblazers added a key piece with Javon Vital, a highly touted football and basketball player who transferred from Hamilton Christian. No. 12 Northside (20-13) is a formidable regional opponent for LCCP, coming out of the district wtih St. Thomas More, Westgate and Teurlings. The Vikings also have played Northwest, Peabody and Madison Prep.

John F. Kennedy had the state's longest winning streak snapped in a loss to St. Aug in its last game. We're predicting No. 11 Archbishop Shaw (23-9) over JFK in the second round. That would send the Eagles, last year's runner up to Hannan, to Washington-Marion in the quarterfinals. The Indians haven't lost but one game on the court (two forfeits) since dropping four straight in December.

Upset special part II: No. 19 George Washington Carter (16-13) over No. 14 The Willow School (15-12). In a meeting of NOLA schools, the program with a rich history prevails.

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