The N.C. High School Athletic Association boys basketball playoffs begin Tuesday.

In this boys basketball playoff preview, we handed out bracket superlatives, gave four favorites and one dark horse for each region, and even made championship predictions.

We also listed the top 10 players in each bracket half. Many of these players are candidates for our all-state teams that are released a few weeks after the regular season. There’s a first, second, and third team of 15 players each, plus an honorable mention team of 30.

Before reading, don’t miss out on these links to our boys basketball coverage from this year.

4A East

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (17) Heritage @ (16) Chapel Hill. In the first matchup between these two teams this season, Chapel Hill won by three points. The teams finished top 14 in 4A East RPI but were bumped a couple of spots down to make room for conference champions.
• Best chance at a first round upset — (18) Broughton @ (15) Cardinal Gibbons. Broughton has already defeated Gibbons this season.
• The hardest road — (4) Jordan. The Falcons should be able to handle Pine Forest, but then they’ll likely face a Clayton team that has as much talent as anyone in round two. I’m round three, Jordan is assured to get a quality Wake County opponent. If they get to round four, it’s the top team in the East: New Hanover.
• The easiest road — (3) Sanderson. If the Spartans can get past battle-tested Laney or Millbrook in the second round, they’ll have a favorable matchup in the third round. The bottom quarter of the bracket should beat itself up before hypothetically facing Sanderson in the fourth round.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

1. Favorite #1 — (1) New Hanover
2. Favorite #2 — (3) Sanderson
3. Favorite #3 — (2) Garner
4. Favorite #4 — (4) Jordan
5. Dark horse — (13) Clayton. HSOT’s preseason No. 1 in the 919 had some difficulties gelling at first, but it’s shown the ability to contend with the best, as evidenced by the win over New Hanover.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Rodmik Allen, New Hanover
2. Will James Jr., Holly Springs
3. Isaac Ericksen, Green Level
4. Nathan Fife, Sanderson
5. Jordan Page, Broughton
6. Rivers Knight, Jordan
7. Andrew Grimes, Clayton
8. Isaiah Green, Knightdale
9. Ryder Strand, Heritage
10. Cash McSweeney, Cardinal Gibbons

4A West

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (19) South Mecklenburg @ (14) Davie County. Both teams have some nice wins this year against top seeds and are known for playing solid team ball.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (22) Olympic @ (11) East Forsyth. For most of the year, this wouldn’t have been considered an upset.
• The hardest road — (4) McDowell. Congrats Titans, here’s possibly (13) Chambers in the second round, and if you win that you’ve got either (12) Mooresville or (5) Independence next, and (1) Lake Norman stands between you and Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
• The easiest road — (3) North Mecklenburg. The Vikings just got a wake-up call in the conference tournament and would be at home until the fourth round. No one on its bracket half can match their athleticism, though some teams could disrupt their pace of play.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (1) Lake Norman
• Favorite #2 — (3) North Mecklenburg
• Favorite #3 — (13) Chambers
• Favorite #4 — (2) West Forsyth
• Dark horse — (10) Mount Tabor. The Spartans are always a tough out, and their possible path to the fourth round doesn’t have anyone they’d fear – thanks to great familiarity with (2) West Forsyth already.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Trent Steinour, Lake Norman
2. Chadlyn Traylor, North Mecklenburg
3. Markus Kerr, Chambers
4. K.J. Younger, Weddington
5. Jacari Brim, West Forsyth
6. Tre McKinnon, Lake Norman
7. Tarris Bouie III, Chambers
8. Brett Freeman, Ardrey Kell
9. Shamarius Peterkin, Mount Tabor
10. Rylan Parkins, McDowell

4A Championship and regional final picks

• 4A East: New Hanover over Sanderson
• 4A West: Lake Norman over North Mecklenburg
• 4A championship: New Hanover over Lake Norman

3A East

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (19) Hunt at (14) Croatan. Croatan can let it fly from deep and Hunt likes to get up and down the floor. This one should be a treat.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (28) Union Pines at (5) Northern Nash. Union Pines took down Pinecrest and Southern Lee this year, so while Northern Nash has size, the Vikings could have enough in them to take down the Knights.
• The hardest road — (4) Person. The Rockets are good enough to win this region, but a lineup of possibly (13) Orange in the second round (they’ve played three times this year) and whoever they’d face in the third round is tougher than other paths.
• The easiest road — (2) Southern Durham. There’s no one on the Spartans’ half of the bracket aside from Seventy-First that can match their athleticism.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (2) Southern Durham
• Favorite #2 — (1) Swansboro
• Favorite #3 — (6) Seventy-First
• Favorite #4 — (4) Person
• Dark horse — (8) Southern Lee. The Cavaliers play good enough defense that they can string together some wins. Can they shoot it well enough to pull it off?

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Jackson Keith, Southern Durham
2. C.J. Rosser, Northern Nash
3. Jermaine Cunningham, Swansboro
4. Tayvion Tangiora, Swansboro
5. DeAndre Nance, Seventy-First
6. Trey Jones, Croatan
7. William Monk, Fike
8. Mason Dobie, First Flight
9. Kannon McBride, Croatan
10. Nysheed Williams, Southern Lee

3A West

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (19) Hickory @ (14) East Lincoln. This will be the fourth time at the Western Foothills Conference opponent based off the season. Each of the previous games were decided by six or fewer points. East Lincoln is 2-1 so far.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (25) Concord @ (8) Ledford. Concord is battle-tested from the South Piedmont Conference, while Ledford of the Mid-Piedmont Conference is one of the lowest-ranked conference champions.
• The hardest road — (5) North Lincoln. A potential second round matchup with Huss is tough. The Huskies finished with the No. 5 RPI in the 3A West, while North Lincoln finished with the No. 9. After that, you’re looking at Franklin or Jay M. Robinson, both of which were ranked in the top eight of the 3A West and have marquee wins in their portfolios.
• The easiest road — (1) Ashbrook. Sometimes it’s as simple as the top seed having the easiest road. Each potential matchup in the first three rounds appears favorable and whichever team the Green Wave would face in the fourth round will have survived some intense, physical games.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (2) East Henderson
• Favorite #2 — (1) Ashbrook
• Favorite #3 — (3) Dudley
• Favorite #4 — (11) Ben L. Smith
• Dark horse — (7) Freedom. The Patriots could either be one-and-done or get to the third or fourth round. It’s a fun team that could be hitting its stride.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Caiden Brewer, East Henderson
2. Jyi Dawkins, Ben L. Smith
3. Amore Connelly, Freedom
4. Jaleel Smith, Huss
5. Isaac Byers Jr., Ashbrook
6. Jaxon Dollar, East Lincoln
7. Max McClure, Franklin
8. CJ Neely, Dudley
9. Lyrik Pettis, Crest
10. Kellen Karr, North Lincoln

3A Championship and regional final picks

• 3A East: Southern Durham over Swansboro
• 3A West: Ben L. Smith over Jay M. Robinson
• 3A championship: Southern Durham over Ben L. Smith

2A East

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (19) Goldsboro at (14) SouthWest Edgecombe. SouthWest has had a strong season, so drawing a team that made it to Winston-Salem a year ago is going to be a tough pill to swallow… but the fans will love it.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (23) J.F. Webb at (10) Whiteville. The Warriors won’t be intimidated going into Whiteville, and played in a much tougher conference.
• The hardest road — (4) West Bladen could get (13) Washington in the second round potentially followed by (12) Kinston in the third with a likely trip to (1) Farmville Central in the fourth? Yikes.
• The easiest road — (3) Northwood may not be the Chargers of last year, but the bracket could still have them looking at a fast trip to the third or fourth round so long as they hold serve.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (1) Farmville Central
• Favorite #2 — (4) West Bladen
• Favorite #3 — (3) Northwood
• Favorite #4 — (13) Washington
• Dark horse — (6) South Granville. The Vikings are more under the radar because they share a league with 3A East favorite Southern Durham, but the bracket is set up where they could be making their way to Winston-Salem if the chips fall the right way.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. M.J. Williams, Farmville Central
2. Chaise Smith, Washington
3. Chase Williams, West Bladen
4. Tyreek Copper, Kinston
5. Cam Fowler, Northwood
6. Malekhi Hutchinson, Southwest Onslow
7. Daniel Wright, J.F. Webb
8. Mason Brown, South Granville
9. Rimiez Williams, Hertford County
10. Josiah Billings, Fairmont

2A West

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (17) Walkertown at (16) North Stanly. Both teams are better than their seeds indicate and both would be dangerous anywhere else in the bracket besides sitting just under (1) Reidsville.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (23) T.W. Andrews at (10) Owen. You might even say this shouldn’t be considered an upset. T.W. Andrews is battle-tested.
• The hardest road — (5) Maiden won a tough league but would have to get through a fourth game against (12) Lincolnton in the second round and a possible road game at (4) Salisbury in the third, plus (1) Reidsville waiting in the fourth.
• The easiest road — (2) Randleman. The Tigers managed to dodge many of the top players and teams in the bracket until the fourth round, and even then they’re in decent shape.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (1) Reidsville
• Favorite #2 — (5) Maiden
• Favorite #3 — (2) Randleman
• Favorite #4 — (4) Salisbury
• Dark horse — (6) Lincoln Charter. The Eagles have been flying under the radar for most of the year but had a good draw in the bracket.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Dionte Neal, Reidsville
2. Kendre Harrison, Reidsville
3. L.J. Smith, Lincolnton
4. Johnniyus Sharpe, Reidsville
5. Tyshaun Goldston, Randleman
6. Myles Smith, Salisbury
7. Raheim Misher, Maiden
8. Landon Vaughn, Bandys
9. Dermot Lowry, Community School of Davidson
10. Jayden Little, Anson

2A Championship and regional final picks

• 2A East: Farmville Central over West Bladen
• 2A West: Reidsville over Randleman
• 2A championship: Reidsville over Farmville Central

1A East

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (18) North Edgecombe at (15) Warren County. The Tar-Roanoke seems to always have a few of these first-round rematches that go down to the wire.
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (24) KIPP-Pride at (9) Ocracoke. Yes, this wouldn’t be an upset in most minds, but it would look that way on paper.
• The hardest road — (3) Lakewood. The Leopards could have tougher draws in the second and third and fourth round than that of other top seeds in the bracket.
• The easiest road — (4) Voyager. Three of the seven teams that they could meet before the fourth round are teams from their own conference.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (2) Southern Wake
• Favorite #2 — (10) Wilson Prep
• Favorite #3 — (3) Lakewood
• Favorite #4 — (4) Voyager
• Dark horse — (14) Bertie. Not saying the Falcons will go to Winston-Salem, but they’re capable of ruining a few dreams during their run. They’re coming off an impressive run to a Four Rivers Conference tournament championship.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. Zymiere Dempsey, Bertie
2. Xavier Hall, Lakewood
3. Seung Surmons, Southern Wake
4. Keonte Barron, Wilson Prep
5. Brennan Oldham, Chatham Central
6. Brandon Carter Jr., Washington County
7. Kobe Plata, Southern Wake
8. Reid Albright, Chatham Central
9. Donavan Dickens, Wilson Prep
10. Cameron Williams, Lakewood

1A West

Bracket Superlatives

• Best first-round matchup — (21) N.C. Leadership Academy at (12) College Prep & Leadership. Will real leadership please stand up?
• Best chance at a first-round upset — (25) Hayesville at (8) Thomasville. There typically aren’t too many true upsets in 1A basketball, but this one could work.
• The hardest road — (5) Corvian Community. Congrats reigning runner-up, here’s the hardest side of the bracket and you’d be on the road for the fourth round.
• The easiest road — (3) Queen’s Grant. The Stallions have a clear path to the fourth round, and they’ve never been that far before.

Four Favorites and a Dark Horse

• Favorite #1 — (5) Corvian Community
• Favorite #2 — (1) Bishop McGuinness
• Favorite #3 — (3) Queen’s Grant
• Favorite #4 — (2) South Stokes
• Dark horse — (12) College Prep & Leadership. The Royals have the talent to go toe-to-toe with top teams. They are prepared and good leaders. The downside is their bracket luck.

Our Top 10 Players in the Region

1. RJ Moore, Corvian Community
2. KJ Shouse Jr., Carolina International School
3. Timothy Brower, Eastern Randolph
4. Nicholas Graves, Bishop McGuinness
5. Brady Clark, South Stokes
6. Robert Knotts III, College Prep & Leadership Academy
7. Chase Smith, Queen’s Grant Community
8. Jaxon Mabe, Uwharrie Charter
9. Bryce Adams, Robbinsville
10. Doug Quarles III, Corvian Community

1A Championship and regional final picks

• 1A East: Southern Wake Academy over Voyager Academy
• 1A West: Bishop McGuinness over Queen’s Grant Community
• 1A championship: Southern Wake Academy over Bishop McGuinness