With December boys basketball comes the IHSA’s release of sectional assignments across the state.
All eyes were on where DePaul Prep would land after winning a Class 2A title in 2023 and back-to-back Class 3A titles in 2024 and 2025. The answer, while not a real surprise, is north, where coach Tom Kleinschmidt’s top-ranked Rams will join Evanston, New Trier, Loyola, St. Patrick and Lincoln Park, among other teams.
If DePaul — which could face a ranked team as early as the regional final — survives that loaded north sectional, it likely would face Fremd, Hersey, Stevenson or Palatine in the supersectional.
Here are a few other highlights from Friday’s release:
• As was the case a year ago, the Public League’s top teams were grouped together — minus Lincoln Park, which was moved to the aforementioned sectional with DePaul and several other North Shore schools. The remaining top city teams, including Curie, Kenwood, Young and Simeon, are still together. Among those joining them in their sectional will be St. Ignatius, Lyons and St. Laurence, who were a combined 23-1 as of Friday.
• Benet and Warren, the two teams in last year’s Class 4A state title game, are ranked No. 7 and No. 5, respectively. If they collide again this year, it won’t be in Champaign but instead in a supersectional.
Benet, the defending 4A champ, remains in the same top-heavy sectional with Bolingbrook, Neuqua Valley and Oswego East. Warren likely will be favored to win its sectional again, although North Suburban Conference rival Waukegan stands in the way.
• Marist hasn’t won a sectional title in 45 years. This might be its best team and best opportunity, as only one other ranked team, Homewood-Flossmoor, is in its sectional.
• Unbeaten Geneva, which won 4A sectional championships in 2015 and 2019, has dropped from Class 4A to Class 3A. The Vikings are now primed to take advantage of what appears to be an extremely light 3A field, starting with the Woodstock North Sectional. Geneva, Kaneland, Woodstock and surprising Cary-Grove appear to be the cream of the crop.
• Deerfield, which has taken its lumps in the last week, losing to 4A programs Evanston, St. Patrick and New Trier, needs to be building for March. The Warriors, who last won a sectional title in 1997, will host a Class 3A sectional and no doubt will be favored.
• Four of the Chicago-area Class 3A sectionals don’t have a single team that has been ranked this season.
• Based on rankings and play over the first three weeks, here’s how the four super-sectional matchups could look in three months: Glenbard East vs. Curie; Marist vs. Rock Island; Fremd vs. DePaul; Benet vs. Warren. The four winners would meet in the state semifinals in Champaign.