2023 Class AAAA Boys Basketball Section Preview

 As girls basketball heads into section final action the boys begin their Road to The Barn.  Here's a preview of the eight Class AAAA sections.  

The top seed in Section 1 is the Lakeville North Panthers who have gone 16-1 since an overtime loss to the Eastview Lightning January 10.  Can they get past the second seeded Farmington Tigers who enter sections on a five game winning streak?  

It's been a great winter sports season for Minnetonka as both the boys and girls hockey teams advanced to the state tournament.  Now it's the boys basketball team's turn to hold a top seed in Section 2.  They swept the second seeded Edina Hornets in the regular season.  Is a third meeting possible in the section final?  

The top two seeds in Section 3 come from the South Suburban Conference, the Eastview Lightning and the Eagan Wildcats.  The Wildcats look to end a four game losing streak.  Don't count out the third seeded Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars, led by one of the state's top juniors Dan Freitag.  

Over in Section 4, the top seeded East Ridge Raptors could head to state for the first time since 2019.  But a couple of their Suburban East Conference foes could keep the Raptor fan buses from heading down I-94.  They are the second seeded White Bear Lake Bears and the third seeded Stillwater Ponies.  Who will win, place and show in the section?  

The top seed in Section 5 is the defending Class AAAA champion Park Center Pirates.  The Pirates hope to bounce back after losing their regular season finale to the second seeded Maple Grove Crimson.  Can the Pirates steer their ship into a section final rematch with the Crimson?  

Section 6's top seed the Wayzata Trojans lost in last years Class AAAA final to Park Center and look to return to The Barn.  They swept the season series with their Lake Conference rival, the second seeded Hopkins Royals.  But there a couple of teams that could spoil the Lake's dominance, the third seeded Cooper Hawks and the fourth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers.  It has the makings of a great section.  

Heading to Section 7 where the top two seeds have identical 19-7 records, the Andover Huskies and the Duluth East Greyhounds.  Also in the mix is the third seeded Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets.  

Section 8 could be a three team race with the top seeded Buffalo Bison, the second seeded Moorhead Spuds and the third seeded Brainerd Warriors.  The Bison's only section defeat was to the Warriors.  Is a rematch possible for a state tournament berth?  

Next the eight Class AAA sections.