NCS basketball playoffs 2025: What to know after Sunday’s seeding assembly

BOYS: WHY CALIFORNIA, NOT DOUGHERTY VALLEY, MADE OPEN

The North Coast Part has gone all in on competitive-based playoffs for all sports activities beginning this faculty yr. The intent is to make every of its playoff divisions as balanced as doable. However in doing so, the part has all however taken the human ingredient out of its seeding course of, as a substitute relying virtually completely on MaxPreps’ pc rankings. Sure, there will be tweaks right here and there as soon as groups are positioned into a particular division. However there can’t be motion from one division to a different based mostly on head-to-head outcomes. That’s the reason the California boys made the Open Division on Sunday and Dougherty Valley didn’t, although Dougherty Valley beat California by 29 factors in the course of the common season and by 16 in final week’s East Bay Athletic League playoffs. Based on MaxPreps, the highest six NCS boys groups on Sunday had been De La Salle, Salesian, San Ramon Valley, Dublin, Liberty and California. Dougherty Valley was seventh. So California will play at third-seeded San Ramon Valley in a first-round recreation on Thursday, figuring out that it already has secured a spot within the NorCal regionals as one of many NCS’s six Open groups. Dougherty Valley, the highest seed in Division I, should win three playoff video games to make it to NorCals. Within the new format, the finalists in Divisions I via V advance, as will the winner of a third-place recreation in every of these divisions. – Darren Sabedra

GIRLS: SALESIAN ALSO BENEFITS FROM MAXPREPS RANKINGS

BOYS: DLS, SALESIAN PRIMED FOR A REMATCH

GIRLS: ACALANES, SRV TEAMS TO BEAT

BOYS: MOREAU CATHOLIC PATH TO A TITLE

Within the NCS’s new playoff format, all groups are positioned in a base division and are allowed to maneuver up or down two ranges at most, until they’re positioned into the Open Division. One crew that benefited immensely from the brand new setup is Moreau Catholic, a Division IV crew by base, a D-I squad in expertise and the No. 1 seed in D-II in actuality. … No different program within the bracket has a perimeter-scoring expertise fairly like Kellen Hampton, a clean 6-foot-7 wing who can rating in any respect three ranges and is dedicated to the College of the Pacific. .. However Moreau (21-5) is greater than only a one-man crew. Dominic Walker is a dynamic ahead who enhances Hampton within the frontcourt, and Isaiah Clendinen and Kareem Jackson are playmakers within the backcourt. Moreau’s prime competitors will seemingly be third-seeded St. Mary’s-Berkeley, which has the dimensions and athleticism to match up with the Hayward faculty. – Joseph Dycus

BOYS AND GIRLS: TOO MANY TEAMS?

You don’t should be nice to make the NCS playoffs. In truth, some groups didn’t even must be common. Eighteen of 96 boys groups and 11 of 86 women groups throughout seven divisions have sub-.500 data. Not an issue, in keeping with Cruickshank. “You can qualify by having a .500 or better record overall, in league, or in base division. One of those three ways. If you did away with one of them you’d have less teams with losing records but also less than full brackets. This gives more of our students an opportunity to compete in the championships.” – Joseph Dycus

BUZZER BEATERS

If there’s a crew that would go on a shock run, it is perhaps eighth-seeded Ygnacio Valley in boys Division I. The Wolves have a top-tier lead guard in Antonio Kellogg and a bevy of dimension and athleticism. Ought to the seeds maintain, the Wolves will tackle Dougherty Valley within the second spherical. YV took Open powerhouse Salesian to the brink in a 71-65 defeat early within the season. …. No. 2 Bishop O’Dowd’s opener in women Division I’ll see the Dragons face American’s 25 level per recreation scorer Shirina Shi. … For the second yr in a row, the Head-Royce boys bought a troublesome draw. They’re the No. 16 seed in Division II, one season after getting the No. 16 seed in NorCal Division III. … In women Division III, No. 10 Monte Vista (12-15) is a darkish horse candidate to go from a dropping report to an NCS title. Naliyah Sefidi and Kennedy Whyte are each big-time scorers for the Mustangs, who play within the robust EBAL. – Joseph Dycus