Division II Boys Regional Tournament Preview

By Mike Parris

February 28, 2008, 7:34PM

The Division II tournament is well underway with the field of 64 already being whiddled down. The action should be intense, as nine of the top 12 teams in the final AP poll remain alive in the postseason.

Some of those ranked teams are already slated to face each other; let's take a look at the top games on tap in each region.

Fairborn Region

The Fairborn Region is already taking shape as three of four district finals have been played, setting up some interesting matchups in regional semifinal play.

One of the hottest teams in the state is Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, who has put together two impressive back-to-back wins. The Eagles knocked off reigning state champs and third-ranked Dayton Dunbar by two in the district semifinal and proceeded to grab the district title with a 20-point whitewash of Tippecanoe. They now face Kettering Alter, who has advanced in the tournament thanks to solid defensive play.

On the other half of the bracket St. Paris Graham, the fifth-ranked team in the state, captured a district title and now awaits the winner of Canal Winchester-Buckeye Valley. The favorite has to be Canal Winchester, who is ranked at number seven in the state. They have dominated thus far in the playoffs and a matchup against St. Paris Graham should prove to be a dandy.

Of course, Canal Winchester has relied heavily on the skills of five-star center B.J. Mullens. The legitimate seven-footer is the top post player in the state and considered by rivals.com as the fourth-best player in the country. He is averaging nearly 30 points and 15 rebounds per game. With the size and production of a player of Mullen's caliber, Canal Winchester has a chance to win any game.

Bowling Green Region

Eight teams still remain in the region and district titles are up for grabs this weekend. The bottom of the region is absolutely loaded with some of the top talent in the state.

Area rivals will battle in each of th district final games in the lower half of the Bowling Green Region bracket. The first pits fourth-ranked Toledo Libbey against always-tough Toledo Central Catholic. The second matches two state ranked teams from Columbus, eight-ranked Eastmoor Academy and ninth-ranked St. Francis DeSales.

The player to watch in the region is blue chip guard William Buford. The 6-foot-5 Toledo Libbey star is headed to Ohio State next season and is one of the most potent scorers in the state. Like Mullens, Buford has been selected to participate in the McDonald's All-American Game.

Athens Region

This region may not have the same depth or star power as the aforementioned ones, but it does feature the state's second-ranked team and two others ranked in the top twelve in the state.

The favorites in the region is Chillicothe, who stand 20-2 on the season and boast the second-ranked label in Division II. The Cavaliers destoyed Marietta in a district semifinal game in their last outing, easily rolling to a 77-47 victory.

Chillicothe has a fearsome 1-2 punch in 5-foot-9 point guard Anthony Hitchens and 6-foot-7 forward Ray Chambers. Hitchens has already committed to Akron while the ultra-athletic Chambers is hearing from a number of Division I schools.

Vinton County and Dover are the two other teams who are considered threats for the regional crown.

Canton Region

This should shape up to be a very interesting region; one that features the state's top-ranked team and some familiar names.

Poland Seminary finished the season as the state's best in Division II and are one of the favorites to capture the state title. After a 27-point district semifinal win, they now face Beloit West Branch for the Boardman District title.

LeBron James is long gone, but Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary continues to shine on the hardwood. They square off in a great district final matchup against eleventh-ranked Akron Hoban. The Knights needed overtime to survive their district semifinal affair against Buchtel. They will need to pick up the effort against the Fighting Irish.