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5 Way-Too-Early 2021-22 Basketball Predictions
The UIL and TAPPS basketball seasons wrapped up their respective seasons last week through the weekend. While the DFW didn't have the banner year it did in 2018-19, the teams representing the Metroplex brought back five State Titles.
Duncanville (boys), Argyle (boys), DeSoto (girls), Dallas Bishop Lynch (girls) and Fort Worth Southwest Christian (girls) all were crowned state champions over the last week.
Like I did for the football season, I'm going to offer up some top-of-mind, knee-jerk predictions for the 2021-22 season - so here we go.
Duncanville's Run Might Be Over
Duncanville's three-year run has been highly impressive. Coach David Peavy has done a masterful job of making Duncanville the premier basketball program in the area - and probably the state - either with or without some of the top talent in the state. The team wins.
I think that ends, though, in 2021-22. Although, I won't be surprised to see them back at state next year, I think there are a number of teams within the DFW primed to take Duncanville down.
Hedging Bets on McKinney
To tailcoat off the previous idea, I think McKinney is the team to beat out of the area. Ja'Kobe Walter, as a sophomore, showed he's a stud and with a number of key contributors returning to next year's team, McKinney will have lots of eyes and expectations coming its way.
All-In on Mackenzie Buss, Lake Dallas
Mackenzie Buss has been a phenomenal player for Lake Dallas the last two years. Each year, she's taken great leaps in showcasing her talents, and I expect that to continue next season. With her continued growth and another stacked team coming back in 2021-22, Lake Dallas will be a team to be feared in 5A.
A Full, Uninterrupted Season
Kind of a cheat from the football article, but like football, I don't expect the season to be shortened or have any team suffer major interruptions in its schedule. We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully by November, we've officially turned the corner. The 2021-22 tournament season is going to be crazy and a welcome return to normalcy.
DFW Hoops Bounces Back
While the DFW did take home five total championships this year, I expect that number to reach double digits next year. Granted, there are a lot of great teams and coaches across the state at all levels and organizations. However, the DFW is simply stacked like no other with talented players in both public and private schools in the '22 class.
DFW Girls Hoops: Regional Quarters (Updated)
[UPDATED: 5:34 a.m. Friday, February 26]
It's been a topsy-turvy last couple of weeks for basketball across the state with the crazy winter weather that completely shut down everything.
With that, basketball - both boys and girls - was held up for the most part with some games able to play. But to that end, there is quite a snafu of scheduling alignment.
Some of the girls brackets are already into the Regional Finals. Some of them just got down with the Area Round. Things will normalize, but things are definitely out of whack.
Here are the girls playoffs at a glance for DFW-area teams, which are all in the regional quarterfinals.
6A
Region I
W4 Keller 76, W3 North Crowley 66
W8 South Grand Prairie 60, R6 Plano 51
R4 Southlake Carroll 40, T4 Keller Timber Creek 27
W6 Plano East 50, R8 Arlington Martin 40
Region II
W11 DeSoto 56, R9 Garland Sachse 23
R11 Duncanville 78, T11 Cedar Hill 63
5A
Region I
W8 Mansfield Legacy 49, R6 Grapevine 28
W5 Wichita Falls Rider 53, W6 Lake Dallas 52
Region II
T9 Frisco Liberty 33, R9 Frisco Memorial 28
R13 North Forney 50, T13 Royse City 47
W10 Wylie East 50, W9 Frisco Lone Star 42
W14 Red Oak 54, W13 Highland Park 48
4A
Region I
R6 Glen Rose 38, F7 Krum 29
R7 Bridgeport 37, T7 Argyle 36
Region II
W11 Midlothian Heritage 50, R9 Melissa 46
R12 Dallas Pinkston 47, W10 Kennedale 38
W14 Brownsboro 68, W13 Sunnyvale 60
3A
Region II
W10 Ponder 53, R12 Rains 36
1A
Region III
W24 Saltillo vs. W22 Slidell - 2/24 @ 6 p.m.