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March Madness is here!
You could argue that this may be my favorite month of the year just based on the amount of basketball that I will be watching and absorbing through the next little bit. With high school hoops wrapping up this weekend, followed by the NCAA's and then the NBA Playoffs, it's more than likely that a basketball overdose will happen. And I'm totally okay with that.
The boys 'Real Dairy Shootout' promises to be as good, if not better, than ever and we are very excited to be able to bring you the coverage of all 66 state tournament games again here on IdahoSports.com. And of course, consuming all of the delicious (and free!) chocolate milk courtesy of the United Dairymen of Idaho.
If you watched any of the girls state tournament, you may have noticed a few upgraded features on our GameStreams broadcasts. Those upgrades include the ability to watch four games at once (bandwidth permitting), customized scorebars, and instant replay during the championship games. We know that these upgrades will only enhance your viewing experience! I know that it has for me - I was able to check in on four different games at once while I was covering the 1AD2 girls tournament.
This year, for the third straight year, I have been assigned to cover the 3A classification at Meridian HS. Six of the eight teams who made it to the tournament last year are back here again this year, with Snake River and Emmett joining the fray. It promises to be a very fun tournament overall and I, along with Lance Taylor and Will Nordquist, are very excited to be able to bring you the coverage online.
Now, as I do each year, it's time for my personal 'Shootout Selections'. Every day of the tournament, I will post my predictions for outcomes of each game in all six classifications. Two things to remember about this: #1 - I don't have a 'hometown team' and #2 - don't take it personally if I pick against your team. It's all for fun! One thing is for certain: I won't get all of my picks right (although I did come close one day last year). The end goal of these picks? Just beat the averages of Paul Kingsbury and Sven Alskog on their picks.
With that, here are my picks/prediction for the first day of the boys 'Real Dairy Shootout' - the State Quarterfinal Selections:
Class 5A - Ford Idaho Center
Borah over Capital
Madison over Rocky Mountain
Centennial over Lewiston
Highland over Mountain View
Class 4A - Borah HS
Preston over Middleton
Burley over Lakeland
Bishop Kelly over Rigby
Minico over Caldwell
Class 3A - Meridian HS
Buhl over Shelley
Kellogg over Parma
Snake River over Fruitland
Emmett over South Fremont
Class 2A - Capital HS
St. Maries over Soda Springs
Firth over Nampa Christian
Wendell over Melba
West Side over West Jefferson
Class 1AD1 - Vallivue HS
Grace over Liberty Charter
Lapwai over Raft River
Prairie over Oakley
Ambrose over Genesee
Class 1AD2 - Caldwell HS
Genesis Prep over Rockland
Council over Carey
Clark County over Kendrick
Dietrich over Summit Academy
Good luck to all of the teams!
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