Class 4A •Let's start with the most competitive of the large-school sections, Section 5.
The top three seeds -- No. 1 Cooper, No. 2 Champlin Park and No. 3 Osseo -- are ranked in the final Metro Top 10 of the season.
Throw in No. 4 seeded Mounds View, which is always a factor under highly successful longtime coach Ziggy Kauls, and Irondale, a dangerous No. 5 seed, and Section 5 can satisfy any hoops junkie's basketball fix.
A bonus: Cooper's 6-8, 240-pound forward Calvin Godfrey. A transfer from Milwaukee, Godfrey, who averages 18 points and 10 rebounds per game, has flown largely under the radar this season.
•Speaking of talented players who have not received the recognition they most likely deserve, there are two in Section 7. Forest Lake won the Suburban East behind athletic swingman Zach Riedeman but only received the No. 2 seed. The top seed went to Duluth East, which beat Forest Lake twice in December behind ultra-quick guard Dyami Starks, who has signed with Columbia.
•If recent results are any indication, the most vulnerable No. 1 seed could be Apple Valley in Section 3. The Eagles finished the regular season losing three of their final six games, including a loss to No. 3-seeded Lakeville North.
In the meantime, Lakeville South, the No. 2 seed, won seven of its past eight games. The Cougars' only loss during that stretch? A three-point defeat against Eastview, which earned the No. 4 seed thanks to a six-game winning streak to end the regular season.
•Henry Sibley's early season woes cost it the top seed in Section 4, which instead went to Cretin-Derham Hall. But the No. 2-seeded Warriors still should be favored, having won 15 consecutive games since a 5-6 start.