Boys basketball state tournament: Final four and champion predictions for each class

In the quarterfinals: The top two seeds— No. 1 Cretin-Derham Hall (27-1) and No. 2 Wayzata (25-4) — are a notch above the rest of the field. They roll into the semifinals and will be joined by Shakopee (23-5) and Maple Grove (21-8).

In the semifinals: Cretin-Derham Hall is just too talented for Maple Grove while Wayzata will overwhelm Shakopee for a second time this season. The Trojans beat both Maple Grove and Shakopee by 27 points back in December.

The champion: At the beginning of the season, everybody expected heavyweights CDH and Wayzata to meet for all the marbles. The health of Cretin-Derham Hall could play a factor in this outcome. Both 6-10 senior center Tommy Ahneman, who is headed to Notre Dame, and 6-7 sophomore forward Ty Schlagel have been sidelined at times this season because of injuries. Wayzata is playing its best basketball of the season behind 6-5 junior guard Christian Wiggins. A healthy Raiders squad prevails in a tight one. Cretin-Derham Hall 78, Wayzata 75

In the quarterfinals: This field is outstanding. You could hold this tournament for five consecutive weeks and possibly crown five different champions. The opening round is the easy part with one exception, Orono (22-7) against DeLaSalle (23-5). The Spartans win the tough matchup, joining Alexandria (26-3), Mankato East (27-1) and Totino-Grace (22-5) for semifinal showdowns.

In the semifinals: Orono lost to Mankato East 83-77 in February. Orono coach Barry Wohler and 6-5 senior guard Nolan Groves excel in revenge games, so Mankato East’s quest for their initial state championship will fall short. Three-time defending state champion Totino-Grace will have its hands full with Alexandria’s 6-8 senior forward Chase Thompson, a Clemson signee. The Cardinals move on in a physical tussle.

The champion: Orono and Alexandria met a month ago and Alexandria won 96-94. Expect another very entertaining matchup. Orono 6-9 forward Brady Wooley played exceptionally well in the first matchup and will need to duplicate that performance. The Spartans, however, will be at Witt’s end (Alexandria coach Forrest Witt and cousins/junior guards Mason and Talan). Alexandria 81, Orono 75

In the quarterfinals: The state’s two remaining unbeatens— Albany (29-0) and Waseca (30-0) — keep their perfect seasons intact. Defending state champion Breck (19-10) and Caledonia (28-2) will march on with them.

In the semifinals: Albany 6-8 forward Sam Hondl will be too much for Caledonia to handle, putting the Huskies into the final. It won’t come down to a battle of unbeatens as Breck will knock off Waseca.

The champion: Albany is not only the best team in the classification, but one of the best in the entire state. The Huskies win their second crown in three years. Albany 76, Breck 66

In the quarterfinals: Five of Minnesota’s best teams are in the bracket. Look for defending state champion Cherry (29-1) and Dawson-Boyd (27-3) to win easily while Red Lake County (29-2) will beat Goodhue (22-8) in a defensive war. Nevis (26-4) will squeak past Henning (27-3) for the second time this season.

In the semifinals: Cherry will have an opportunity to defend its state crown. The Tigers beat Nevis 74-59 in January and will do so again. Red Lake County, which handed Cherry its only loss a month ago 78-77, won’t have an answer for Dawson-Boyd’s senior twin towers in 6-8 Brayson Boike and 6-7 Drew Hjelmeland.

The champion: Dawson-Boyd lost to Cherry 70-64 in the second game of the season in a prelude to this matchup. I expect the Blackjacks to come out playing as if they were dealt a hand of 21. They win the rematch and prevent the Tigers from going back-to-back. Dawson-Boyd 71, Cherry 66