The final weekend of the regular season was odd for a number of reasons.
For me, the strangest was not trying to scrounge up the last missing scores of the weekend to put a final playoff projection in place.
Despite not having to do that, it couldn’t keep me from constantly wondering what the field might have looked like if we were advancing to the postseason.
Since we didn’t have the typical consistency we have with a normally scheduled year, some modifications have to be made to the system.
First, all games that were canceled due to COVID-19 related reasons were counted as no contests. Teams weren’t awarded forfeit victories unless it was made known that the reasons for not playing were of a non-COVID related purpose.
Second, to qualify for one of the 256 projected-playoff places you must have played a minimum of three games.
Then, schools that elected to move up were moved up to their previously requested classes. Then, teams that faced the success formula were moved up a classification if they qualified for the field.
After establishing the field of 256, teams were seeded in order of victories amassed. Six win teams were seeded at the top of each classification then separated by playoff points. If two 6-0 teams were tied, a coin flip broke the seeds.
After placing the 6-0 teams, the five win teams were placed in the draw. In this case, winning percentage was the first deciding factor, followed by playoff points. All of the 5-0′s were placed first, then the 5-1′s.
The same protocol was followed with four-win, three-win and some two-win teams. All 2-1′s made the draw, some 2-2′s were removed via playoff-point tiebreaker.
Here are each of the eight classes with a state map with blue dots indicating north bracket and red dots indicating south bracket teams. There is no color designation for Class 7A and Class 8A who play in 1 to 32 brackets.
Beneath the maps, the bracket order is provided for the first round with seeds indicated.
Class 8A
Class | 8A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
(32) Waubonsie Valley | at | (1) Loyola |
(17) Minooka | at | (16) Bolingbrook |
(25) Chicago Taft | at | (8) Bartlett |
(24) Plainfield South | at | (9) Oswego |
(29) Joliet West | at | (4) South Elgin |
(20) Lockport | at | (13) Neuqua Valley |
(28) Evanston | at | (5) Hinsdale Central |
(21) Elgin | at | (12) Naperville Central |
(31) Homewood-Flossmoor | at | (2) Lincoln-Way East |
(18) Fremd | at | (15) Marist |
(26) Downers Grove South | at | (7) Huntley |
(23) O’Fallon | at | (10) Maine South |
(30) Naperville North | at | (3) Barrington |
(19) Palatine | at | (14) York |
(27) Oak Park-River Forest | at | (6) Warren |
(22) Edwardsville | at | (11) New Trier |
Class 7A
Class | 7A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
(32) McHenry | at | (1) Machesney Park Harlem |
(17) Rockford East | at | (16) T.F. South |
(25) Bradley-Bourbonnais | at | (8) St. Charles North |
(24) Grant | at | (9) Chicago Mount Carmel |
(29) Glenbard West | at | (4) Lincoln-Way West |
(20) Hononegah | at | (13) Batavia |
(28) Hersey | at | (5) Streamwood |
(21) Plainfield North | at | (12) Lincoln-Way Central |
(31) Jacobs | at | (2) Wheaton North |
(18) Chicago Whitney Young | at | (15) Blue Island Eisenhower |
(26) Glenbard North | at | (7) Willowbrook |
(23) Hoffman Estates | at | (10) Brother Rice |
(30) Benet | at | (3) Prospect |
(19) Chicago Phillips | at | (14) Wheaton Warrenville South |
(27) Plainfield Central | at | (6) Buffalo Grove |
(22) Lake Zurich | at | (11) Libertyville |
Class 6A
Class | 6A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Crystal Lake Central | at | (1) Antioch |
(9) Grayslake North | at | (8) Kaneland |
(13) Chicago Von Steuben | at | (4) Deerfield |
(12) Grayslake Central | at | (5) Wauconda |
(15) Prairie Ridge | at | (2) Lake Forest |
(10) Chicago Simeon | at | (7) Hampshire |
(14) Hinsdale South | at | (3) Vernon Hills |
(11) Chicago Kennedy | at | (6) Cary-Grove |
South Bracket | ||
(16) Thornton | at | (1) Crete-Monee |
(9) Rock Island | at | (8) Yorkville |
(13) Champaign Centennial | at | (4) Peoria |
(12) Normal Community West | at | (5) Dunlap |
(15) Oak Lawn Richards | at | (2) Washington |
(10) East Moline United | at | (7) Providence |
(14) Springfield | at | (3) Shepard |
(11) Lemont | at | (6) Chatham Glenwood |
Class 5A
Class | 5A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Chicago Brooks | at | (1) Joliet Catholic |
(9) Woodstock | at | (8) Glenbard South |
(13) Chicago Noble Street/Bulls Prep | at | (4) Sterling |
(12) Fenwick | at | (5) Hillcrest |
(15) Freeport | at | (2) Sycamore |
(10) Rockford Boylan | at | (7) Chicago Goode |
(14) Montini | at | (3) St. Rita |
(11) Chicago Amundsen | at | (6) Chicago Morgan Park |
South Bracket | at | |
(16) Morton | at | (1) Sacred Heart Griffin |
(9) Kankakee | at | (8) Cahokia |
(13) Highland | at | (4) Jacksonville |
(12) Morris | at | (5) East St. Louis |
(15) Lanphier | at | (2) Marion |
(10) Centralia | at | (7) Mascoutah |
(14) Mahomet-Seymour | at | (3) LaSalle-Peru |
(11) Metamora | at | (6) Triad |
Class 4A
Class | 4A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Chicago Urban-Prep Bronzeville | at | (1) Wheaton St. Francis |
(9) Canton | at | (8) IC Catholic |
(13) Aurora Central Catholic | at | (4) Wheaton Academy |
(12) Geneseo | at | (5) Coal City |
(15) Chicago King | at | (2) Richmond-Burton |
(10) Stillman Valley | at | (7) Genoa-Kingston |
(14) Chicago Hyde Park | at | (3) St. Viator |
(11) Peoria Notre Dame | at | (6) Marengo |
South Bracket | ||
(16) Bethalto Civic Memorial | at | (1) Effingham |
(9) Charleston | at | (8) Freeburg |
(13) Salem | at | (4) Columbia |
(12) Carterville | at | (5) Breese Central |
(15) Herrin | at | (2) Rochester |
(10) Stanford Olympia | at | (7) Waterloo |
(14) Murphysboro | at | (3) Paris |
(11) Macomb | at | (6) Mount Zion |
Class 3A
Class | 3A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Kewanee | at | (1) Princeton |
(9) Sherrard | at | (8) Eureka |
(13) Chicago Clark | at | (4) Farmington |
(12) Peotone | at | (5) Prairie Central |
(15) Rock Island Alleman | at | (2) Wilmington |
(10) Bishop McNamara | at | (7) Paxton |
(14) Byron | at | (3) Poplar Grove North Boone |
(11) Lisle | at | (6) Durand-Pecatonica |
South Bracket | ||
(16) New Berlin | at | (1) Williamsville |
(9) Newton | at | (8) Piasa Southwestern |
(13) Vandalia | at | (4) Fairfield |
(12) North Mac | at | (5) Tolono Unity |
(15) Pleasant Plains | at | (2) Mt. Carmel |
(10) Breese Mater Dei | at | (7) Benton |
(14) Quincy Notre Dame | at | (3) Monticello |
(11) Carlinville | at | (6) Robinson |
Class 2A
Class | 2A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Illini West | at | (1) Clifton Central |
(9) Mercer County | at | (8) Watseka |
(13) Tri-Valley | at | (4) Chicago Christian |
(12) Sterling Newman Central Catholic | at | (5) Fieldcrest |
(15) Rockford Lutheran | at | (2) Rockridge |
(10) Rushville | at | (7) Momence |
(14) Knoxville | at | (3) Bismarck-Henning |
(11) Tremont | at | (6) St. Edward |
South Bracket | ||
(16) Sesser-Valier | at | (1) Johnston City |
(9) Gillespie | at | (8) Tuscola |
(13) Red Bud | at | (4) Maroa-Forsyth |
(12) Christopher | at | (5) Nashville |
(15) Villa Grove | at | (2) St. Teresa |
(10) Arthur | at | (7) Pana |
(14) Eldorado | at | (3) Nokomis |
(11) Oakwood | at | (6) Chester |
Class 1A
Class | 1A | Opening Round |
---|---|---|
North Bracket | ||
(16) Stockton | at | (1) Freeport Aquin |
(9) Ottawa Marquette | at | (8) Milledgeville |
(13) Abingdon | at | (4) Galena |
(12) LeRoy | at | (5) Peru St. Bede |
(15) Aurora Christian | at | (2) Annawan-Wethersfield |
(10) Cambridge-Ridgewood | at | (7) Fulton |
(14) Forreston | at | (3) Princeville |
(11) Hope Academy | at | (6) Lena-Winslow |
South Bracket | ||
(16) Dupo | at | (1) Moweaqua Central A&M |
(9) Casey-Westfield | at | (8) Camp Point Central |
(13) Athens | at | (4) Arcola |
(12) Warrensburg-Latham | at | (5) Winchester West Central |
(15) Red Hill | at | (2) Greenfield |
(10) Carrollton | at | (7) Brown County |
(14) Mendon Unity | at | (3) Cumberland |
(11) Salt Fork | at | (6) Triopia |