MERRILLVILLE: I did not see Merrillville winning every regular season game, but they are on-line for a 22-1 season (with final week wins over Morgan Township (13-4) and Penn (10-9) that could easily have been 23-0. The Pirates have overcome a lack of height and one dominant scorer to conquer a difficult schedule. The Pirates edged Lake Central 50-49 on Feb. 4 on a late basket by DJ Wilkins. Last Friday, Charles Jacobs came off the bench to score 15 and collect 10 rebounds in a 64-58 win at LaPorte. Nobody says this out loud, but this isn’t a 22-1 team. The coaching staff, headed by TJ Lux has gotten every last drop out of this roster.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

They need Valpo and Crown Point to draw each other in the quarterfinals. Merrillville would and could take it from there. The Pirates are favored in 4A Sectional 2, but not by much. Eventually a rematch with Crown Point (12-8), the only team to defeat them, is what Merrillville would surely like. But understand that there comes a time in the state tourney where you need a great scorer. Merrillville does not have that player.

2. (3A) Griffith (18-2)
2015 (19-4), 2014 (16-7), 2013 (11-11)

GRIFFITH: The Panthers have lost to East Chicago and Munster and they must share the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) title. But I would guess that the Panthers don’t care much about the NCC title. As the defending, sectional, regional and semistate champion, Griffith is gearing up for a lot of games in March. Senior Tremell Murphy scored 27 points and grabbed 20 rebounds last Tuesday (2-17-2016) in a 63-47 win over Bishop Noll (14-6). Twin brother Anthony Murphy, another 6-foot-5 forward, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Griffith is 37-6 the last two years, the best two-year mark in school history.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

Just good health and big crowds to watch them. There is no one in 3A Sectional 17 who can defeat Griffith. Until they get to Marian (15-5) or St. Joseph’s (16-3) at the regional level, the only team that can beat Griffith is Griffith.

EAST CHICAGO: I still rate EC about even with Griffith, even after the 84-63 EC loss at Lowell. I’m very suspicious of that result. EC knows that Lowell will face them in 4A Sectional 1, which is in East Chicago and I’m not sure the Cards put everything they had in that game. East Chicago had a 7-game winning streak before the Lowell game. I wouldn’t put it past coach Pete Trgovich to not put a lot of weight on a late season game with a sectional opponent who they will see next month. If EC faces Lowell again, it will be a winner-take-all playoff game in East Chicago. Teams don’t intentionally lose games (except in the NBA) and Lowell (16-4) is having a fine season, but you have to look at that Tuesday night result and wonder what it means.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

You always want a bye in a 7-team sectional, but to draw Highland (5-16) or Gary West Side (2-18) would be just as good. The Cardinals only have eight home games and they were 5-2 before the finale with Noll. East Chicago basketball is all about the playoffs and the crowds will now start to gather. EC’s 21-game regular season means nothing to folks who traditionally follow the Cards. It's all about the playoffs for EC, more so than at any other school in NW Indiana.

VALPO: The Vikings topped Crown Point 66-53 behind 21 from Steve Helm to finish 9-0 at home. I did not know that Valpo was 17-0 at home the last two seasons. That’s something that seniors like Helm, Evan Walls and center Conner Ten Hove will probably remember long after their playing days are over. To be undefeated at home your last two years is an achievement that is underrated because you’ll be coming back ‘home’ to watch games the rest of your life. Valpo should beat Chesterton, Concord and Clay to finish 19-5, another very fine season.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

I have to keep reminding myself that 4A Sectional 2 is now a 7-team sectional, which means that somebody gets a first round bye. The bye is big here because only Portage (7-14) has a losing record in Sectional 2. Tempo is key here. Do the Vikings revert to ‘slow paced’ playoff play or do they maintain their 65-points-per-game attack of the regular season? Steve Helm, much improved over last season, is a ‘go-to’ playoff player. With all that said, Valpo wouldn't mind if they drew Crown Point in the sectional quarterfinals.

5. (4A) Crown Point (12-8)
2015 (19-9), 2014 (12-9), 2013 (5-16)

CROWN POINT: Crown Point lost 66-53 at Valparaiso so they can't win the DAC, but the Bulldogs host sectional play and they were 9-0 at home going into the finale against Lake Central. This team has played a super tough schedule. Road losses at Valpo (16-5), EC (14-5), Lawrence North (16-5), Pike (16-6), Griffith (18-2) and Jefferson (11-8) say more about the teams that beat CP than it does about them. Grant Gelon has 75 3-point baskets and he’s shooting 40% from long range. Blake Bonin averages five assists a game and Sasha Stefanovic averages 15 points a game. Crown Point has a season-ending game at Lowell (17-4) on Feb. 26. Go back 30 years. This is the toughest schedule CP has ever played.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

Here’s a team that very much needs a bye. They rely largely on outside shooting (they’ll finish with over 200 3-points baskets on over 450 attempts. It helps shooters to play at home, but shooting accuracy is fleeting unless you are the Golden State Warriors. Even on their home floor, CP does not want to draw Valpo (16-5) and Michigan City (12-9) and Merrillville (19-1) in a five-day span. Michigan City is 8-1 against Crown Point (3-0 in 2013) in the last five seasons.

LOWELL: Lowell stomped on East Chicago 84-63, just two weeks after they upset Lake Central 65-63. Lowell is 3-3 against the larger Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) schools and the fact that they play seven DAC teams is probably more important than what their record is. Lowell has good seniors, but they are not senior-dominated. Brandon Cody (13.6 ppg,) is a senior but his brother John (14.7 ppg,.) isn’t. 6-foot-3 Nick Mantis (18.7 ppg) is a solid all-around player. If this team defeats south Lake County Crown Point (12-8) on Feb. 26, this 2016 season is as good as it can get for the ‘runnin’ Red Devils.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

Did you know Lowell is 6-0 against the other six teams in Class 4A Sectional 1? But the sectional is 20 miles away at the other end of Lake County in East Chicago. The Devils need a bye so they don’t have to drive 45 minutes up US 41 on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. The Devils secret weapon? Their fans. Lowell brings a decent crowd when they aren’t winning. If the Devils reach the semifinals Friday night, a lot of Lowell folks will be heading North to see if their boys can win a sectional for the first time in 23 years. Did you know that in the entire history of the basketball program (over 100 years), Lowell has never won a regional boys basketball title?