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The four teams ranked at the top of the region all year have won their districts and head into Truist Arena at NKU looking to book a trip to Rupp. Let's review what happened in the district tournaments and take a look at the regional tournament ahead. 33rd District Brady Bushman scored 19 as the Conner Cougars defeated Heritage in the 4/5 game. Conner saw their season come to an end though in the quarterfinals as Yamil Rondon scored 13 and Shaun Pouncy scored 12 as the Cooper Jaguars proceeded to the title game. In the other semifinal matchup Ryle defeated Boone 49 to 47 behind Logan Verax's 17 points. Mason Hall put up 14 for the Rebels in the losing effort. In the championship game Cooper rode a 25 point performance from Andy Johnson coupled with dual 17 point nights from Yamil Rondon and Shaun Pouncy to defeat the Raiders 69 to 61. 34th District Spencer Brandenburg scored 25 points for the Ludlow Panthers against Villa Madonna in the 4/5 game. Ludlow failed to compete with Lloyd in their semifinal matchup as the Juggernauts won 85 to 47 with EJ Walker leading the way with 25 points. In the other semifinal Dixie took down St. Henry in a thriller, 61 to 59. Griffin Derry had 19 points and Hudson Blank had 16 to lead the Colonels while Andrew Reis had 15 for the Crusaders. In the title game Lloyd was able to narrowly hold off Dixie in a low-scoring affair in overtime, 37 to 35. EJ Walker had 12 in Lloyd's winning effort. 35th District The first semifinal game witnessed Covington Catholic blowout Holmes by a score of 83 to 33 with Cash Harney scoring 17. The second semifinal game was a much closer game as Beechwood defeated Holy Cross 40 to 36 as Jack Sullivan and Carson Blackburn both scored 11 and Tyler Fryman had 10. CovCath defeated the Tigers 77 to 57 in the championship game with Caden Miller scoring 18 and adding 9 rebounds. 36th District The 4/5 game was another iteration of that classic river city rivalry between Bellevue and Dayton. The Bellevue Tigers, behind Jase Iles' 24 points and Noah Frommeyer's 20, were able to bring home the 16 point win. They were unable to replicate that success as they were blown out by the 1 seed Newport Wildcats with Taylen Kinney scoring 20. The other semifinal was an instant classic as the Highlands Bluebirds defeated the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds 90 to 85 in double overtime. For the Birds Daniel Schick had 23 and Nathan Vinson had 22. For the Breds Caleb Eaglin had 24. Taylen Kinney scored 17 followed by Jabari Covington and James Turner, both with 12, to lead the way for the Wildcats in the Championship game as they defeated Highlands 63 to 48. Regional Tournament The quarterfinal round opens March 4th at 6:30 as Lloyd squares off with Beechwood. This is a rematch of a 61 to 58 Lloyd win from January 2nd where Isaiah Sebastian scored 20 for Lloyd and Jack Sullivan scored 21 for Beechwood. The second game on March 4th is between Newport and Ryle, a rematch of a December 12th Newport victory by a margin of 66 to 55 with 4 Wildcats in double figures. The tournament takes a night off and then we are back in action Wednesday March 6th as Covington Catholic faces Dixie Heights. The Red Colonels and Blue Colonels did not face each other in the regular season. Dixie is certainly playing their best ball of the year right now but it still may not be enough to take down mighty CovCath. The quarterfinals then close out with Cooper taking on Highlands, a rematch from January 9th where Cooper won 79 to 63 with Yamil Rondon scoring 28. Andy Johnson was out with injury. Brayden Moeves scored 21 and Nathan Vinson was held to 10. The semifinal games will take place Sunday at 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM. We will be back next week to recap the first two rounds of the tournament and preview the championship game.

The field of 8 is now set and the raucous 12th will soon crown a champion. Let's first look back at the district tournaments that produced the 8 teams competing for the regional title. 45th District As we expected all year, this one was really fun and really competitive. In the opening rounds Garrard County dispatched Danville behind Jayden Noe's 33 points and Boyle County rolled past the Kentucky School for the Deaf with Brennen Taylor scoring 30 and most of the varsity squad sitting. The semifinals saw a balanced Danville Christian effort (Lual Ayiei 16 points & 13 rebounds, Geu Ateny 15 points & 13 rebounds, Emmanuel Dut 13 points, and Titus Boyd 9 points & 6 rebounds) defeat the hosting Golden Lions of Garrard County while Boyle County proved they were there to take care of business and beat Lincoln County 60 to 46 with Demauriah Brown scoring 20 and Montavin Quisenberry scoring 17. In the championship tilt Boyle County surged past Danville Christian, significantly limiting that balanced scoring attack and preventing DCA from going wild on the boards, holding them to just 23. 46th District The 46th opened with the 4/5 game between West Jessamine and Burgin which saw the Colts advance behind the 21 points of Ethan Little and 20 points of Ben Hershey. The first semifinal saw history get made as Trinity Christian punched their first ever ticket to a regional tournament with a 62 to 60 overtime win over East Jessamine. Bryce Thompson scored 26 and Alan Coffman had 19. Trevor Ellis scored 22 and Jackson Perry had 16 as Mercer County started their postseason with a semifinal win over the West Jessamine Colts. In the title game Ellis had 14 and Perry had 12 as the Mercer cruised past Trinity Christian by 22 points. 47th District Ben Godby and Indred Whitaker started the Somerset postseason run by scoring 18 and 17 points, respectively, to soar past Casey County in the opening semifinal game. In the second semifinal game Carson Fraley scored 18 to push Pulaski County past Rockcastle County in overtime. However Fraley wasn't enough to power the Maroons to a district title as Godby and Whitaker each scored 20. The Jumpers walked out with a 55 to 52 win over Pulaski. 48th District Antajuan Dumphord scored 21 for the Wayne County Cardinals as four of his fellow teammates scored double digits to blow out Somerset Christian School in the opening semifinal game. In the second semifinal Southwestern defeated McCreary Central 68 to 56 as Zachary Hutchinson and Connor Hudson both scored 22. In the championship game the Cardinals took home the title with a win over Southwestern 56 to 41. Kendall Phillips scored 20 and Antajuan Dumphord had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Regional Tournament The Regional Tournament opens Wednesday at Pulaski County as Mercer County takes on Southwestern. Southwestern has been a recent upstart and that success includes a win on February 22nd 54 to 40 over Mercer County behind Connor Hudson's 26 points. The second game Wednesday night should be another entertaining matchup as Boyle County plays the hosting Maroons of Pulaski County. Pulaski won this matchup on February 17th by 4 points as Ethan Idlewine had 16, Zak Anderson scored 15, and Will Blankenship chipped in 13. Carson Fraley's night was limited and he only contributed 2 points. For the Rebels Demauriah Brown was held to just 4 points but Montavin Quisenberry and Seneca Driver found success, scoring 20 and 16 points respectively. The other two quarterfinal games are set for Thursday with the night opening with Somerset facing Trinity Christian. These two teams have not played each other this year and this game is poised to be a blowout if Somerset continues to be on the uptick. The quarterfinals close out with what is the most tantalizing opening round matchup as the Wayne County Cardinals take on the Danville Christian Warriors. DCA defeated Wayne 56 to 37 on February 20th behind Titus Boyd's 21 points and a double-double performance from Geu Ateny. That is only one of two losses for Wayne County over their last 15 games. The likelihood is that DCA cannot repeat that blowout result, at least it'll be the hope of every neutral observer that this is a thriller. We will be back next week to recap the first round and preview the two semifinal games that are set to be played on the 11th.

Coach Todd Smart is hanging up the whistle, announcing his stepping away from basketball on social media last night. The Cru graduate their two leading scorers so whoever takes over will have a little bit of a rebuild in front of them.

I saw film of the game winning play. Just perfect execution. Iso handoff for the inbounder on a SLOB. Layup. Just perfection.

I think this is accurate. The 12th is so long north to south and so narrow east to west that I can’t help but think there’s some major fluctuation when regions are realigned. 90 plus miles separate Nicholasville and Monticello as well as Nicholasville and Stearns.

The Golden Lions send the Danville Admirals home with a score of 69 to 52.

Oh I am picking Bellevue over Newport Central Catholic. That’s my upset pick.

We made it. The regular season is now in the books and we turn our attention to the four district tournaments. There will be a few talented teams left behind when the dust settles. Let's take a look at what happened in the final week of the regular season and preview what we have in store for district tournament week. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian - DCA dispatched two fellow contenders this week as they defeated Wayne County and Somerset. Titus Boyd scored 21 and 14 points, respectively. They now await the winner of Danville and Garrard County and will face that winner at Garrard County in the district semifinals. They previously defeated Garrard by 53 points and by 7 points and defeated Danville by 27 and by 24. 2. Wayne County - After building up a quality winning streak, the Cardinals fell in back to back games to Danville Christian and Evangel Christian. Kendall Phillips finishes the regular season with a points per game average of 17.4 and Antajuan Dumphord finishes the regular season with 15.4 points per game as well as 8.8 rebounds per game. They face Somerset Christian School in the district semifinals at Southwestern. They have defeated SCS twice by 23 points. 3. Pulaski County - The Maroons split their games last week as they defeated Russell County and fell to LaRue County, both games on the road. Will Blankenship scored 25 against Russell County. They now turn their attention to Rockcastle County in what is set up to be one of the most competitive district semifinals in the region. They defeated the Rockets by 5 in January and just fell to them in overtime two weeks ago. 4. Somerset - The Briar Jumpers returned to some of their earlier season form as they defeated Boyle County by 14 behind Indred Whitaker's 20 points and nearly defeated DCA, falling by 3. They face Casey County in the district semifinals who they beat earlier in the year by 24 and by 34. 5. Mercer County - The Titans to defeated Bardstown and Trinity Christian before falling to the upstart Southwestern Warriors. They are 8 - 0 in regular season district play and await the winner of Burgin and West Jessamine. Trevor Ellis finishes the year averaging over 20 points per game and over 12 rebounds per game. 6. Lincoln County - The Patriots had about as good of a January as anyone in the region but their February has been much chillier. They had back to back losses to Mercer County and Lexington Catholic but defeated McCreary Central behind Cash Baird's 18 points and Trevor Miracle's 17. They face the winner of Boyle County and the Kentucky School for the Deaf. This will almost certainly be Boyle, meaning we will have the rubber match of a series that is currently knotted up at 1 win for each team. 7. Rockcastle County - The Rockets defeated Model by 32 for their regular season finale. Walker Craig scored 17. They host the district tournament and get to play Pulaski County who they just defeated in overtime on the road. 8. Southwestern - The Warriors are riding high. They followed up the previous week's big win over Somerset with wins over Garrard County and Mercer County. Connor Hudson scored 26 in the win over the Titans. They host the district tournament and have McCreary Central as their semifinal opponent, a team they beat by 1 and by 12. 9. East Jessamine - The Jaguars end the regular season with wins over Tates Creek and Danville. Righteous Harris scored 20 against Tates Creek and Miyo Jones had 22 against Danville. They face Trinity Christian, a team they beat by 12 and by 5, in the district tournament at home. 10. Boyle County - The streakiest team in the region finds themselves on a losing streak to end the regular season. The Rebels went on the road and fell to both Somerset and Taylor County. They should get a tune-up game as they face Kentucky School for the Deaf before taking on Lincoln County in the district semifinals. They split the regular season series with the Patriots. 11. McCreary Central - The Raiders lost to Lincoln County and Clinton County last week and square off against Southwestern in the district semifinals. 12. West Jessamine - The Colts defeated Burgin and Garrard County and face Burgin one more time in the 4/5 game in the district. 13. Danville - The Ads fell to Campbellsville, Washington County and East Jessamine. They play Garrard County to see who faces DCA in the district semifinals. 14. Trinity Christian - The Titans lost to the other Titans in the district, Mercer County, but find themselves on the other side of the bracket from them by virtue of splitting the regular season series with West Jessamine. Trinity Christian goes to East Jessamine to play the hosting Jaguars in the district semifinals. 15. Somerset Christian School - The Cougars fell to Monroe County, extending their losing streak out to 8. They face Wayne County in the district tournament. 16. Casey County - The Rebels fell to Frankfort but defeated Jackson County and Burgin. They face Somerset in the district tournament. 17. Garrard County - The Golden Lions lost to Western Hills, Southwestern, and West Jessamine. They host the district tournament and face off against Danville. 18. Burgin - The Bulldogs lost to West Jessamine and Casey County last week. They face West Jessamine again in the 4/5 game. 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf - The Colonels lost to Red Bird and the Tennessee School for the Deaf last week. They take on Boyle County in the first round of the district tournament.

The regular season has now concluded and we turn our attention to what I believe is year in and year out the region with the most competitive district semi-final games. There will be some very talented teams being sent home this week. Let's recap the last week of the regular season, look ahead to district tournament week and point out what to keep an eye on. Rankings: 1. Newport - The Wildcats finish the season off 27 - 3 and have not lost since December 23rd. Last week they held off the surging Beechwood Tigers 67 to 62 behind Deshaun Jackson's 19 point performance. They await the winner of Bellevue and Dayton, two teams they have defeated by 30 plus points this season. 2. Cooper - Coach Sullivan now has a full cupboard to work with as the Jaguars have everyone back, and it definitely showed as they put it on the Scott Eagles 72 to 34 with thirteen players reaching the scoring column. The game before they defeated Dixie by 12 behind Shaun Pouncy's 23 points. They await the winner of Heritage and Conner. That most likely will be Conner, a Cougar squad that took Cooper down to the wire in December with the Jaguars escaping with a one point victory. 3. Covington Catholic - The Colonels extended their winning streak out to 8 games as they defeated Madison Central by 32 with 5 scorers in double figures, Athens McGillis leading the way with 18. They face Holmes in the district semifinals, a team they defeated by 50 in the regular season. 4. Lloyd - The Juggernauts went on the road and got a blowout win at Brossart and a narrow victory at Conner. EJ Walker had 18 in each game. They await the winner of Ludlow and Villa Madonna, two teams they defeated by 30 plus points earlier this season. 5. Ryle - The Raiders put up 100 on Western Hills, finishing the season off with a 40 point victory. Landon Lorms ends the regular season with a 16.5 points per game average. Ryle's attention now turns to Boone County, a team they lost to by 10 in December. The game will be on a true neutral court as Conner hosts the district. 6. Boone County - The Rebels defeated Pendleton County on the road by 13 but fell to Dixie at home by 1. They now face off against Ryle with elimination on the line. 7. Conner - The Cougars couldn't pull off the upset as they fell by two to Lloyd at home. They are the hosts for the 33rd District Tournament and start off their postseason with Heritage. Provided they get past Heritage, they will then face mighty (and healthy) Cooper, a team they nearly defeated in December. It will be a tough task to knock off the Jaguars but the Cougars do get the home court advantage. 8. Dixie Heights - Hudson Blank and Max Rubemeyer both scored 17 but the Colonels couldn't best the Cooper Jaguars as they fell by 12. However, Dixie followed that game up with a one point win over Boone County. They face St. Henry in the district tournament semifinals, a rematch of a January 3rd contest that saw the Colonels win 74 to 59. 9. Beechwood - The Tigers are hitting the gas at the right time. Behind Jack Sullivan's 20 points they threatened late to take down the Newport Wildcats but ultimately fell by five. Sullivan scored 23 three nights later as the Tigers defeated Highlands. They face Holy Cross this week with the season on the line, a rematch of their February 9th triple overtime victory. 10. Highlands - The Birds lost their last two games of the regular season, road trips to Simon Kenton and Beechwood. They now square off with Newport Central Catholic in the district semifinals at Newport. The Birds bested the Breds by 5 in the regular season on the road. 11. Holy Cross - The Indians had Nate Rominger score 21 in their win over NCC and 16 in their win over St. Henry. He had 21 the last time they played Beechwood, a triple overtime defeat. They'll have to beat the Tigers if they want to make it to the regional tournament. 12. St. Henry - The Cru fell on the road to both Campbell County and Holy Cross. Caden Kunstek scored 18 against the Camels. They now travel to Villa Madonna for the 34th District Tournament where they square off with Dixie Heights who defeated them by 25 earlier in the season. 13. Newport Central Catholic - It has been a tough year for the Thoroughbreds as they finish the regular season 8 - 21. They fell to Holy Cross last week by ten but were able to close out the regular season with a 20 point home win over rival Bishop Brossart. All is not lost for the Breds as their district semifinal opponent, Highlands, is a team they fell to by just 5 points. 14. Ludlow - Spencer Brandenburg scored 27 as the Panthers defeated Holmes on the road. Ludlow ended the regular season with a loss to Williamstown. They face the host school, Villa Madonna, in the district tournament's opening game. The two teams split the regular season series, both games being decided by 5 points. 15. Bellevue - Noah Frommeyer had 22 and Jase Iles had 28 as Bellevue decimated Heritage. Frommeyer scored 20 as the Tigers blew out St. Patrick at home and 31 as they defeated Holmes on the road by 18. They face rival Dayton for the opportunity to play Newport. The Tigers defeated Dayton three times this season. 16. Villa Madonna - The Vikings had a busy week on the road as they played all three games away. They defeated Francis Parker, fell to Paris in overtime, and blew out Robertson County. Henry Thole finishes the regular season averaging 17.9 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game. They host the district tournament and need to get past Ludlow if they want to play Lloyd for a chance to make it to the regional tournament. 17. Heritage Academy - The Eagles fell to Bellevue in a blowout to end their regular season. They square off against Conner in the district tournament 4/5 game. They did not face Conner in the regular season as Heritage opts out of regular season district play and automatically accepts the 5. 18. Holmes - The Bulldogs fell to Ludlow, Bellevue and Gallatin County as they end their regular season with just two wins. They face Covington Catholic in the district semifinals. 19. Dayton - The Greendevils fell to Pendleton County by 48 last week and end the regular season 5 - 22. They face off against Bellevue in the district semifinals. 20. Covington Latin - The Trojans ended their season earlier in the month at 2 - 6 and do not participate in the district tournament.

I don’t think anyone “all but eliminated” them. They were in an injury induced slump. They’ve bounced out of it. To what extent is yet to be seen but there’s never been any doubt they are capable of beating anyone in the region.

Really happy to see Somerset move in the right direction. As I've said, I know they have the potential to be a contender, they are just trying to fight themselves out of an injury induced lull. They may have done that with this victory over Boyle. I have had Southwestern floating at the fringe of the top ten all season. I think them and East Jessamine are at very similar junctures and expect big things from both of those programs in the next two years. I think East Jessamine is a contender for the regional title next year and Southwestern (though doubtful next year) I think should be a contender in two years.

I don’t see any hot seats. We will have coaching changes for sure, we always do, but I can think of only one that may be asked not to come back and I really don’t think that will even come to pass (Holmes).

Somerset is 4-5 since the All A with their best win arguably being over a Souethwestern team that they just lost to at home. I would love to believe in the Jumpers again and get them back up there. They certainly have the ability, I agree. Beat Boyle and they are probably up in the top 6 again and beat DCA and they are in that same mix with Wayne, Pulaski, and Mercer. If I tiered it right now it would be: DCA Wayne/Mercer/Pulaski Lincoln/Boyle Rock/Somerset

Danville Christian Academy remains above the fray in the region as we cruise towards the postseason but everyone else keeps beating up on each other. This region has seen several teams experience ups and downs as we have progressed and a few are presenting themselves as threats to DCA at the right time. Highlights this week: DCA goes 3 - 0 this week including a district win over Boyle County behind Emmanuel Dut's 19 points and 6 boards. Newly cleared Geu Ateny had 14 rebounds as well. Trevor Ellis scored 28 to jettison Mercer County past Lincoln County 63 to 46. Wayne County extends their winning streak out to 11 with wins over East Jessamine and Lafayette. Rockcastle County squeezes past Pulaski County 54 to 53 in overtime but the Maroons did earn a quality win over Boyle County. Southwestern beats Somerset in a 50 to 48 contest. Rankings: 1. Danville Christian Academy 2. Wayne County 3. Pulaski County 4. Mercer County 5. Lincoln County 6. Boyle County 7. Rockcastle County 8. Somerset 9. East Jessamine 10. Southwestern 11. McCreary Central 12. West Jessamine 13. Danville 14. Trinity Christian 15. Somerset Christian 16. Casey County 17. Garrard County 18. Burgin 19. Kentucky School for the Deaf

The post-season is nearly upon us and the consensus seems to be we are in a three horse race in the 9th between Newport, Cooper, and Covington Catholic. There are solid teams below them for sure that can make noise in the regional tournament but those are the clear contenders to make it to Rupp. Highlights this week: Taylen Kinney's 28 points got Newport past Cooper 48 to 42 in what was a contest between regional contenders. Newport also blew past Lloyd, cementing for a lot of folks that though Lloyd is a quality team, they aren't on the same level as Newport, Cooper and Covington Catholic. Cooper is still missing Yamil Rondon but Andy Johnson is back and contributed 14 points in the Jaguars' 21 point victory over Grant County. Athens McGillis' 32 points helped CovCath earn the road win over Lloyd. The Colonels also dismantled Dixie by 40. Conner is 7 - 1 since January 20th and earned wins over NCC and Highlands. Rankings: 1. Newport 2. Cooper 3. Covington Catholic 4. Lloyd 5. Boone 6. Ryle 7. Conner 8. Highlands 9. Dixie 10. Beechwood 11. Holy Cross 12. St. Henry 13. Newport Central Catholic 14. Ludlow 15. Bellevue 16. Villa Madonna 17. Heritage 18. Holmes 19. Dayton 20. Covington Latin

I agree - in terms of athletic ability, Boyle blows Lincoln out of the water. The series is 1-1 for the year though, Lincoln winning by 3 points in the higher scoring game and Boyle by 9 in the lower scoring one. Boyle is the streakiest team in the region. I want to see how they respond to this DCA loss. DCA and Lincoln have defensively put it to them. They were just able to limit everyone besides Nuckols this time around against Lincoln. As it was pointed out, not expecting that same offensive performance from Lincoln again. You asked me at the beginning of the year who are some players to watch out for. Well now that we are at the end of the year I think it is important to note standout players who weren’t necessarily highlighted at the start. Cash Baird for Lincoln is one of those. Great offensive output the first time around against Boyle, not nearly as productive last night. So what makes me think Lincoln should win? Consistency, defense, Blade Nuckols, Cash Baird, and yes, Jeff Jackson.

I think there are two questions - what should the rule be and what is classy? The rule? As long as that person with the walkie talkie is not in an area the general public couldn't post up at, I think it would be fine. Classy? No, not at all. Scouting has it's place in the game but that is taking it too far in my opinion.

I would see Boyle beating Lincoln as the upset. Lincoln has reached a point where they are consistently doing what they want to do to opponents. Boyle, though athletic and talented, has been wildly inconsistent. I expect both teams to be on their A game with elimination on the line and think it will come down to the wire, something like 52 - 49.

My logic: Their style is usually more successful in the postseason - deliberate, strong defense, focus on offensive execution. Their style covers up their biggest weakness which is depth. For the two reasons above, I am picking a DCA vs. Lincoln final. The reason I pick Lincoln to win in the title game is I believe they have the offensive weapons to beat that big, long DCA defense. DCA will out rebound them but I think Lincoln will prevail through execution on both sides of the ball. Again, just my logic. I am the same person that had that Lincoln team outside the top ten in the region at one point.

And that Boyle vs Lincoln game is going to be pretty special. Obviously Boyle can win, but I think Lincoln getting into the region is the best chance at someone spoiling DCA from making it to Rupp.

Go Cats.

Yeah, I am surprised they let Burgin keep doing it. Burgin had district tournament last year as well as the All A this season and they have their annual holiday tournament. It actually is quite impressive to me that they pull it all off. I think at this point I have been to every gym in the region with the exceptions of DCA, KSD, Somerset Christian, Garrard County and Trinity Christian.

46th is East Jessamine I think. Unless Trinity Christian is entering the rotation. I have no idea about their facilities.

1. Murray 2. Lyon County 3. Daviess County 4. Bowling Green 5. Washington County 6. Evangel Christian 7. Trinity 8. North Oldham 9. Cooper 10. GRC 11. Great Crossing 12. Lincoln County 13. Harlan County 14. Hazard 15. Pikeville 16. Boyd County

I hear you, but take a look at this year - every team in the top 7 has seen big fluctuation in ranking at some point this year. DCA stumbled briefly in December, Lincoln was terrible to start, Mercer was flat without Barnes, Wayne spent a big portion of the middle in the doldrums, Pulaski had their own dip, and Boyle is the paramount definition of being capable of beating or losing to any team in the region. Like I said, Somerset will have their chance in the last few games of the regular season to provide evidence to what you are saying. Regardless of ranking, I think we both agree any of the top 7 could win the region. And to your earlier point, it may be just the team that is the healthiest.