Joe Henricksen and the City/Suburban Hoops Report breaks down Regional Friday and what storylines to follow in regional championship games.

By Joe Henricksen

Class 3A Final Four
Marshall over Washington and Simeon over Decatur Eisenhower
Class 3A Championship
Simeon over Marshall

Here's why
The City/Suburban Hoops Report has made state tournament predictions in each of the publication's 13 years. Never before have the picks been easier to make than this year's Class 3A state predictions. Will all of them hold up? As always, I am sure there will be an upset along the way. But from the aspect of actually having to pick teams, deliberate over matchups and contemplate picking a Cinderella story, there was none of that involved. It's an exclamation point as to how weak and watered down Class 3A is after expanding to four classes.

By Joe Henricksen

Yes, Simeon beat Hirsch 100-23, Marshall rolled to a 105-58 win and Farragut won by 50, but after just two nights of state tournament play in Class 3A and 4A a common trend may lead to some big surprises over the next two-plus weeks.

By Joe Henricksen

Class 4A Final Four
Farragut over Zion-Benton and Homewood-Flossmoor over Batavia
Class 4A Championship
Homewood-Flossmoor over Farragut

Here's why
The toughest part of making picks in Class 4A is sorting out the deep and rugged Proviso East Sectional, where a team like 18-win Mt. Carmel is the No. 11 seed. And then think about a team like St. Ignatius.

By Joe Henricksen

You just hope this isn't the early stages of the young prodigy falling by the wayside or spinning out of control. However, the news that sophomore star Jereme Richmond has been kicked off the Waukegan basketball team isn't the first eye-opening moment that would signify that possibility. Richmond, who is everyone's No. 1 prospect in the talented Class of 2010, with the exception of the City/Suburban Hoops Report which elevated Rich South's Crandall Head to the top spot in January, will in all likelihood be heading to his third high school in three years next fall.

By Joe Henricksen

The Class 1A and 2A state tournament has started, while the big schools get it going next week. And the time has come for fans, media and various prognosticators to start making their picks. Who will have extended state tournament runs? Who will be playing for it all in Peoria?

By Joe Henricksen

Any subscriber of the City/Suburban Hoops Report publication already is aware of how big of a fan the Hoops Report is of Naperville Central junior Drew Crawford, who remains one of the most overlooked prospects in the Class of 2009. Crawford was featured in the most recent issue as he has blossomed into a long, versatile 6-5 perimeter threat.

By Joe Henricksen

The four Chicago Public League quarterfinal games at the UIC Pavilion on Sunday showed, once again, what this season is all about. There is no dominant team in Illinois -- or at least not in the Chicago area. The jury is still out as to how good or dominant unbeaten Edwardsville and Decatur Eisenhower are. What we have seen all year is the capability of one talented team able to knock off another. And we can expect much more of the same over the next four weeks as we roll into March Madness.

By Joe Henricksen

The average or casual high school basketball observer generally gets fired up for the holiday tournaments in December and the state tournament in March. The excitement in conference races -- outside of the respective schools competing for them -- has been lost in terms of significance and importance. But the final week of the season promises a few tantalizing, down-to-the-wire finishes.

By Joe Henricksen

Imagine a freshman in the Chicago Public League or some suburban high school hotbed averaging 25 points a game at the varsity level. Imagine that freshman scoring 40-plus points twice, including 45 points against a state-ranked team. Imagine that freshman pouring in 32 points and beating a traditional power with a Division I player of its own and Illinois coach Bruce Weber in the stands watching. Imagine it all.

By Joe Henricksen

This most recent issue of the City/Suburban Hoops Report, which will be in the mailbox of subscribers this week, takes a look at the Best of Everything in Illinois high school basketball. Oh, there's going to be debate. No doubt. But that's what the City/Suburban Hoops Report's intention is -- for prep basketball followers to debate and discuss the past and present.

By Joe Henricksen

I don't even want to start counting the number of high school games I've watched in the last two-plus months. All I know is I've seen my share of bad teams, boring, poorly played, empty-gym games in that time. And then I get Batavia-Simeon Saturday night at the annual Batavia Night of Hoops.