Podcast: Forecasting the NEPSAC boys playoffs entering the final stretch

Jacob Davis and Cushing are one of the clear favorites in the Class AA title race. (Anoke Deitg-Blanchard)

The NEPSAC boys basketball playoffs are right around the corner.

The final day of the regular season is on Saturday, March 1, before playoff brackets for each of the classes get released the next day. The first round follows on March 5 before the championships on March 9. Buckle up, because it’s about to heat up.

With less than two weeks left until the bracket release, the playoff picture for each class is becoming more clear. The favorites have established themselves, and there are several teams that have critical games in front of them as they battle for playoff spots. Unfortunately, some recent injuries to stars around the region have impacted the races, too.

On the latest HoopWise podcast, co-hosts Steve Hewitt and Ethan Fuller break down where things stand in the NEPSAC boys playoff race entering the final stretch of the season, including surprise teams and storylines to watch.

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Highlights

How does Class AA stack up?

Steve: “Cushing is probably the favorite as of now, as of this moment, but they’ve shown to be vulnerable, too. … I think there are six teams right now who are definitely in the playoffs. Cushing, CATS, Worcester, St. George’s, NMH and Kimball Union. … One thing I’ve learned in my first season covering the NEPSAC is that any team can beat anyone on any given night. None of these teams are undefeated and just so dominant that they’re just going to roll over teams. Anything can happen, but I would expect Cushing and CATS to be in the championship, if I’m making a prediction today.”

The most impactful return has been Andrew Alekseyenko at Rivers and that changes the synopsis of Class B, where do things stand there?

Steve: “I have a hard time not picking Rivers, especially with the Alekseyenko return. … Ryan Altman and Robby Fiore have been fantastic with the games that they’ve had. So, now you add Alekseyenko, another D1 player, he’s going to Colgate, he just adds a different dimension to what they do, especially inside, the toughness that he brings that they didn’t have, that they couldn’t really replace without him. … I think it might take a few weeks, which kind of fortunate timing, I didn’t think he was going to come back, I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back, but to come back two or three weeks before the playoffs start, I think will be a benefit, as he gets his legs back and gets his rhythm back with the team, because this is a Rivers starting five that hadn’t really been playing with each other at all this year, so for them to have a few weeks to come together and have some rhythm going into playoffs, I think will be big. Again, we’ll see what the matchups look like when the brackets get released, but I’m going to have a hard time not picking Rivers in four-peat given the full strength and the boost they get with Alekseyenko.”

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The HoopWise podcast can be streamed here and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.