KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Preview: Central vs. Graves Co.

Game 3: Central (16-14) vs. Graves County (23-9) 6:30 p.m.

The night session of the tournament's first day kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with Central taking on Graves County. Graves County close the season out with a nice stretch of winning ten of their last eleven games. The champions from the 1st Region average slightly under 60 points a game and when they lost this season, it was generally because they had trouble scoring. The Eagles have a balanced scoring attack that is led by senior guard Tevin Hill and his 11.8 points a game.

Central comes into the Sweet Sixteen at 16-14, but their record is very deceiving. They lost the first 8 games of the season when they were playing without football players. Since the arrival of the football athletes, the Yellowjackets have gone 16-6. They finished the season up with eight wins in their last nine games. Central relies on the strong inside presence of Kentucky Wildcat football signee Ridge Wilson. The solid 6'4" senior averages 14.7 points a game and is a difficult assignment to keep off the boards. Senior guard Alex Morrison is Central's top scorer at 15.4 points a game.

My Thoughts: I think Central will be a little too athletic for Graves County. Graves County is the lowest rated team in the tournament according to Cantrall's ratings and they will have their hands full with Ridge Wilson down low. Central is a much better team than their record would indicate.

Prediction: I am going with Central to win this game by double figures.