Michigan- So here we are, the last week of boy's hoops in the 2009-'10 season. Quarterfinal action is today and then on to the big court at Michigan State University's Breslin Center for the semi-finals and finals. There are a few games that many expected and a few match ups that many won't see but, that's the roll of the dice. How many people still have Northern Iowa and Cornell in your NCAA bracket? Perhaps Natt Graham but I don't think he had Northern Iowa in his bracket.

1. @ Lansing Eastern's Don Johnson Fieldhouse-7pm- Kalamazoo Central (24-1) vs. Grad Haven (21-4)
2. @ Grand Blanc-7pm- Saginaw Arthur Hill (16-9) vs. Ann Arbor Huron (21-4)
3. @ University of Detroit-Mercy-5:30pm- Taylor Kennedy (21-3) vs. Detroit Denby (15-9)
4. @ University of Detroit Mercy-7:30pm- Warren De La Salle (21-4) vs. Southfield (20-5)

Class B:

5. @ Vicksburg-7pm- Richland Gull Lake (21-3) vs. Holland Christian (20-4)
6. @ Chelsea-7pm- Lansing Sexton (19-5) vs. Detroit Douglass (19-5)
7. @ Brighton-7pm- Detroit Country Day (23-2) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (22-3)
8. @ Houghton Lake-7pm- Muskegon Heights (19-4) vs. Petoskey (23-1)

Class C:

9. @ Battle Creek Lakeview-7pm- Bridgman (21-4) vs. Napolean (23-2)
10. @ West Bloomfield-7pm- Melvindale ABT (22-2) vs. Saginaw Buena Vista (22-3)
11. @ Mt. Pleasant-7pm- Flint Beecher (17-7) vs. Grandville Calvin Christian (21-4)
12. @ Lake Superior State-7pm- Suttons Bay (23-1) vs. Rudyard (23-1)

Class D:

13. @ Jackson-7pm- Covert (19-6) vs. Camden Frontier (15-9)
14. @ Waterford Mott-7pm- Marine City Cardinal Moody (20-5) vs. Bay City All Saints (17-7)
15. @ Traverse City Central-7pm- Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (23-2) vs. Buckley (18-7)
16. @ Escanaba-7pm- Cedarville (20-5) vs. Eben Junction Superior Central (22-3)

Without a doubt it was the #3 quarterfinal as ever since December everyone saw a Romulus vs. Detroit Pershing match up. In your best Chris Rock voice, "Who can stop them? You better get your ticket early? I'm sitting at half court ten feet from the action." In your best Steven Wright voice, "Inkster." In your best Bill Cosby-Fat Albert voice, "You know you guys shouldn't leave out Denby."

This is a coin flip between the #2 quarterfinal Arthur Hill vs. Huron and the #4 quarterfinal DeLaSalle vs. Southfield. Arthur Hill has a big advantage at the point guard spot with 5'6 senior Maurice Jones (USC) but Huron has the superior two-guard in 6'3 junior AJ Mathew, who I think will also play some point in this game as he has all year. Arthur Hill's 6'9 power forward Jordan Hare is the best sophomore in the state and Huron will have to play him tough in the paint while Huron has 6'5 junior swing man Dante Williams who Arthur Hill will have to watch on the perimeter. The intangibles have a "Common Bond" as they could decide this game. Watch for Arthur Hill's 6'4 senior forward Tyler Dwyer and Huron's 6'5 junior power froward Kyle Baker and 6'3 junior shooter Matt Hastings. Put these teams together and you have the #1 team in the state, at least on paper.

Detroit City turns into Junior City in the #3 Quarterfinal:

De La Salle and Southfield meet up. Southfield's 6'1 junior guards Carlton Brundidge (Michigan) and Desmond "I'm not Pee Wee-He collects the tickets at Cass Tech" Barnes faces another solid duo junior backcourt in DeLaSalle's 6'2 Vaughn Avacilla and Sterling Johnson. Then you have a solid pair of 6'5 junior forwards in Southfield's Patrick Owenu and De La Salle's Bryan Mitzner.

In the #1 Quarterfinal, sorry Grand Haven.

But there are a lot of Division 1 players in the game. If these teams met up last year and Grand Haven's 6'9 center Nate VanArendonk (Central Michigan) was fresh off a game in which he broke the backboard as he did last Friday, imagine what former Maroon Giant Doug Anderson (Mott CC) would try to do. Kzoo Central is on a mission.

Power vs. Country Day…enough said. But I'll go on anyway, Powers has won the last two times when it mattered and both have championships in the last four seasons. The two powerhouses didn't play in the regular season, as they have been accustomed to do over the last handful of seasons. Will Powers miss graduates Shane Moreland and Rodney Anderson more than Country Day misses injured junior guard Chris Fowler?

Lansing Sexton and Detroit Douglass have great match ups as they are both athletic with solid senior centers, 6'8 James Suttles and 6'8 Kamau "Stop spellin' my name wrong" Richardson. The last time Douglass' coach Nkwame Young was this far was when he was with Community four years ago facing a Jordan Bitzer led U.S.A. team and the crowd was chanting "U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A…" Both teams have skilled players with height in Sexton's 6'6 sophomore Denzel Valentine and 6'5 junior Tyrin Wade. Douglass has 6'6 senior wing Tim Bates, 6'5 senior small forward John Gaston, and 6'5 junior small forward Dennis Hogan.

Gull Lake's 6'5 junior wing Trent Messer is a versatile player that not many people outside of Western Michigan know about. That could change in the #14 quarterfinal but first he'll have to get by a tough Holland Christian team with 6'3 senior wing Brett Konyndyk.

The #10 quarterfinal between ABT and Buena Vista is only missing Maurice Jones and then I could play center at 5'9 off the bench of course. Between ABT's 5'10 senior guard Mike Talley (Duquesne) and 5'8 junior guard Marcell Smith and Buena Vista's 5'6 senior guard Dedo Jackson and 5'8 junior guard George Goodwin this could be a track meet. These four players could play the entire game. Look for a couple of the state's best freshmen in ABT's 6'3 wing Taron Ramsey and Buena Vista's 6'2 guard Domonic Jackson. ABT has the height advantage in 6'8 senior center Yakima Noble and 6'6 junior Marcus Montague.

Suttons Bay's 6'3 junior guard Dwaun Anderson is one of the state's best regardless of class and not to look forward but I will anyway. A win in the quarters will put Anderson on the statewide map as he will at least play in the Class C Semifinals where he could leave those in attendance saying, "OMG." If, he makes it to the finals then he could stake claim as a finalist for the 2011 Mr. Basketball Award. But one game at a time and Flint Beecher has definitely done that as they started the season slow but have gained momentum and much of the credit goes to the coach some falls on the shoulders on one of the state's best freshmen, 5'7 point guard Montey Morris.

Less than a handful of teams have ever won threes state championships in a row; the last was Detroit Cooley from 1988-'90. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian has a great opportunity to become a mini Halley's Comet, which was last around the third planet in 1986, and they have plenty of returning talent to make this a reality. Recent Ferris State commit 6'6 senior forward Evan Bruinsma is the leader but he has a solid back court that help push the engine in the Burris brothers, 5'10 senior Jeff and 5'9 junior London. But before championships happen the crew must defeat Buckley in the Class D #14 quarterfinal.

Covert's 6'1 guard Amire May is averaging 33.3ppg for the Class D school. A win in the #13 quarterfinal would give him the chance to show to many across the state who this the kid is tucked into the corner of the mitten.

Natt Graham is an assistant coach for Cornell.

Tj@insideprepsports.net