Five storylines to watch at the IHSA basketball state finals

Illinois high school basketball will take over the State Farm Center in Champaign for a few days this weekend. But before it all plays out, we take a dive into the key storylines that are fast developing and questions that need to be answered over the final weekend of the season.

Only one that can repeat

Maybe the Benet-DePaul Prep semifinal Friday night isn’t the de facto state championship many believe it to be. But the winner will certainly be the favorite in Saturday’s title game no matter who it faces.

That gives us a guarantee: There will be one team looking to repeat in the 4A state championship game.

The difference is DePaul is shooting for a record-tying fourth consecutive state championship — and first in Class 4A — while Benet is shooting for back-to-back titles.

DePaul was the preseason No. 1 team back in November. They haven’t disappointed one bit.

The Rams have been near the top of the rankings all season long, currently at No. 2, while playing one of the state’s tougher schedules. DePaul’s pursuit of history is one of the major themes of the weekend as it tries to become just the third program ever to win four consecutive state championships.

Over the course of the season, Benet has emerged as a dominant force, much more dominant than anyone imagined. The Redwings are the best team in the state and currently atop everyone’s rankings.

On top of their talent, both of these teams boast a relentless will to win. But the Benet-DePaul winner will have to fend off the potential letdown that could follow a gigantic state semifinal victory.

If it’s Marist in the championship, both Benet and DePaul would enter the game knowing they’ve beaten the RedHawks already this season. If it’s York, well, the Benet-DePaul winner will enter the game as one of biggest favorites ever in a state championship.

Can the 3A field take down the big favorite?

Deerfield, which has 11 losses and finished fourth in its own 4A-dominated conference, is making its first-ever IHSA State Finals appearance. There has never been a double-digit loss team to win a state championship in Class 3A or 4A.

Leo has been bumped up from 2A to 3A this season, even with its tiny student enrollment of 248. What coach Jimalle Ridley’s Lions have done is one heck of a story. But they are young and were thought to be a year away with five junior starters and added depth from a talented group of underclassmen.

And while Kaneland just keeps winning and winning — and never losing — many have questioned just how good this unbeaten team is due to its weak schedule strength.

That leaves East St. Louis as a massive favorite in this Class 3A field.

The Flyers have the history and track record, including a 3A state title in 2019. They have size, athleticism and some shooting. They have the best prospect in the senior class in 6-8 Jamison White. And they have faced a schedule that has prepared them for this moment.

It will take a monumental effort for any of the other three semifinalists to take down East St. Louis. But the David vs. Goliath story will be a fun one to watch over the weekend.

Can unbeaten Kaneland finish it off?

The number of unbeaten teams heading to the IHSA State Finals, whether in Peoria or Champaign, have been far and few between, especially in recent years.

Kaneland has joined the very short list.

Now, can the Knights cap off the best season in program history as undefeated state champs?

There has not been an unbeaten state champ since the inception of the four-class system in 2008.

The last team to win a state title without losing a game was Seneca in 2006. The Fighting Irish finished 35-0 while capturing a Class A state title.

As far as an unbeaten big school state champ? You have to go way back to King’s 1993 team, led by Rashard Griffith and Thomas Hamilton, that finished 32-0 in Class AA.

Kaneland’s featured trio of point guard Marshawn Cocroft, junior big man Jeffery Hassan and shooter Connor Kimme will set out to make it 36-0 early on Friday in a semifinal game against Deerfield.

Odds, trends against surprising York

York began the season unranked. Now the Dukes are two wins away from winning a state championship.

Looking for a team that began the season unranked but went on to win a championship in the state’s largest class? Keep looking.

Something else going against the Dukes: York also doesn’t have a Division I basketball prospect.

Benet and DePaul, the two favorites who meet in the state semifinal, both have multiple players set to play Division I basketball.

Winning a big school state championship without Division I talent doesn’t happen. Ever.

In fact, it usually takes multiple Division I prospects. The lone team to win a title in the last 45 years with just one Division I player was Jon Scheyer’s Glenbrook North team in 2005. All the others have featured two or more.

Is this the year that trend is broken? York, which continues to use a collective effort to fuel its success, is now just two upsets away. And a York title would truly be epic in the annals of IHSA state basketball.

ESCC goes out with a bang

This season marks the final year of East Suburban Catholic Conference basketball.

A proud league with history and tradition, dating back to 1974, the ESCC will be closing its doors as a conference, merging with the Chicago Catholic League next season.

But what a finish it would be for this conference if it ended with a Benet-Marist state championship game. The two met in the final week of the season in what was the ESCC’s marquee game of the year, where Benet went on the road and knocked off Marist 77-68.