With only three weeks left before public school brackets are finalized, I thought it would be a good time to start looking at where teams currently stand in the playoff picture, now looking at 3A. While this gives us good insight into how the season has shaped up and who the best teams are, a lot can change between now and February 24th when the brackets are finalized. No team has clinched their conference yet and many conferences are still wide-open, most of them coming down to the last week of the season. On top of that, there are a handful of teams still fighting for a playoff spot, with even more fighting for a favorable seed. Seeding was done exactly how the NCHSAA describes here and the RPI was used for games through 2/5.
3A East
Auto Bids
All American: Westover, Triton
Big Carolina: South Central
Big East: Northern Nash
Central: Orange, Eastern Alamance
Coastal: Swansboro, White Oak
Mideastern: North Brunswick
Northeastern Coastal: First Flight
Northern Lakes: Southern Durham
Quad County: East Wake, Hunt
Sandhills: Southern Lee
United 8: Seventy-First
Projected Matchups
(1) Westover
(32) Rocky Mount
(16) West Carteret
(17) Eastern Alamance
(8) Northern Nash
(25) West Brunswick
(9) First Flight
(24) Williams
(4) Southern Durham
(29) Durham School of the Arts
(13) Croatan
(20) JH Rose
(5) South Central
(28) Scotland
(12) White Oak
(21) Person
(2) Swansboro
(31) Franklinton
(15) Hunt
(18) Triton
(7) North Brunswick
(26) Havelock
(10) East Wake
(23) Currituck County
(3) Seventy-First
(30) Cape Fear
(14) Jacksonville
(19) Southern Alamance
(6) Southern Lee
(27) Carrboro
(11) Orange
(22) EE Smith
3A West
Auto Bids
Big South: Crest, Ashbrook
Mid Piedmont: Central Davidson, Asheboro
Mid-State: Southern Guilford, Ben L Smith
Mountain: AC Reynolds
Mountain 7: East Henderson, West Henderson
Northwestern: Freedom
Queen City: West Charlotte
Rocky River: Parkwood
South Piedmont: Central Cabarrus, Robinson
Western Foothills: Hickory, North Lincoln
Projected Matchups
(1) Hickory
(32) Statesville
(16) West Henderson
(17) North Lincoln
(8) Parkwood
(25) Carson
(9) Freedom
(24) West Rowan
(4) Central Davidson
(29) Pisgah
(13) Ben L Smith
(20) Robinson
(5) Southern Guilford
(28) Oak Grove
(12) Asheboro
(21) South Point
(2) Central Cabarrus
(31) Piedmont
(15) North Henderson
(18) Franklin
(7) AC Reynolds
(26) Huss
(10) West Charlotte
(23) North Davidson
(3) Crest
(30) East Lincoln
(14) Kings Mountain
(19) Dudley
(6) East Henderson
(27) Northwest Cabarrus
(11) Ashbrook
(22) Concord