Plenty of Seedings to Go Around

The Southern Section basketball playoff pairings got easier -- and more complicated -- at the same time.

Sixteen teams will be seeded in each of the 10 divisions for boys’ and girls’ playoffs, which begin with wild-card games Wednesday. In the past, only the top four teams in the respective 32- and 16-team brackets were seeded.

“We’re hoping it will create a lot more interest and competition that the basketball community wants to see,” said Paul Castillo, the section’s assistant commissioner in charge of basketball.

Still ...

“It won’t be a true draw, but as close to possible with some of the existing nuances,” said Ray Plutko, executive director of the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Assn., whose recommendation was adopted by the section’s basketball advisory committee.

Among those nuances, first- and second-place teams from the same league must be on opposite sides of the bracket, a third-place team can’t have an easier draw than a second-place team from the same league, and geography could still play a role in determining early-round opponents.

Also, existing rules regarding home games will remain in effect, meaning a league champion will get a first-round home game even if its opponent is seeded higher.

Current rankings, which can be found at www.cifss.org, go 16 deep instead of 10.

“We see a lot of the top teams knocking each other off this season. It’s not an easy seeding this year,” said Castillo, who added that seeding will be based on several factors, including strength of league and schedule, common opponents and strength at the end of the season.

The format will be used on a trial basis through the 2005-06 season.

The section will release its playoff pairings for basketball Sunday.