Here's the playoff draw for 19 Madison-area boys basketball teams (2024)

Two Madison-area boys basketball teams will enter the WIAA postseason as No. 1 seeds after the division, brackets and pairings were revealed Sunday morning.

Stoughton is the top seed in Division 2, while Madison Abundant Life is the same in Division 5.

The Vikings and Challengers are amongst the19 area teams headed to the postseason.

Madison Abundant Life will face No. 16 Juda in the regional quarterfinals.

No. 10 Madison Edgewood is the lone area team in Division 3 and will start the postseason against No. 7 River Valley.

First-round matchups will begin on Feb. 27.

Division 1

Division 1 is filled with matchups between Big Eight, Badger Small and Badger Large conference teams.

The headliner is the rematch between No. 6 Sun Prairie East (15-8) and No. 11 Verona (14-9). The two teams played Friday, with the Cardinals winning 74-71 on senior night.

Max Raimer scored a team-high 15 points in the victory and ranks second on the team with 16.8 points per game. Verona defeated Sun Prairie East 82-73 in the teams first matchup on Jan. 11.

No. 16 Madison West (5-18) and No. 17 Madison La Follette (4-17) will renew their rivalry in the regional quarterfinals.

The winner will advance to play top-seeded Kettle Moraine (19-3), which reached the state tournament last year. West and La Follette play each other in the regular-season finale on Tuesday, serving as a postseason precursor.

"It's an interesting seeding as too many Big Eight teams play one another each year after seeding is done," Madison West coach Keith Stewart said.

After being the No. 2 seed last year, Middleton (12-10) enters this postseason in unfamiliar territory as the No. 10 seed. The Cardinals will visit No. 7 Janesville Craig (15-8)— they split a pair of games during the regular season.

Three-star recruit Will Garlock leads Middleton with 17.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season, according to wissports.

Waunakee's No. 2 seed is the highest amongst area teams in Division 1. The Warriors (17-6) earned this selection after winning their third consecutive Badger Large Conference title this year.

Waunakee did this under the guidance of first-year coach Tyler Selk and will host No. 15 Janesville Parker (5-18) in the regional semifinals. Earlier this month, Janesville Parker beat Waunakee 78-74 behind 25 points and 23 rebounds from JJ Douglas, according to wissports.

No. 8 Oregon (13-10) and No. 9 Madison East (11-9) will clash for the first time this season in the first round.

The Purgolders are led by senior Cam Henderson, who leads the team with 20.8 points per game.

"The lower bracket is all Big Eight teams which is frustrating because we beat each other up all season long just to immediately match up in the postseason," Madison East coach Matt Miota said. "I think every coach in our conference would rather travel an hour to play a non-conference team in the first round."

Meanwhile, the more inexperienced Panthers feature sophom*ore standout Vaughn Karvala. The 6-6 guard averages a team-high 23.5 points per game, according to wissports.

No. 13 Madison Memorial (10-13) gets that opportunity to play a non-conference team in the first round, as it'll travel to face No. 4 Muskego (17-5).

With seven players listed at 6-4 or taller, the Spartans will rely upon their height to pull off the upset.

State leading scorer Chris Davis Jr leads No. 3 Sun Prairie West (17-4) into an opening-round matchup against No. 14 Badger (8-15).

The 6-foot-5 junior guard averages 41 points per game and has scored more than 50 points three times this year, according to wissports.

Division 2

Stoughton (20-3) earned a top seed after going undefeated in Badger Small Conference play and winning the league title for the first time since 2019. The Vikings are led by Michigan Tech commit Ty Fernholz.

The 6-2 guard is known for his sharpshooting ability and leads the team with 20.3 points per game, according to wissports.

Stoughton will play the winner of No. 9 McFarland and No. 8 Fort Atkinson (9-14) in the regional semifinals.

The Spartans (7-14) have lost both matchups to Stoughton after switching to the Badger Small this year.

McFarland coach Jeff Meinholdt said he expects a competitive matchup against Fort Atkinson and his team is looking forward to the challenge.

"We had some games we wish we could have back because that would have put us in a better seed but it's out of our control now," Meinholdt said.

Along with Stoughton, fourth-seeded DeForest (11-12) and second-seeded Mount Horeb will enjoy first-round byes.

Mount Horeb (18-5) will await the winner of No. 10 Delavan-Darien (9-14) and No. 7 Elkhorn (11-11), while DeForest plays either No. 5 Milwaukee Marshall (4-12) or No. 12 Wauwatosa East (4-16) in the regional semifinals.

"Biggest advantage of a first-round bye is you get to scout your opponent," Mount Horeb coach Todd Nesheim said. "The days off can be a plus from a rest perspective but I've seen it be a disadvantage. Teams that get a win on Tuesday come in with some confidence and positive mojo."

Monona Grove coach Dan Zweifel said his team is excited to renew a long and competitive rivalry with fourth-seeded Monroe (15-7).

The Silver Eagles are led by the tandem of Isaiah Erb and Emmett Toijala. The senior guards score a combined 27.8 points per game, according to wissports.

Monona Grove also has a 3-point specialist in Lucca Svaldi, who shoots a team-high 40.4% from behind the arc.

"We have had many battles over the years with the Cheesemakers and welcome the opportunity to compete with the Rock Valley Valley Champion," Zweifel said.