Boys hoops: Quarterfinals features matchup of state's top two teams

(For a preview of the Class AA girls quarterfinals, go here.)

And then there were eight teams.

The field of 32 has been reduced and now the quarterfinals are upon us. They'll take place at Georgia College, along with the semifinals, over the course of three days - Thursday through Saturday.

The final two teams advance to play at the Macon Centerplex on March. 3.

The fun starts on Thursday at 4:45 p.m., when No. 5-ranked Lovett (22-6) - a No. 2 seed from Region 6 - plays No. 4 Manchester (23-5), Region 5's No. 1 seed). The Lions have already beaten a top seed in unranked Long County and have beaten their first two playoff opponents by 15 points. The Blue Devils are coming off a 75-62 win over No. 7 Early County.

Unranked Monticello (20-10), the No. 2 seed from Region 4, plays Region 3's top seed Dublin (25-4), the state's ninth-ranked team, in Thursday's 8:15 p.m. nightcap. Monticello's coming off an 81-73 win over Region 8 top seed Rabun County, while Dublin toppled an overrated No. 6 GAC by a 101-88 score.

On Friday, unranked Holy Innocents' (20-9) - the tournament's only No. 4 seed remaining and out of Region 6 - takes on No. 3 Crawford County (24-3), Region 4's top seed, at 4:45 p.m. The Golden Bears upset Region 7's top seed, No. 10 Model, 54-51 in the opening round and survived Swainsboro, 61-58, in Round 2. The Eagles have yet to be tested in the postseason and won their first two games by an average of 22.5 points.

The Friday nightcap at 8:15 features the state's No. 1 and 2-ranked teams, Thomasville and Pace Academy. The Bulldogs (26-1), Region 1's top seed, have held the state's top ranking all season and won their first two tournament games by a 30.5-point average, while Pace (18-9) has won its first two games by a 16.5 average.

As for my bracket, Manchester, Monticello, Thomasville and Pace are my lone survivors.

I have Pace toppling Thomasville mainly because the Knights have 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward Wendell Carter, the nation's No. 1 ranked player for the class of 2017. Either way, the game should be close.

At this point, with my bottom two corners of the bracket busted, I'm pulling for Holy Innocents' to continue its surprising run as a four seed, and Dublin can represent Chattooga - my upset pick to reach the semis - moving forward.

A Manchester-Pace final is still a possibility.