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The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) released its sectional pairings for boys' basketball today and things appear, for the most part, to be very similar to a year ago. 

After the WIAA Advisory Council last week voted down changes that would have altered enrollment cutoffs for each of the five divisions along with adding two teams to the Division 1 state-tournament field, the 2023-24 playoffs include:

* Division 1 -- 70 schools with an enrollment of 1,200 or above.

* Division 2 -- 92 schools with an enrollment between 600 and 1,199. 

* Division 3 -- 97 schools with an enrollment between 319 and 599.

* Division 4 ---98 schools with an enrollment between 196 and 318.

* Division 5 -- 128 schools with an enrollment of 195 and under.

Here are the sectional groupings:
Division 1 (70 schools)
Division 2 (92 schools)
Division 3 (97 schools)
Division 4 (98 schools)
Division 5 (128 schools)
Total: 485

Four teams in each division advance to the WIAA State Tournament, set for March 14-15-16, 2024 in Madison. 

Here are the divisional changes for the 2023-24 WIAA playoffs:

New Division 1 Schools (1,200 or above in enrollment)
Westosha Central
(Enrollment: 1,220, previous D2)

New Division 2 Schools (600 to 1,199 in enrollment)
Green Bay Southwest
(Enrollment: 1,145, previous D1)
Jefferson
(Enrollment: 604, previous D3)
Obama SCTE
(Enrollment: 456, previous D3) *
St. Augustine Prep
(Enrollment: 624, previous D3)
Waukesha South
(Enrollment: 1,251, previous D1) *
West Salem
(Enrollment: 607, previous D3)
Whitewater
(Enrollment: 606, previous D3)

New Division 3 Schools (319 to 599 in enrollment)
Golda Meir
(Enrollment: 606, previous D2)
Menominee Indian
(Enrollment: 349, previous D4)
Milwaukee Washington
(Enrollment: 432, previous D2)
New Holstein
(Enrollment: 319, previous D4)
Waupaca
(Enrollment: 589, previous D2)
Winnebago Lutheran
(Enrollment: 319, previous D4)

New Division 4 Schools (196 to 318 in enrollment)
Brodhead
(Enrollment: 315, previous D3)
Colby
(Enrollment: 309, previous D3)
Heritage Christian
(Enrollment: 196, previous D5)
McDonell Central Catholic
(Enrollment: 206, previous D5)
Racine Lutheran
(Enrollment: 303, previous D3)

New Division 5 Schools (28 to 195 in enrollment)
Blair-Taylor
(Enrollment: 193, previous D4)
Cashton
(Enrollment: 191, previous D4)
Ozaukee 
(Enrollment: 188, previous D4)
Palmyra-Eagle
(Enrollment: 195, previous D4)
Phelps
(Enrollment: 28, no varsity squad in 2022-23)
River Ridge
(Enrollment: 175, previous D4)
Saint Ambrose Academy
(Enrollment: 98, new program)

After a quick glance at each sectional, here are my picks for the toughest brackets in each division:

Division 1
Sectional 2 is crazy good with last year's champion -- De Pere -- and runner-up -- Arrowhead -- leading the way. Toss in talented teams from Germantown, Sussex Hamilton, Homestead, Oshkosh North and Sheboygan North and it's a true gauntlet. Arrowhead and De Pere in the same sectional? Really. That's an odd one. 

Division 2
The WIAA made some changes in sectional assignments and that has made all the difference as the balance of power shifts from Sectional 4 to Sectional 3. Three-time defending champion Pewaukee moves to Sectional 3 as the pre-season favorite to get to Madison once again, but there is plenty of competition within the grouping led by Wauwatosa West and 6-foot-11 junior Kai Rogers. Monona Grove, Monroe, Mount Horeb and Stoughton also boast strong teams. Meanwhile, Sectional 4 remains strong with Kon Knueppel and Wisconsin Lutheran near the top as the WIAA did everybody a favor by finally splitting Wisconsin Lutheran and Pewaukee into different sectionals.  

Division 3
The greater Milwaukee area is well represented in Sectional 4, which is loaded with great players and teams. Dominican, Milwaukee Academy of Science, Saint Thomas More and Racine St. Catherine's all boast NCAA Division I players while others, including Carmen Northwest and Brookfield Academy, bring back a ton of experience and may have scholarship players in their own right. 

Division 4
All four sectionals in Division 4 have solid teams, but Sectional 1 in the northern part of the state might be the deepest. Aquinas, Bangor, Cameron, Cumberland, Durand-Arkansaw, Fall Creek, McDonell Central Catholic, Neillsville and Unity, among others, all figure to have strong teams. Good luck picking a winner in Sectional 1 as there are lots of options. 

Division 5
The big news in Division 5 is the splitting up of Columbus Catholic and Pacelli as Columbus Catholic moves from Sectional 2 to Sectional 3. Both teams figure to have Top 10 squads in Division 5. Columbus Catholic may now avoid Pacelli for a trip to state, but the Dons enter a Sectional 3 field loaded with very good teams in Alma Center Lincoln, Cashton, Hillsboro, Ithaca, North Crawford, Potosi, River Ridge and Royall, among others. 

Here are some interesting tidbits regarding sectional placements:

** The following cities have their public schools in different divisions:

Green Bay (East and Preble in D1, Southwest and West in D2)
Racine (Case and Horlick in D1, Park in D2)
Wausau (West in D1 and East in D2)

** Milwaukee City Conference teams could conceivably place six teams at the WIAA State Tournament and potentially win four state titles. Five City schools are placed in Division 1 with all in Sectional 4; eight are in Division 2 spread over three sectionals; six are in Division 3 with all in Sectional 4; and two are in Division 4 in the same sectional. 

** My way-too-early picks to win each Sectional (I picked 10/20 correct a year ago): 

Division 1
Sectional 1: Kaukauna
Sectional 2: De Pere
Sectional 3: Sun Prairie West
Sectional 4: Marquette

Division 2
Sectional 1: Onalaska
Sectional 2: Nicolet
Sectional 3: Pewaukee
Sectional 4: Wisconsin Lutheran

Division 3
Sectional 1: Somerset
Sectional 2: Kiel
Sectional 3: Lake Mills
Sectional 4: Saint Thomas More

Division 4
Sectional 1: Aquinas
Sectional 2: Bonduel
Sectional 3: Darlington
Sectional 4: Heritage Christian

Division 5
Sectional 1: Solon Springs
Sectional 2: Pacelli
Sectional 3: Columbus Catholic
Sectional 4: Abundant Life Christian

For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark by clicking here.