Division I boys basketball preview

The Division I boys basketball season gets underway on Friday. Here’s a look at how the division could shake out.

Favorites

• Portsmouth (22-0): The Clippers are coming off a dominant championship season in Division II, and return most of the team that pulled that off. That includes senior big man Joey Glynn, who will likely continue to dominate Division I like he did a year ago. Add in Shon Parham and Cody Graham, plus a reloaded bench, and Portsmouth looks like the team to beat.
• Winnacunnet (14-7): The Warriors have a big cast of players back from last year’s semifinalist, led by point guard Liam Viviano. Winnacunnet had eventual-champion Manchester Central on the ropes in that final four appearance, and the Warriors should benefit from that experience.

Challengers

• Londonderry (10-9): Two years removed from the program’s first championship, the Lancers could be poised for another long playoff run. With Jake Coleman, a Player of the Year candidate, leading the way, Londonderry should be in the mix for a top four seed.
• Spaulding (7-13): The Red Raiders perhaps took the first step toward a solid season in the playoffs last year, when they upset Exeter in the first round. Cal Connelly leads a large returning cast that will be looking to get Spaulding back to the final four and maybe beyond.
• Nashua North (16-4): The hottest team down the stretch last year, the Titans earned the top seed only to get upset in the quarterfinals. North lost two of its top three players, but returns Alonzo Linton, who came on strong at the end of last year, along with Jordan Buckmire and Sky Boykin.
• Manchester Memorial (13-8): Craig Preston returns after a season away at prep school and he’ll give an immediate boost to the Crusaders’ offense. Memorial should once again be a team with great potential – the Crusaders were a semifinalist last year – that could slip, as they made that run as the ninth seed.

Dark Horses

• Manchester Central (18-4): Not exactly where the Little Green are used to starting a season, but then again, this is a much different team than the one that won last year’s title. With long time coach Doc Wheeler stepping aside, former Trinity coach Dave Keefe steps in to lead a team the returns one starter from a year ago.
• Merrimack (15-7): Like Central, Merrimack lost a lot from last year’s runner-up, losing 12 seniors. But the Tomahawks have Ian Cummings back, and it’s hard to ever count out a team coached by Tim Goodridge.
• Nashua South (11-8): With DJ Frechette leaving for prep school, the Panthers have a huge hole to fill, but just might have the player to do so in Kevin Genoa. Max Osgood gives South the size inside that many teams are lacking.

The rest of the field: Alvirne, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Pinkerton, Salem, Trinity.

Final four: Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Spaulding, Nashua North.

Championship: Portsmouth over Winnacunnet.

Playoffs

Starting with the 2016-17 season, the NHIAA is implementing a 70-percent rule, meaning no more than that amount of teams will make the postseason. With 19 teams in Division I, that means 13 will make the playoffs, with the top three seeds getting byes into the quarterfinals.

• Preliminary round: Tuesday, March 7
• Quarterfinals: Friday, March 10
• Semifinals: Monday, March 13 at the University of New Hampshire
• Final: Saturday, March 18 at the University of New Hampshire