10 stories to watch

The 5A boys basketball state tournament gets under way today at the Dee Events Center, followed by the 4A tournament on Tuesday. Over the next six days there will 30 games at the Purple Palace, culminating in the 5A and 4A championships on Saturday. Here are 10 of the top stories to pay attention to throughout the week.

1. Pursuit of perfection

It's not often a team in 5A or 4A basketball arrives at the state tournament with an undefeated record. With more and more teams heading out of state to play in holiday tournaments, as well as elite teams playing tough in-state preseason slates to prepare for the postseason, running the tables has become virtually impossible.

Despite the long odds, the Davis Darts have arrived at championship week with a glossy 20-0 record. They went 6-0 in the preseason, 14-0 in Region 1, and now they're trying to follow it up with four more wins at the Dee Events Center to cap a 24-win season.

Ironically enough, the second-ranked Darts aren't even considered the team to beat with talent-laden Lone Peak in the picture. Considering what happened last year, however, Davis would be wise not to look past today. A year ago the Darts rolled into the Dee Events sporting an 18-3 record, but they shot 26 percent and lost by 16 to Jordan in the first round.

2. Lone Peak dominance

Since the UHSAA expanded to five classifications 15 years ago, the Mountain View Bruins of 1998 and 1999 are still the only Class 5A team to hoist back-to-back state championships.

No. 1 Lone Peak, and its well-documented starting five of future collegians, are four wins away from joining that list — and many people believe it's an inevitability.

At 19-2, the Knights' average margin of victory this year is 21.9, an increase of five points from last year's regular season differential. Their winning margin in region play jumped to 27.2 this season, but an even closer look reveals in the second half of league play Lone Peak won by an average of 31 points.

This includes a 34-point waxing of Pleasant Grove.

It's easy to see why Lone Peak is a big, big favorite, even with an undefeated team in the mix.

3. Eight isn't enough

A year after Provo's surprising run to the 4A title, in which coach Craig Drury claimed his record seventh state championship, the Bulldogs are the clear-cut favorite in this year's tournament as Drury goes after No. 8.