High school basketball: Wasatch the team to beat in 3A boys tourney

The 3A boys basketball state tournament reconvenes at the University of Utah Thursday with the quarterfinals, and all eyes will be on Wasatch.

The defending state champs have been ranked No. 1 all year, and they own an impressive 20-2 record — with both losses coming to ranked 4A teams.

Don't try and convince coach Norm Hayter that a back-to-back championship is a foregone conclusion, though.

"It's a group of guys that know they can be beat at anytime or anyplace if they don't play the way they're capable of playing," said Hayter.

The Wasps, however, usually do play up to their potential, which is why they're so tough to beat. Judge came close in the preseason, but the Wasps ultimately prevailed 50-47. In their only other games against fellow 3A quarterfinalists, they beat Morgan 70-53 in early January and beat Union 66-58 and 73-54 in their two Region 10 meetings.

Wasatch is three victories away from cutting down the nets again, but Hayter said that possibility "still feels like a long way away."

The quarterfinals get under way at the Huntsman Center at 9:30 a.m. with Richfield facing Morgan, followed by Desert Hills vs. Union at 11:10 a.m.

No. 1 Wasatch jumps into action at 12:50 p.m. against Cedar, while North Sanpete and Judge wrap up the first day of the boys portion of the 3A tournament at 2:30 p.m.

It's a brutal first game for the Wasps.

"They're a very good team; it's going to be a tough game right off the bat," said Hayter. "We're going to have our hands full. If you're going to win it, you may as well win it the hard way."

Cedar is 18-3 heading into the quarterfinals and a very balanced team with three players averaging right around 12 to 13 points. It's more than capable of pulling off the upset, but it can't afford to fall behind.

Wasatch protects the ball as well as any team in 3A, and it's arguably the best free throw-shooting team in the state. Point guard McKay Murdock is almost automatic.

The winner of Wasatch-Cedar faces the winner of North Sanpete-Judge in the semifinals.

It's another tricky match-up for the Bulldogs, who don't feature a player taller than 6-foot-3. In a double-overtime first round win last weekend, Judge somehow managed to overcome a Hurricane team that featured a 6-foot-9 center and a 6-foot-7 forward.