Welcome to the March to Macon. The road to the state championship is set and we dive into the bracket.

RELATED: Meet the No. 1 Seeds

It is PLAYOFF TIME in Georgia and @_joshtec & @JustinDYoung talk about the 7A bracket in preparation for a big week on @HoopSeenGA.

Fun show as Georgia gets ready for that #MarchToMacon. pic.twitter.com/oqt958NtEC

— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) February 18, 2023

First Round Game(s) to Watch

Pebblebrook at Lowndes: Judging from immediate reactions based on initial conversations about the 7A bracket, a lot of people are automatically pencilling in a second-round game between Pebblebrook and Newton. As Lee Corso would say, not so fast, my friends! While I would agree that that’s the most likely outcome, Pebblebrook has to go on the road to Lowndes, and that’s not an easy trip by any means. Lowndes is riding the momentum of winning their region tournament while Pebblebrook stumbled twice in theirs. The Brook Squad has won plenty in the state tournament, so betting against them would be a fool’s errand. However, this one isn’t as automatic as some might think. 

In the state of Georgia, the brackets are set for the state tournament. Which game should you go to in the 7A classification? @_joshtec has an answer for you. @HoopSeenGA pic.twitter.com/LH4hcz71pJ

— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) February 19, 2023

The Most Interesting Quadrant

The bottom left portion of this bracket is fascinating because there doesn’t immediately appear to be a favorite or group of favorites as compared to the other parts of the bracket. This quadrant provides the most suspense. 

One could make a case for any number of teams to advance out of this group. This is where surprises are the most likely. 

The first round matchups are as follows: 

#3 West Forsyth at #2 Cherokee

#4 Berkmar at #1 Buford

#3 Parkview at #2 Hillgrove

#4 Colquitt County at #1 Carrollton

Final Four Picks

You already know that we have to make our picks for the final four. 

Before the season, I predicted Wheeler, McEachern, Grayson and Newton with Buford and Norcross also being in consideration as the next two. 

Now that the brackets are set, it’s time to properly pick. 

Norcross - Newton, Norcross, Newton, Norcross. I’m still struggling with picking between those two. Both were mentioned as favorites in the preseason, but now it’s time to come face-to-face with making a tough choice between the two. It’s essentially a coinflip, but I’ll give the edge to Norcross because they won the matchup between the two earlier in the season. While Jakai Newton wasn’t playing for the Rams then, the Blue Devils have done enough winning around this time of year to warrant a slight favorite. 

Carrollton - This is the hardest quadrant to pick because there are a number of viable options. While Buford was a preseason pick to make the final four, this part of the bracket screams surprise. Although they’re a top-seeded team, Carrollton might still be an under-the-radar pick to make the final four. The Trojans just beat Pebblebrook and Westlake—at Westlake—to win their region tournament. They’re as hot as anyone right now, and they beat Buford early in the season, so they shouldn’t be slept on. If we’re being honest, one could make an argument for pretty much every team in this portion of the bracket. Pick your favorite, and you have a good chance of being right. 

Wheeler - Wheeler has been on fire as of late. They’ve been the top team in Georgia all season, and they’re playing their best basketball at the right time. While McEachern is a close, close second from this part of the bracket, Wheeler has been the most battle tested, and they’re unblemished against teams from the state. The Wildcats have won two state championships in the last three years, so betting on them has proven to be safe in recent years. Regardless, if we get a Wheeler/McEachern matchup on the March to Macon, that’s going to be a can’t-miss event. 

Grayson - The Rams have been one of the five best teams in Georgia this season. Overall, they could be the deepest team in the state too. They were preseason favorites to make the final four, and there isn’t a clear and convincing reason to pick against them in this quadrant of the bracket. Thus, we have Grayson as the favorite from this group to play for a chance to go to Macon. 

The 2022-23 7A Champions are…

The Wheeler Wildcats. 

Wheeler is bulldozing teams right now. They are playing their best ball of the season at the right time. Since the calendar flipped to February, the Wildcats have won their games by an average of 29.4 points per game. In the 5-7A tournament, Wheeler won both of its games by an average of 41.5 points per game. 

In addition to this heater they’re on, they haven’t lost to a team from Georgia yet this season. 

While Wheeler is the favorite, they won’t have an easy run. Potential matchups against McEachern and Grayson could pose as roadblocks on their March to Macon. 

If they do win it all, Wheeler will have won three state championships in four seasons. That coincides with Isaiah Collier’s high school career.