2020-2021 NCHSAA 3A Girls Basketball Playoff Projections

By Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

Below are the projections for the 3A girls basketball state playoffs for the 2020-2021 season.

These projections are not official and can change when the official brackets are released by the N.C. High School Athletic Association on Saturday, Jan. 9. However, these projections are made using the protocols adopted by the NCHSAA Board of Directors and the results entered into MaxPreps by the schools. You can read the in-depth breakdown on how the playoff qualifiers will be determined and brackets created by clicking here.

Looking for projections from other classifications? Click here!

Important note: We will not be able to project an actual bracket for the playoffs this year, only the qualifiers, the wildcard spots, the seeding tiers, and the bubble. Since the bracket will be built based on a random draw, it is impossible for us to project the eventual bracket with any level of certainty.

These playoff projections will be updated regularly throughout the final weeks of the regular season. To receive alerts when new projections are released, download the free HighSchoolOT app on your phone or tablet.

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This projection was last updated on Feb. 20 at 5:40 PM

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3A East Girls Basketball Projection

All records shown are conference records only. Neither overall winning percentage nor MaxPreps Rankings factor into the playoff format for the 2020-2021 school year.

First place automatic bids (Random seeds 1-10 in alphabetical order):

• Asheboro (6-0)
• Clayton (10-0)
• D.H. Conley (11-0)
• Eastern Alamance (11-0)
• North Brunswick (2-3)
• Northwood (11-0)
• Rocky Mount (10-0)
• Swansboro (9-1)
• Terry Sanford (9-0)
• Union Pines (9-1)

Second place automatic bids (Random seeds 11-12 in alphabetical order):

• Chapel Hill (9-2)
• Southeast Guilford (4-2) OR Southwestern Randolph (4-2) OR Williams (4-2)

Wildcard bids (Random seeds 13-16 in order of qualifying):

• Northern Guilford (12-1)
• E.E. Smith (9-1)
• Jacksonville (8-2)
• Harnett Central (7-2)

First 10 teams out (in order of first to miss the field):

• Person (10-3)
• Cleveland (7-3) OR Franklinton (7-3) OR Northern Nash (7-3) OR Triton (7-3) OR West Carteret (7-3)
• Cleveland (7-3) OR Franklinton (7-3) OR Northern Nash (7-3) OR Triton (7-3) OR West Carteret (7-3)
• Cleveland (7-3) OR Franklinton (7-3) OR Northern Nash (7-3) OR Triton (7-3) OR West Carteret (7-3)
• Cleveland (7-3) OR Franklinton (7-3) OR Northern Nash (7-3) OR Triton (7-3) OR West Carteret (7-3)
• Cleveland (7-3) OR Franklinton (7-3) OR Northern Nash (7-3) OR Triton (7-3) OR West Carteret (7-3)
• Southeast Guilford (4-2) OR Southwestern Randolph (4-2) OR Williams
• Southeast Guilford (4-2) OR Southwestern Randolph (4-2) OR Williams
• Orange (6-4)
• C.B. Aycock (7-5)

3A West Girls Basketball Projection

All records shown are conference records only. Neither overall winning percentage nor MaxPreps Rankings factor into the playoff format for the 2020-2021 school year..

First place automatic bids (Random seeds 1-7 in alphabetical order):

• Ashbrook (11-1)
• Cuthbertson (13-1)
• Dudley (7-0)
• Enka (13-1)
• Freedom (9-0)
• Jesse Carson (10-0)
• Northwest Cabarrus (10-2)

Second place automatic bids (Random seeds 8-11 in alphabetical order):

• Asheville (11-2)
• Charlotte Catholic (10-3)
• Cox Mill (9-2)
• Kings Mountain (9-3)

Wildcard bids (Random seeds 12-16 in order of qualifying):

• North Buncombe (11-3)
• Southwest Guilford (6-1)
• Hickory (7-2)
• Alexander Central (8-3)
• Crest (8-3)

First 10 teams out (in order of first to miss the field):

• Weddington (10-4)
• Jay M. Robinson (7-3) OR West Rowan (7-3)
• Jay M. Robinson (7-3) OR West Rowan (7-3)
• Marvin Ridge (7-5) OR West Cabarrus (7-5)
• Marvin Ridge (7-5) OR West Cabarrus (7-5)
• T.C. Roberson (8-6)
• North Iredell (5-4)
• Forestview (6-5) OR Parkwood (6-5)
• Forestview (6-5) OR Parkwood (6-5)
• Parkland (4-4)