Tip-off between St. Joseph and Notre Dame in a non-conference game in Metuchen on February 1, 2024. (Source: St. Joe’s Student Media on YouTube)
The top seed in the 2024 Greater Middlesex Conference boys’ basketball tournament was – for all intents and purposes – decided sometime in early January, only a few weeks into the season, once St. Joseph-Metuchen was far enough ahead in the “once-through” GMC Red Division to claim the title.
That become official Friday at the GMC seeding meeting, where the Falcons got the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2020.
The GMC Red Division got the tournament’s top five seeds, with the Falcons followed by Colonia second, Monroe in third, St. Thomas Aquinas fourth and Old Bridge at No. 5.
The committee had to break two co-champion ties, in the White and Blue Divisions. GMC White co-champs South Plainfield and Woodbridge were very close, splitting their season series. In the end, the nod went to South Plainfield.
In the Blue, it was also very neck-and-neck between co-champs Spotswood and Timothy Christian. They also split their season series, beating each other by the same margin in both games: eight points. Spotswood got the nod.
But having six teams with a claim to a divisional title, the “top eight” rule became the “top ten,” meaning all teams that won or shared a division title had to get a top ten seed.
The rest of the top eight went to South Plainfield at six, Woodbridge seventh and Spotswood at No. 8.
The ninth-seed went to Timothy Christian, and Gold Division champion Calvary Christian got the tenth seed.
Tournament play begins Saturday with the play-in round at higher seeds.
Below is the full 2024 GMC Tournament bracket, including dates of games. Higher seeds host through the first round. The quarterfinals are at Piscataway High School, with the semis and finals at Monroe Township High School.
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