How are GMC basketball division races shaping up less than two weeks from the seeding meeting? We take a look

The Somerset County Tournament already has been seeded – a little earlier this year with the return to a Saturday schedule after the opening round – and the Greater Middlesex Conference will do the same a week from this Friday, on February seventh.

So how do the divisional races shape up on the girls’ and boys’ side?

While the SCT seeding is an overall vote by coaches, the GMC committee works a little differently, with reps from all the divisions and two coach representatives.

And with a change on the boys’ side to five divisions, all the division winners are guaranteed a top 12 seed, while the girls – with four divisions – guarantee a top eight seed to the four division champions.

Let’s dive in…

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE BOYS

GMC Red Division: Defending champion Colonia already has clinched the division, and they should be the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Patriots are 8-0 in the Red with two more to play, but even if they dropped them, they would – at worst – be tied with Piscataway (6-2), which they beat twice already. It’s likely that at least the top three Red teams will come out first before the White Division champ gets seeded. That would likely be Piscataway, then St. Thomas Aquinas (5-4), and the Chiefs have the tiebreaker since they beat the Trojans twice this season.

GMC White Division: Sayreville is 9-1 in the division with two games left, and South Plainfield is 6-3, with three to go. The Bombers beat the Tigers 73-56 in their first meeting on January 16th, so if they can win out, including winning their rematch next Tuesday, they’ll lock it up. If the Tigers win that game, they still would need Sayreville to drop another game.

GMC Blue Division: This one is neck-and-neck, with Edison in first at 6-1 and Timothy Christian second at 5-1. Should both keep winning, it could come down to a Thursday night matchup the evening before the seeding meeting in Edison between the Eagles and Tigers. (It’s also a good possibility we’ll be there on our final week “flex” broadcast schedule!) While only a Top 12 is guaranteed, it will be interesting to see how high the Blue Champion will go; a top eight seed gets a double-bye to the first round, while seeds 9 through 12 open play in the preliminary round.

GMC Gold Division: This one is also a race to the finish. Metuchen and Spotswood are both 6-2 in the division, with Middlesex behind them at 4-2. That’s more intriguing is the Bulldogs and Chargers have played both their matchups this year, splitting a pair. Metuchen won opening night at home, 63-52, an 11-point victory, while the Chargers won at their place last week, 61-43, and 18-point win. If they are co-champs and no head-to-head tiebreaker, the committee will have to break the tie. Margin of victory could come into play (Spotswood won by more) as could games against other teams already “on the board,” meaning teams already seeded.

GMC Silver Division: Another tight division here, as Piscataway Magnet (10-2) is a half-game ahead of Dunellen (9-2). Highland Park (8-4) probably won’t factor in, as the Raiders swept two from the Owls, though Dunellen split. Still, Highland Park would need to make a late run somewhere else. The Destroyers won the first meeting with Piscataway Magnet on January 15th, 54-41, and they meet again this Friday at 5:30 pm.

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE GIRLS

GMC Red Division: No race here. St. Thomas Aquinas is a juggernaut, 10-0 in the Red, with the closest teams behind them Monroe and East Brunswick, both at 6-4. Forgetting wins and losses, the Trojans are beating GMC Red opponents by an average of 44.8 points per game. In fact, Monroe is the only team to hold St. Thomas to under 80 in a GMC Red game this year, falling to them 58-29 on January fourth.

GMC White Division: Spotswood and Middlesex – both 10-2 in the White – are tied for first, with Edison (9-3) behind by a game. The Chargers and Blue Jays split this year: Middlesex won by ten at home on December 19th, 47-37, while Spotswood returned the favor by six back on January 14th, but only by six, 38-32. Middlesex has Edison tonight (Tuesday) at 5:30, while the Eagles host Spotswood Thursday night at 5:30, a game that will air live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Neither the Chargers nor Jays can afford to drop a game; if both do, it’ll get even more interesting! Edison already has lost to Middlesex by six, but beat Spotswood by nine. There are lost of scenarios here, but this week should settle a lot.

GMC Blue Division: Carteret is at the top at 10-1 in the Blue, with Metuchen at 8-1, and Highland Park just two back in the loss column at 7-2. The Ramblers beat Metuchen on January 17th, 44-32, and rematch again in the Brainy Boro next Thursday, they day before the seeding meeting. If Metuchen doesn’t trip up between now and then, that could decide it. They also beat Highland Park in their opener; that rematch is next Wednesday at 5:30.

GMC Gold Division: This one should be just about settled barring a giant collapse from division leader Calvary Christian, which is 13-0, while Mother Seton is 11-4, and Calvary swept them this year, on back-to-back nights in January, 30-25 and 36-25.