Blue Division preview — Captain Obvious thinks this one is easy

When you see Seth Davis on TV, understand he's going to tell you the most obvious thing possible. Yes, even stuff your sports-hating grandma could point out.

When talking about the Blue Division of the Blue and Gold Tournament, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center, some people I’ve spoken to said I could write a preview in five words:

Nixa Eagles, Blue Division champions

Wow, what a leap of faith, crowning the top-seeded Eagles as the champions. Even Captain Obvious thinks that’s apparent. (FYI, Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis is the modern-day Captain Obvious. God, he sucks. Badly. It’s unfortunate CBS has him as their primary in-studio March Madness analyst.)

Even to Davis’ or anyone else who would handicap Nixa as the favorite, the Eagles (9-0) are the easy choice. They have the three tangible measurements the truly good high school teams need:

1. Great talent — The Eagles feature one of the most talented teams, bringing back solid varsity veterans like junior guard Ben Fisher and seniors Jordan Keeney and Zac Hill. Plus, freshmen Austin Ruder and Jalen Norman are explosively talented and might be the team’s best players.
2. Great coaching — Jay Osborne is one of my favorite coaches to interview because you always hardly know where you stand or what’s going on in his head. Probably makes for a good poker face, I’d guess, but it works best on the court. He’s a savvy X’s and O’s guy and has won big games before.
3. Respect — The name on the front of the jersey needs to put a little bit of fear in you. Nixa has that in spades, even having the respect of the media, including yours truly. The Eagles are the top team in the latest RecSpecs 15.

Right here, Bolivar's Preston Guiot is lulling you to sleep. You'll learn soon enough.

I’d be shocked if they were seriously threatened late in a game. Still, there are many other Blue Division storylines that are juicy, ones that Seth Davis would never uncover:

• How far can Preston Guiot carry Bolivar?: The most dynamic player in the area, Guiot, who signed to play for Utah next season, has a tall order: Score a bunch, be judicious with his decisions and score a bunch more.

Bolivar’s 5-2 record shows the overall improvement of the rest of the roster, but Guiot still had 35 points and 11 assists in a 73-72 victory over Lebanon Friday. Dalton Kelley has been a key player for the Liberators, but the depth still isn’t there. So it begs the question, can Guiot have four spectacular games in five nights to keep the fifth-seeded Liberators afloat?

Absolutely, but he needs to play perfectly. Bolivar plays Skyline in a 12:30 p.m. first-round matchup.

• Can we really take Branson seriously? I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t the Pirates just graduate two studs? How could they be legitimate again so quickly?” To answer your questions, Yes and talent.

Branson's Avery Dingman is on many Missouri Valley Conference teams' radar.

Sure, gone are Mike Wiebe and Division I Diary penpal Tate Unruh, who combined to win back-to-back Blue and Gold titles the last two years, but another duo has emerged for the second-seeded Pirates (7-0). Avery Dingman and Sam Pugh have quickly jumpstarted another Branson era.

Dingman burst on to the scene with a 46-point explosion, including 10 3-pointers, in just his third game as a junior. The 6-foot-6 swingman could be the breakout player of the B&G. Or it could be Pugh. A 6-1 junior, Pugh can handle both guard spots and is the calming influence on a mostly varsity-inexperienced team.

Or, maybe you need to look no further than coach Randy Bishop’s Blue and Gold resume. Branson has three titles under Bishop (2003, 07 and 08), a third-place finish 2005 and a fourth-place finish in ‘04. The second-seeded Pirates take on Ash Grove at 6:30 p.m.

• Can Clever brew up a little more magic? After advancing to the Blue and Gold championship in 2007, Clever finished fourth in 2008. What does that have to do with this year’s version? Seniors Jeremy Dresslaer and Michael Reeves were a part of both and are looking to make another heartthrob run.

Dresslaer, a 5-11 senior guard, is averaging 25.2 points per game and Reeves has been steady, averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. But, the biggest change in the team is the growth of senior forward Joey Smith. After averaging 5.3 points per game last season, the 6-5 senior is averaging 21.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.

With that type of a start, the fourth-seeded Blue Jays could make another deep run. It all starts with a 2 p.m. first-round game with West Plains.

• Other storylines to watch: Is seventh-seeded Stoutland a good team, or simply a good small-school team? … Without junior Brodie Wingert, how will third-seeded Kickapoo fare? Wingert injured his ankle last week. … Is the Blue and Gold going to be the official coming out party for Willards Tim Huskisson? The 6-2 junior is a talented dude. … Upset special: No. 6 Miller vs. Marshfield, 8 p.m.

Click here for a Blue and Gold Tournament bracket

Want to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.