Looking for motivation, dear underdogs? Look right here.

BOYS
Class 4A
Natrona County: 3-2
The Mustangs have to be the overwhelming favorites in this bracket. And why not? At 22-1, NC is looking every bit as good as we thought they might, even back at the end of last year. And NC has proven it knows how to win close games.

Gillette: 5-1
The Camels cruised through the East Conference and the regional tournament.... But have they improved enough to give the Mustangs a real challenge?

Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston: 10-1
Any one of the other three qualifiers from the West Conference has the ability to knock off the Mustangs. All it takes is a little confidence. And a lot of defense. And a lot of boxing out.

Cheyenne Central: 12-1
The Indians pushed NC to overtime way back on opening weekend and have the ability to win it all -- even if they did end the season on a 1-3 slide.

Cheyenne East, Laramie: 35-1
Just don't see it. Sorry. Of course, we all know what Laramie did last year, and we all know East has enough pride to keep from folding.

Class 3A
Buffalo: 2.5-1
The Bison -- and their 22-1 record -- are the most consistent team in a classification full of inconsistency. That alone earns them the favorites' role.

Pinedale: 5-1
Remember way back in like December or January when I said the Wranglers would be that team that would go .500 or so during the regular season, and then be the team that "comes out of nowhere" to compete at state... even though they've been solid all season? Yeah, that still rings true, especially after the West Regional championship they won.

Wheatland: 6-1
Losing three straight right before regionals probably didn't help the Bulldogs' confidence. But winning two at regionals before losing by three in the regional championship should bring that confidence back.

Newcastle: 10-1
The Dogies are probably one year away from being one of the favorites for a state championship. But that doesn't mean they don't have the talent to do something special this year, too.

Lander: 15-1
Dangerous team right here. Easily overestimated, the Tigers have the talent to make it to Saturday -- and once they're there, it's a toss-up anyway...

Lyman: 25-1
Never underestimate state tournament experience. (Oops, maybe I just did...)

Jackson, Kemmerer: 30-1
Kemmerer's inconsistency really scares me, but the Rangers always play with heart and purpose. Jackson could be tough, but an unforgiving first-round opponent (Buffalo) might be too much to overcome.

GIRLS
Class 4A
Gillette: 3-1
Even with the loss in the regional championship, I still think the Camels are the favorites. They have too many big wins for me to think otherwise.

Sheridan, Cheyenne Central: 4-1
If the Camels slip up, the Broncs and the Indians are right there, ready to take their place.

Natrona County: 6-1
The West Regional champs had the misfortune of playing in the weaker conference. How that will affect them at state remains to be seen.

Rock Springs: 10-1
The Tigers could be trouble if they get past Sheridan in the first round.

Green River, Evanston, Cheyenne East: 28-1
It wouldn't be a surprise to me to see any of these three teams win on Thursday. It would be surprising to see them win in the semis on Friday. And it'd be jaw-dropping to see any one of these three win a state title. But that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Class 3A
Jackson: 2-1
Favorites all the way. Following up a state championship season with a 24-1 record earns you that respect.

Torrington: 5-1
What did the 'Blazers learn from last week? The right lesson, or the wrong one? I'm banking on the right one.

Douglas: 9-1
Maybe the most confident team in the bracket.

Lovell: 12-1
You can never count out a team that has Kristen Scheffler -- especially if the Bulldogs beat Torrington on Thursday.

Powell: 16-1
The Panthers have been waiting all year to bust loose. No sense waiting any more, ladies...

Newcastle: 18-1
Noticing a trend? Past the top two favorites, this is an extremely even field....

Worland: 20-1
... and any one of these eight teams can win it all. ...

Glenrock: 25-1
... Forget the rankings and the records. This 3A girls bracket will be the most fun of them all this weekend.

There they are.

Before we move on, I have a couple other items to share. First comes from online editor Ron Gullberg:

"The Online Department is stepping up its video features effort for the 3A/4A basketball tournament. One feature it wants to do is players' tattoos. In an effort to better prepare for the feature, the Online Department is asking anyone out there with prior knowledge of players' tattoos that are on display to e-mail Online Editor Ron Gullberg at ron.gullberg@trib.com. These are tattoos that are viewable while a player is in uniform. Let us know who to look for on Thursday."

Then there's this: With both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton planning visits to Casper this week (read about that here and here), I say we put together a little prize. Get both presidential candidates to sign a basketball (actually, four basketballs) and give each state champion an autographed basketball during the trophy ceremony.

This is something that president Franklin Roosevelt did in Casper during a 1936 campaign stop. Roosevelt's stop was in Casper on a Friday night, the same night as Natrona County High School's football game against Midwest. Roosevelt signed a football and asked that it be given to the winning team. NC won the game.

(By the way, I've asked around about this, and no one at NC has any clue where the football might be.... I'd bet the Obama/Clinton basketballs would be a little bit better cared for this time around.)

What do you say, Dems? I'll be more than happy to pay for the basketballs out of my own pocket and hand-deliver them to you Friday when you get to Casper.... :) We'll see.

(Also, by the way... Clinton is speaking at Casper College at 6:30 p.m., so if you're planning on going to any of the four games up at the college on Friday night, I'd suggest getting up there early. Security and parking might take a lot longer than you think. Just a suggestion.)

OK, brilliant idea time is over. Time for y'all to give me your predictions. Just make it a little bit more thoughtful than Clubber Lang's predictions, all right?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com