Top seeds prevailed through the opening round of the Div II playoffs, and the final eight are aiming to get a step closer to City Glory.

And what better way to cure the NBA All-Star Weekend hangover then playoff basketball?

King/Drew held off a resilient Eagle Rock team as they look forward to a tough test against a gritty Lancer side that took care of Roosevelt at home, thanks to a quick 20-8 blitzkrieg. The Golden Eagles haven’t been very convincing at home, just 4-5 in their own vicinity. Grant, on the flip-side, is sitting at 5-4 on the road, and they are hoping to add another one in the W.

Senior Antonio Tidwell, who scored 26 in the opening round, along with 12 rebounds and three steals will be relied upon for the Lancers, who had three players score nine and another with eight.

Prediction: Behind the play of Tidwell, the Lancers score the upset win with a 74-62 victory.

Propelled by their defense, the Barristers held off Bell, holding them to within 10 points during the first and third periods. Meanwhile, Garfield took care of the Cavaliers with a 60-43 victory and hope to sneak past the Barristers to get into the semi-finals.

Marshall is a solid 6-1 at home, while Garfield is 7-1 on the road, leading this to be a match-up that should provide the excitement.

Prediction: Give me the home team here by a slim margin of 65-61.

Coaching adjustments are huge in playoff games, which typically pin you against unfamiliar foes, and that was shown as the Wolves walked out of round one with a 68-55 victory over Lincoln, while, Los Angeles was the lone higher seed going out for a road game, and walking out with a 58-51 win over SOCES.

The early road test for the Romans could pay dividends, however, the game will come down to how they can force the Wolves, outside of Tyree Winborn, to score while getting past the defensive duo of Ethan Quiambao and Matthew Sykes.

Prediction: I like the Wolves to take this by a score of 68-53.

When it comes to the 4-v-5 match-up, it tends to be one of the closest and hardest games to pick, and this one is no different. The Chancellors dismantled Animo South LA by a 80-58 margin behind Noah McKeznie, Anthony Carpenter and Yashua Nonaka scoring 21, 20, 20 respectively while Marco Martinez had six steals.

Coach Rico Miles and the Sheiks held off Vuaghn with a 68-60 win and will certainly have Yanis Arslane and Niko Gooden ready for the quarter-final trip to the 818.

Prediction: Tough one to call here, but, being from the Valley and all, I’ll take Chatsworth with a 72-65 win.