The Best Games for Tuesday 1/27 and Wednesday 1/28

There is a smaller slate of games this Tuesday due to the number of in-season tournaments that recently came to a conclusion, but there are still plenty of intriguing matchups for tonight, January 27th, and tomorrow. Here are some of the top games across the state for the next two days.

Tuesday, January 27th

Carmel (8-4) at North Montgomery (10-3) - The Greyhounds are coming off an impressive home win over Jake Odum and his Terre Haute South squad, which should build their confidence going forward. Carmel is led by senior forward Morgan Newton, who is a Kentucky football recruit. The Greyhounds also feature junior forward Scott Laskowski and have one of the more heralded freshmen in the state in 6'10 AJ Hammons, who is still developing but has a ton of upside. North Montgomery is led by 6'4 do-it-all guard DJ Byrd, a Purdue recruit who is a legitimate Mr. Basketball candidate and sure-fire Indiana All-Star. The Chargers have won four in a row after a slow start.

Chesterton (8-4) at Hobart (6-5) - The main intrigue in this one is 6'9 sophomore forward Mitch McGary, one of the slew of solid Indiana big men in the 2011 class. McGary was on campus in Bloomington to watch the IU-Minnesota game this past Sunday as an unofficial visitor, and he followed that up by receiving a scholarship offer from Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers. Expect more offers to come soon for McGary.

Forest Park (8-4) at Southrigde (11-2) - The Rangers are a storied 2A program who, under coach Tom Beach have had major success in their class. They seem to always have a great big guy, whether the Hopf cousins of the past, or current big man Jordan Myers, a Southern Illinois signee. Southridge is the number four ranked team in 3A. They have won six of their last seven games, with their only defeat in that stretch coming on the road by three points to the undefeated, number one team in 3A, the Princeton Tigers. Their other loss was to 3A number two Evansville Memorial.

Garrett (8-3) at Leo (9-2) - The Railroaders have put together an impressive season to date, but have struggled a bit as of late, losing three of their last six games. New head coach John Bodey is doing an impressive job in his first year. Leo is led by 6'7 post player Jordan Bowerman, who is a double-double machine and a great low block scorer. He will be a great late pickup for a low major or a solid D2 or NAIA school.

Wednesday, January 28th

Bowman Academy (10-2) at South Bend Washington (10-2) - Bowman Academy, a new state school, has quickly become one of the top teams in 1A. They have impressive wins over schools like Ft. Wayne Blackhawk, Indianapolis Northwest, and Huntington North. They also feature one of the best, but least talked about, freshmen in the state in DeJuan Marrero. Marrero is clearly one of the best, but his location in the state limits his exposure. He will certainly be a big name throughout his high school career. Washington is a solid, if not spectacular 4A team that features junior guard Kennis White, a likely D1 recruit.

Bishop Chatard (5-6) at Broad Ripple (7-6) - Chatard has a trio of solid guards in senior Pat Kennedy and juniors Austin Bluitt and Taylor Wayer. The story of this game, however, is the threesome of great players for the Rockets. The most highly touted is freshman Ron Patterson, who has offers from both IU and Purdue already. Sophomore guard Steven Jamison and senior Howard Stevenson are also likely D1 players.

Marion (10-1) at Logansport (9-2) - The Berries are hot, winning nine out of their last ten after a season-opening loss to Peru. They have impressive wins over teams such as Maconaquah, Western, and a triple-overtime win at McCutcheon. Marion is a contender for the 4A State Championship, and are led by 6'6 senior wing and NC State signee Scott Wood, another player who is a candidate for Mr. Basketball.

Those seven games are some of the best the next two days have to offer. Check back for results on these games, plus other noteworthy performances by teams and individuals.