Boys' basketball: 10 things to know about 3A

1. Rematch in the making? Benilde-St. Margaret's and St. Thomas Academy played for the title a year ago and are the top seeds in the field. St. Thomas Academy won 56-40 in 2007.

2. Benilde-St. Margaret's, the No. 1 seed, is led by the dynamic duo of seniors Armond Battle and Jordan Taylor, who both average over 20 points per game. Battle is headed for Tulsa and Jordan is Wisconsin-bound.

3. No team is more aware that defense wins championships than St. Thomas Academy. The Cadets only gave up 117 points in their three tournament games last year en route to the title.

4. Willmar gets to celebrate the 20-year reunion of its 1988 team, the last Cardinals squad to reach the state tournament. It is an outstanding shooting team (56 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc).

5. Outside of the big two, St. Michael-Albertville is the only other school returning in the field. The Knights, who lost 67-52 to Rocori in the quarterfinals last year, are led by senior Theo Rothstein, a St. Cloud State recruit.

6. A new era is under way at Minneapolis Henry. The Patriots, guided by first-year coach Jerry Williams Jr., will be making their first state trip since 2003 -- when former coach Larry McKenzie led them to the last of their four consecutive Class 3A titles.

7. Little Falls is the epitome of March Madness. The Flyers (14-14) have won all six of their games in the month just to get to the .500 mark. It lost its final six games in February.

8. Believe it or not, there is more of a Cinderella story than the Flyers. Grand Rapids enters the quarterfinals with a 13-17 record. It lost to St. Michael-Albertville by 21 points in December.

9. Minneapolis Henry didn't waste any time testing its young talented squad, which includes seven sophomores and two juniors. The Patriots' first seven games were on the road.

10. The winningest coach in St. Paul City Conference history, Dan Brink, will be strolling the sideline for Como Park. He has won 275 games in conference play and over 400 in his career. Brink will be appearing in his ninth state tournament.