This is a week of basketball the Ridgefield Tigers would like to soon forget.

After falling in overtime to Fairfield Ludlowe on Monday, the Tigers were dealt their fourth loss of the season in a rude awakening.

I walked into the gym at halftime at Staples - and saw the scoreboard in disbelief. I asked someone if it was a mistake and the game was starting late. It wasn't - Staples 33-7. The Wreckers are a team you probably don't want to see in your half of the tournament bracket, but still...

33-7? Two points after the first quarter? For a team ranked in the top 10 at one point? And in talking to a coach scouting the Tigers the entire game, all of the key guys played. And they were there for the third quarter when they tried to make a run, but Staples built the lead back up and coasted toa 60-34 win.

I'm sure this is the low point and will serve as a wakeup call for Ridgefield. But with St. Joseph and Westhill on the road to close the regular season next week, it certainly will not be easy to bounce back.

Tournament pairings will start to be known next week, but we can take an early look of how things are shaping up:

SCC: Defending champion Hillhouse and Career, barring any upsets this week, will be playing for the top seed next Monday at 4 p.m. If Career loses, the Panthers could end up being the No. 3 seed because Fairfield Prep has just one league loss. Amity and Branford have likely secured first-round home games.
Twelve teams have qualified and up to 15 can get in beginning on Feb. 23. Lyman Hall and Shelton need to win one game while Sheehan needs two.

Shoreline: Old Saybrook looks to be the Small Division champion - yet likely will not get a home game in the quarterfinals.
That's because the top four teams - Cromwell, Coginchaug, Haddam-Killingworth and Valley Regional - reside in the Large Division. Tonight's Coginchaug-HK game is huge for seeding purposes.
Hyde,Old Lyme and Hale-Ray are likely to fill out the other three spots. Old Lyme is the defending champion and is seeded in a similar position - as the underdog.

SWC: Kolbe Cathedral locks up the top seed with a win over Immaculate on Friday. Even if Immaculate loses, the Mustangs are the likely No. 2 seed because they have beaten both Notre Dame-Fairfield, the defending champion, and Bunnell.
Brookfield, Stratford, Weston and Masuk are the current 5-8 seeds with a week to play.