Who is hot, and who is not

Every team wants to be playing its best when the postseason begins, but not every team is. Here is a look at some basketball and hockey teams that are on a roll - and which ones aren't - as the playoff get underway.

Division I boys basketball

Hot: Bedford. The Bulldogs have won 10 games in a row after starting the season 1-7, taking them from a team not likely to make the playoffs to the No. 7 seed and a home game in the preliminary round. It's remarkable, but would be even more so if the Bulldogs hand't done the same thing last year, when they went into the playoffs having won nine of 10.

Not: Bishop Guertin. Through 11 games, the Cardinals were 10-1 and looked like a lock for a top four spot. But Bishop Guertin lost five of eight games down the stretch, including loses to Nashua North and Spaulding, dropping the Cardinals to No. 5 in the standings. It's not a bad spot to be in, except it means Bishop Guertin gets the team no one wants to see, Manchester Memorial, in the first round.

Hot: Exeter. The Blue Hawks had battled injuries and illness and were 5-8 when guard Zach Holler returned to the lineup. That night, Holler helped Exeter beat Nashua South on the road, starting the Hawks on a five-game win streak that left them at 10-8 and with their first home playoff game in six years.

Not: Nashua South. The Panthers looked like a lock for a top eight seed and coach Nate Mazerolle was a frontrunner for coach of the year. But starting with that loss to Exeter, South lost five of its final six games to fall to 9-9. The Panthers have a chance for revenge, as they'll be the visitors for Exeter's first home postseason game since 2008.

Division II boys basketball

Hot: Lebanon. The Raiders enter the postseason having won six straight, and after Portsmouth (11 in a row) and Pembroke (eight in a row) have the longest winning streak in the division. Included in that stretch was a 74-56 win over Bishop Brady that helped Lebanon (15-3) secure the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Not: Bishop Brady. The Giants had the look of a challenger to Pembroke's crown, sitting at 11-2 and in great position to wrapup a top four seed in the tournament. But Bishop Brady lost three of its last five games of the regular season to fall to fifth at 13-5. The Giants are certainly capable of making a run to UNH, but now they'll have to likely go on the road to do so.

Hot: Milford. OK, so any kind of movement would have warmed up the Spartans' status, but Milford appeared destined to stretch its playoff drought to three seasons since winning back-to-back titles. Then the Spartans won three of their last four, including the regular-season finale against St. Thomas on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, to get into the tournament. Whatever happens, just making it is a confidence boost for the program.

Not: Souhegan. This was expected to be a down year for the Sabers, as they returned just two fringe varsity players from last year's division runner-up. But midway through the season, Souhegan was 4-7 and had lost three games by seven points or less. The Sabers closed the regular season losing seven straight, with three of those losses by 35, 40 and 32 points.

Simmering: Pelham. It's hard not to include the Pythons, because they had won 13 games in a row before a loss to Plymouth in the regular-season finale. That should be a motivating factor for Pelham, which not only lost out on the No. 2 seed thanks to that loss, but fell to No. 4, meaning if the Pythons reach the semifinals, they'll be facing Pembroke.

Division I girls basketball

Hot: Bishop Guertin. The Cardinals are the No. 3 seed, but feel like a bit of an afterthought as a title contender because of the significant players gone from last year's runner-up. Most importantly, Bishop Guertin still has Jamie Sherburne, and the Cardinals have won eight of their last nine games as they enter the postseason. And being the third seed means they won't have to face Bedford until the final, if they get that far.

Not: Alvirne. With several key players back from last year's team that played Bedford tough in the quarterfinals, the Broncos were thought to be a potential top four team. Through 11 games, Alvirne was 8-3 and in a position for at least a top eight spot. Instead, the Broncos ended the year losing three in a row and five of seven to fall to 10-8 and the 10th seed.

Hot: Salem. The Blue Devils started the year 2-3, but since then have won 11 of 13 games. That includes a win over Pinkerton in the regular-season finale that bumped Salem up to the No. 5 seed and dropped the Astros to sixth.

Not: Pinkerton. That loss to Salem was the fourth in six games to end the year for Pinkerton, which was 8-0 and 11-1 at points during the season.

Hot: Trinity. The Pioneers have won five of their last seven games to go from around .500 to hosting a first-round playoff game at 11-7. The two loses in that stretch were by a combined three points to Nashua North and Londonderry.

Not: Manchester Memorial. Like Alvirne, the Crusaders had the look of a potential top four team early in the year before inexperience caught up with them. Memorial finished the regular season losing three straight to fall out of the top eight, and will open the postseason at Trinity.

Division II girls basketball

Hot: Coe-Brown. The Bears were hovering around .500 before winning six in a row to end the season and leap past Pembroke and Portsmouth for the No. 6 seed in the tournament. Perhaps the most encouraging thing for Coe-Brown was that all six of those wins were against teams that are in the postseason.

Not: Portsmouth. With a 9-1 record through 10 games, the Clippers were in contention for the No. 1 seed in the tournament. But Portsmouth went 3-5 in the month of February to drop down to the seventh seed, and the only thing keeping it from eight was a head-to-head tiebreaker with Pembroke.

Hot: Hanover. After a two-game skid in the middle of the season, the Marauders have won nine in a row, including wins over Lebanon and Souhegan. At 16-2, Hanover lost out on the No. 1 seed on a tiebreaker, and if it reaches the final four and championship game, would likely face teams its already beaten.

Not: Windham. The Jaguars got off to a rough start, but won four in a row to get to 10-5 and have a shot at a top eight spot. Instead, Windham lost its final three games of the regular season.

Simmering: Milford. The Spartans had won 12 games in a row before ending the regular season with a loss to St. Thomas. Milford still ended up with the No. 1 seed and has a good path to a second-straight semifinal appearance after not making the final four in 30 years.

Lukewarm: Souhegan. The Sabers were 11-1 and tied with Milford for the top spot in the standings before a three-game skid dropped them out of the top four for a while. Souhegan bounced back by winning its last three games to get the No. 3 seed.

Division I boys hockey

Hot: Bishop Guertin. The Cardinals were in danger of missing the postseason after starting the year 2-7-1. But Bishop Guertin finished the year 6-1-1, including two wins over Trinity and another against Londonderry, to get the No. 6 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals.

Not: Nashua North. The Titans started the year with wins in their first five games. Since then, North is 3-8-1 and as the No. 8 seed, has to play a preliminary round game against Manchester Memorial.

Hot: St. Thomas. Not only did the Saints end the year on a seven-game winning streak, they got a little but of luck when Londonderry knocked off Salem in the regular-season finale. That gave St. Thomas the No. 1 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals.

Not: Trinity. The Pioneers were 10-3 and hanging right behind Salem and St. Thomas, with a chance at the No. 1 seed if either slipped. But it was Trinity that slipped, losing five in a row to finish the regular season.

Hot: Manchester Central. The Little Green were the biggest benefactors of Trinity's slide. Central won five in a row to finish the season, ending up 11-7 and with the No. 4 seed. The Green will host the Pioneers in the quarterfinals.

Lukewarm: Londonderry. The Lancers were riding a 12-game winning streak when they lost two in a row to Pinkerton and Bishop Guertin. Londonderry bounced back with a big win over Salem to end the regular season.