Basketball Regional, Semi-State Formats Switch This Coming Season

The format switch will double the number of teams that play later into the season.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana High School Athletic Association has voted to change the basketball tournament format.

The Executive Committe voted 15-2 on Thursday to make the regional round a single game and the semi-state round a two-game format beginning with the 2022-23 season.

The change in format is in part to positive feedback from principals, athletic directors and boys and girls basketball coaches across the state. This spring, IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig conducted a survey regarding the format change with 73.4 percent of 781 respondents voting in favor of the change.

Regional pairings will continue to be drawn and announced at the same time as the traditional sectional pairings with two regional championship games being played at the same site and potentially from different classes.

Semi-state pairings will be announced the day after regional title games and will be conducted as a blind draw.

Tournament sites will be announced later this year. 

“We really like the potential of a high-energy atmosphere at the semi-state level with a chance to advance to the state championship games the following week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Pacers and Fever,” Neidig said. “This new format will double the number of teams who play a week longer in the tournament and should create a lot of excitement in those communities and will be financially beneficial for those communities that serve as host sites.”

The previous format of a two-round regional and a single semi-state game had been in place since 2002.