IHSAA Reveals Sectional Pairings for 113th Annual Boys Basketball State Tournament

The state tournament gets underway on Tuesday, February 28.

INDIANAPOLIS - The IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament is set under a new format.

Sectional pairings for the 113th annual state tournament was revealed during the pairings show on Sunday evening.

A total of 401 teams will compete across four classifications. There will be 397 games played in 26 days.

Sectional games are scheduled to begin Tuesday, February 28 and run through Saturday, March 4. Regional games will follow on Saturday, March 11.

This year, the regional and semi-state round have essentially switched. The regional is now a single-game championship and the semi-state becomes two-rounds with the winner advancing to the state championship.

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

The semi-state games – scheduled for Saturday, March 18 - will be randomly drawn and announced in a second pairings show via IHSAAtv.org.

State championship games will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 25.

“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,” IHSAA Commissioner Paul 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.”

Full sectional pairings can be found at https://www.ihsaa.org/

Class 4A Sectional 14 at Columbus North

G1: Shelbyville vs. East Central (Tuesday, February 28)
G2: Franklin Community vs. Columbus North (Tuesday, February 28)
G3: Whiteland Community vs. Winner of G1 (Friday, March 3)
G4: Columbus East vs. Winner of G2 (Friday, March 3)
Championship: Winner of G3 vs. Winner of G4 (Saturday, March 4)

*Columbus North has the top Sagarin rating of any team in Sectional 14 (84.54, 37th in the state). The next-highest rated team is Franklin (75.13, 97th in the state). North is 3-0 against sectional opponents, scoring wins over Franklin, Columbus East, and East Central. The Trojans will rematch Shelbyville in round one. East Central lost to Shelbyville 47-38 in December. The Trojans are seeking their first sectional title since 2008.  

Class 3A Sectional 29 at Greensburg

G1: Rushville Consolidated vs. Franklin County (Tuesday, February 28)
G2: Lawrenceburg vs. Connersville (Wednesday, March 1)
G3: Greensburg vs. South Dearborn (Wednesday, March 1)
G4: Batesville vs. Winner of G1 (Friday, March 3)
G5: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G3 (Friday, March 3)
Championship: Winner of G4 vs. Winner of G5 (Saturday, March 4)

*Connersville is the lone ranked team in Sectional 29 as the #7 team in Class 3A. The Spartans won the EIAC this season with a perfect 7-0 record, including 6-0 versus sectional opponents. Greensburg has won seven Sectional 29 titles in the last 10 seasons. Their most recent title came in 2020. Since Batesville won the sectional title in 2019, there has been a new champ each of the last three seasons. Lawrenceburg is the defending champion. South Dearborn has not won a sectional since 1995. 

Class 2A Sectional 45 at South Ripley

G1: Switzerland County vs. Milan (Tuesday, February 28)
G2: North Decatur vs. South Ripley (Friday, March 3)
G3: Hauser vs. Winner of G1 (Friday, March 3)
Championship: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G3 (Saturday, March 4)

*As of Sunday's pairings show, North Decatur has a record of 18-4, the best in Sectional 45. They will face a South Ripley team that they defeated 58-46 on December 3. Milan and Switzerland County will meet for the second time this season. The Indians were a winner in the first matchup by a score of 56-48. Both teams have played Hauser. Switzerland County was a winner, while Milan just lost a close contest with the Jets last Friday. Milan is seeking their first sectional title since 2003. Switzerland County last won a sectional in 2013. South Ripley last cut down the nets in 2017. 

Class 1A Sectional 60 at Edinburgh

G1: South Decatur vs. Edinburgh (Tuesday, February 28)
G2: Jac-Cen-Del vs. Southwestern (Shelbyville) (Wednesday, March 1)
G3: Waldron vs. Morristown (Wednesday, March 1)
G4: Oldenburg vs. Winner of G1 (Friday, March 3)
G5: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G3 (Friday, March 3)
Championship: Winner of G4 vs. Winner of G5 (Saturday, March 4)

*Jac-Cen-Del currently has the top Sagarin rating (62.68, 222nd in the state) of the seven teams in Sectional 60. Edinburgh, South Decatur and Waldron follow close behind, ranking between 238-267. JCD is 3-1 against sectional opponents, while Edinburg has gone 5-1 and Waldron has gone 6-2. JCD is seeking back-to-back sectional titles for the first time since 1968-69. 

Class 1A Sectional 62 at New Washington

G1: Shawe Memorial vs. New Washington (Tuesday, February 28)
G2: Rising Sun vs. Medora (Tuesday, February 28)
G3: Trinity Lutheran vs. Winner of G1 (Friday, March 3)
G4: Crothersville vs. Winner of G2 (Friday, March 3)
Championship: Winner of G3 vs. Winner of G4 (Saturday, March 4)

*New Washington, Rising Sun and Trinity Lutheran have the three best records against sectional opponents, and they have traded wins and losses against one another. Rising Sun has a win over New Washington, Trinity Lutheran has a win over Rising Sun, and New Washington has a win over Trinity Lutheran. Rising Sun has not won a sectional since 1998. 

 

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