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Basketball Four Options on the Table for 2023 State Tournaments

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Link: https://nebpreps.com/options-on-the-table-for-boys-and-girls-state-basketball-tournaments/

Options on the Table for Boys and Girls State Basketball Tournaments
by Mike Sautter, NebPreps

By all accounts the 2022 boys and girls Nebraska state basketball tournament was a success. Six days and both boy and girls tournaments were born out of necessity due to Pinnacle Bank Arena hosting the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.

Looking ahead to the 2023 state tournament there are a few options of which format the NSAA board will approve.

Wednesday, a survey was sent to every athletic director, head boys basketball coach and girls basketball coach in the state asking for feedback on which option they prefer.

“We have done four different things in three years based on the circumstances,” NSAA Assistant Director for basketball Jon Dolliver said. “We had a lot of positive things based off of the things we’ve done in 2021 and 2022. We feel like it is an opportunity to survey our member schools and see what their feedback would be.”

Option 1
One of the options is the traditional three-day tournaments in separate weeks for boys and girls played at the Lincoln High Schools, the Devaney Center and PBA. Classes C2, D1 and D2 would play the first two days at high schools with C1 and B playing at Devaney, while classes A and B would play at PBA in the first round. The C2, D1 and D2 semifinals would be played at Devaney on Friday and the championship games at PBA Saturday.

Option 2
Four day (Wednesday - Saturday) tournaments are another option. This would be similar to the format used in 2021 due to Devaney not being available because the University of Nebraska would not allow on-campus facilities to be used due to COVID-19.

The quarterfinal games for C2, D1 and D2 would still be played at Lincoln high schools with Devaney used for C1 and B quarterfinals and PBA for A and B on Wednesday. Thursday the semifinals for C2, D1 and D2 would be played at PBA. Friday semifinals would be played at PBA for A, B and C1 with all six championships at PBA on Saturday.

Option 3
Another four day (Wednesday - Saturday) format for both tournaments would eliminate the high schools altogether except for the C1-D2 third-place games. Wednesday's quarterfinals in C1 and two in D2 would be played at Devaney, with two other D2 quarterfinals and Class A at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Two Class C2 and all D1 quarterfinals would be on Thursday at Devaney, with two more C2 and all of Class B quarterfinals at PBA. The Friday semifinal games would be C2, D1 and D2 at Devaney. Classes A, B and C1 would have their semifinals at PBA on Friday. All six championship games would be at PBA on Saturday.

Option 4
The fourth option would be a six-day co-mingled girls and boys state tournament n the same days or what was done in 2022. This would allow teams to play a day and take the next day off throughout the tournament.

Monday the high schools would host C2 boys, D1 boys, D2 girls, Devaney would be the site for C1 girls and B boys with PBA hosting B boys and A girls. Tuesday would have the high schools hosting C2 girls, D1 girls, D2 boys, Devaney C1 boys and B girls with PBA the site for B girls and A boys. Wednesday Devaney would be the host for C2 boys, D1 boys and D2 girls. PBA would be the site for A girls, B boys and C1 girls. Thursday Devaney would host C2 girls, D1 girls and D2 boys with PBA the site for A boys, B girls and C1 boys. Friday and Saturday would be championship games for A girls, B boys, C1 girls, C2 boys, D1 girls and D2 boys on Friday at PBA with Saturday championships at PBA for A boys, B girls C1 boys, C2 Girls, D1 boys and D2 girls.

Feedback from schools is being taken until March 31 and Dolliver will present results to the NSAA Board of Directors for feedback regarding the tournament moving forward.
 
Agree of the options presented, I would go with Option 3.

If they were to continue with a six-day format, stop intermixing boys and girls on the same day. It is difficult to follow. Or at least bring back the all-class brackets on the NSAA site so you don't have to open a dozen pages to see which half are the right brackets.
 
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Option 3 appears to be the best but what if instead of the third-place games being played at the high schools, they play them at Devaney on Saturday? Would the cost be too much? It's just four games and an extra day there.
 
Option 3 appears to be the best but what if instead of the third-place games being played at the high schools, they play them at Devaney on Saturday? Would the cost be too much? It's just four games and an extra day there.
Or just ditch the damn things. But yes, if played put them at Devaney. No need for a team/community to potentially have three hotel stays in Lincoln and the privilege of playing at a HS for two of the three days.
 
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I assume the cost is much lower for the high school gyms than Devaney to rent....and the crowds for the third-place games likely not as large.

But just get rid of the games altogether.
 
Agree of the options presented, I would go with Option 3.

If they were to continue with a six-day format, stop intermixing boys and girls on the same day. It is difficult to follow. Or at least bring back the all-class brackets on the NSAA site so you don't have to open a dozen pages to see which half are the right brackets.
I didn't mind the 6 day format, but 100% don't intermix boys and girls each day. I know there will be cries of inequality, just flip a coin. Heads = Boys play Mon Wed Fri and Tails Girls play Mon Wed Fri.

I did NOT like the bracket format this year.
 
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