Advancement
Under the current four class system, teams are assigned to a class, based on the student population, with adjustments made for single gender schools, and for schools which are not four year high schools. Within the class, schools are geographically assigned to a regional, which is, in turn assigned to a sectional which, finally, is assigned to a super-sectional. Regional tournaments are generally between four to eight teams, depending on the number of teams in a geographic area in a particular class. There are four regional tournaments within each sectional and two sectionals within each super-sectional. Each tournament is single elimination.
Within the regional, coaches seed the teams. The winners of the four regional tournaments then meet in a single elimination sectional tournament. The teams are not re-seeded after regional play, and the winners of the regional tournament are randomly assigned, in advance, to play the winner of one of the other regionals in the sectional semifinals.
For example, in 2011, in the Class 2A Casey Sectional, there were four regionals: Flora, Monticello, St. Joseph and Robinson. Three of these regionals consisted of five teams and one of six. Before the playoffs began, the IHSA assigned the winner of the Flora Regional (which ended up being Teutopolis) to play the winner of the Monticello Regional (Champaign St. Thomas). The winners of the St. Joseph and Robinson regionals played in the other regional semifinal, with the winners of the two semifinals met in the sectional championship.
The winner of the sectional tournament then faces the winner of another (geographically close) sectional champion for the super-sectional championship. This winner advances to the state tournament.
The state tournament in each class is composed of the four super-sectional winners, and are randomly assigned to play each other in the semifinal round. The winners of the semifinal round compete for the state championship the next evening, while the semifinal losers compete for third place the next day. The state semifinals are generally held on a Friday, with the championship and third place games held on Saturday. Classes 1A and 2A share the same weekend, while 3A and 4A compete the weekend after that.
Under the current four class system, each class has four super sectional games, and thus 8 sectionals. Each sectional has four regionals, giving each class 32 regional tournaments.
The format in the two class system (1972–2007) was similar. In the two class system, each class had 8 super-sectional games, and thus 16 sectionals and 64 regionals. The winners of the 8 super-sectional games advanced to the state tournament. On the Friday of the state tournament, the 8 winners were randomly assigned to play each other in a quarterfinal game. The winners advanced to the semifinals, which were played on the next day. The semifinal losers played for third place in the early evening, while the semifinal winners contested the state championship in the evening. Class A would play one weekend, and Class AA the next weekend.
Prior to 1972, when there was only one tournament for all schools to compete in, there were a variety of formats in use.
The IHSA Girls Basketball tournament is organized in exactly the same way as the boys' tournament; however, the girls' tournament begins two weeks before the boys' tournament.
Read more about this topic: Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship
Famous quotes containing the word advancement:
“On fields all drenched with blood he made his record in war, abstained from lawless violence when left on the plantation, and received his freedom in peace with moderation. But he holds in this Republic the position of an alien race among a people impatient of a rival. And in the eyes of some it seems that no valor redeems him, no social advancement nor individual development wipes off the ban which clings to him.”
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
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—Marion Harland (1830–1922)
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—Mother Jones (1830–1930)