CHAMPAIGN — Following a successful tournament in 2023 with over 40,000 fans in attendance, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Boys State Basketball Tournament will return to the State Farm Center in Champaign, March 7–9. Sixteen teams representing four classes will compete across sixteen games over three action-packed days of basketball.
“Heading into our third year of hosting the tournament, we continue to see excitement grow in the community and across the state,” exclaims Jayne DeLuce, President & CEO of Experience Champaign-Urbana. “With contributions from our community supporters, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, and the State Farm Center, we are able to provide these student-athletes, their families, and their fans with memories that will last a lifetime.”
The tournament kicks off Thursday with the Class 1A semi-finals at 9:30 p.m. The other semi-final game will start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. It will continue with Class 2A tipping off beginning at 2 p.m.
The tournament continues on Friday with the Class 3A and Class 4A semi-final games, with the championship games running all day on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.
Teams competing in the State Finals include:
- Class 1A: Meridian High School, Chicago Hope Academy, Aurora Christian School, Winchester High School
- Class 2A: Phillips Academy High School, Williamsville High School, Benton High School, Byron High School
- Class 3A: Mt. Carmel High School, Mt. Zion High School, DePaul College Prep, Richwoods High School
- Class 4A: Normal Community High School, Palatine High School, New Trier High School, Homewood-Flossmoor High School
A complete schedule for the tournaments is available here.
In addition to the tournament, IHSA and Special Olympics of Illinois will be holding a unified basketball state tournament and the wheelchair basketball state championships. Those events will take place at the Activities and Recreation Center on the University of Illinois campus. The unified basketball tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday. The wheelchair basketball tournament will tip off beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. All of these games are free and open to the public.
“We’re prepared to welcome the best athletes in the state to Illinois’ top basketball arena,” explains Mark Brown, Director of Sports, Events, and Film for Experience Champaign-Urbana. “We ensure these student-athletes, coaches, and fans have a brilliant experience the moment they come into town. From police escorts to the arena to community hosts that will be their dedicated guide, teams will experience the hospitality our community is known for before they even take to the courts.”
In addition to the nail-biting competition, fans will be treated to several amenities throughout the State Farm Center. For the kids in attendance, they can take part in various activities at the ChambanaMoms.com All-Star Zone, located in the Traditions Club. Among the planned activities, you’ll find face-painting with Wild Style Design Company, caricatures by Dan Wild, Illini eSports Club with gaming laptops, an interactive basketball experience with Dick’s House of Sport, button-making, life-size games, and photo opportunities.
There is no additional fee for any of the events beyond the cost of admission to the tournament.
“Based on past attendance, we anticipate that the tournament will provide over $4 million in economic impact to the community,” explains Brown. “From accommodations to dining and shopping to the many services being provided to create a hospitable environment, the tournament will support our local businesses, support our frontline hospitality staff, and generate local tax dollars to be re-invested in our communities.”
Tickets are available for purchase for single sessions or a season pass for 1A/2A or 3A/4A games at statefarmcenter.com or by calling (866) ILLINI-1.
Listen to “PRESS CONFERENCE: IHSA March Madness – Boys Basketball” on Spreaker.For more sports news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.
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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
