The one-time format for girls and boys high school state basketball was approved by the NSAA Wednesday.
The 2022 edition of the event will have both boys and girls running during the same week to accommodate Big Ten Wrestling at Pinnacle Bank Arena the week before, which is traditionally the girls weekend.
The tournaments will both run Monday March 7 to Saturday March 12. On Monday, Class A girls, Class B boys, Class C1 girls, Class C2 boys, Class D1 boys, and Class D2 girls will compete in their quarterfinal games between Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Bob Devaney Sports Center, and Lincoln Public Schools sites. The others will have their first round games Tuesday.
The teams advancing from Monday will play their semifinals at PBA and Devaney Wednesday while Tuesday winners will do the same Thursday.
The championship schedule goes Friday D1 boys 9 am, C1 girls 11 am, B boys 1 pm, C2 boys 4 pm, A girls 6 pm, and D2 girls 8 pm. The Saturday schedule will be D1 girls 9 am, C1 boys 11 am, B girls 1 pm, C2 girls 4 pm, A boys 6 pm, and D2 boys 8 pm.
Image from nsaahome.com
This format is expected to be in place just for 2022, but with the format having been changed for COVID-19 protocols in 2021, more permanent changes could be on the horizon.
Also approved Wednesday was the sanctioning of girls wrestling as a championship sport for the 2021-22 school year. The NSAA Board voted 8-0 on the measure.
The Board heard proposals for state baseball championships from Papillion and Lincoln. The Capital City bid consisted of Haymarket Park, Sherman Field, and Den Hartog Field. The Board tabled any decision in order to visit the new Nebraska-Omaha baseball facility.