High school basketball championships set: What you need to know before tipoff
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After more than three months of games, 56 teams from across the state will be in Birmingham next week with 14 state championships on the line.
The final four for both boys and girls in all seven classifications return to Legacy Arena next week with the event running from Monday, March 2 through Saturday, March 7. Championship games will begin Thursday afternoon.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know including the teams involved, the complete schedule for the week + how you can get tickets.
7 defending state champions
At least seven new state champions will be crowned this year but there are seven teams hoping to repeat again this year.
Here are the defending state champions returning to Legacy Arena in March:
- 7A boys: Hoover
- 7A girls: Hoover
- 6A girls: Park Crossing
- 4A boys: Jackson
- 3A boys: Montgomery Academy
- 2A boys: Providence Christian
- 1A boys: R.C. Hatch
Nine of the teams who were No. 1 in the final rankings from the Alabama Sports Writers Association are into the final four including six girls teams. But these playoffs have proven the rankings don’t tell the whole story.
Of the 56 teams to make it to Birmingham, 14 of them were not in the top 10 of their classification in the final rankings. The 6A boys final four includes three unranked teams.
Every classification except for 7A girls and 6A girls has at least one unranked team in the final four.
AHSAA basketball state championships schedule
The schedule below is separated by classification but you can find the chronological schedule along with live stats for each game on the AHSAA website.
Class 7A
- Boys semifinal: Tuscaloosa County vs. Dothan, 10:30AM, March 5
- Boys semifinal: Hoover vs. Fairhope, 1:30PM, March 5
- Boys championship: 5:45PM, March 7
- Girls semifinal: Bob Jones vs. Auburn, 9AM, March 5
- Girls semifinal: Hoover vs. Alma Bryant, 12PM, March 5
- Girls championship: 4PM, March 7
Class 6A
- Boys semifinal: Cullman vs. Calera, 10:30AM, March 4
- Boys semifinal: Oxford vs. Saraland, 1:30PM, March 4
- Boys championship: 2:15PM, March 7
- Girls semifinal: Hazel Green vs. Chelsea, 9AM, March 4
- Girls semifinal: Fort Payne vs. Park Crossing, 12PM, March 4
- Girls championship: 12:30PM, March 7
Class 5A
- Boys semifinal: Guntersville vs. Sylacauga, 4:30PM, March 4
- Boys semifinal: Wenonah vs. LeFlore, 7PM, March 4
- Boys championship: 10:45AM, March 7
- Girls semifinal: Guntersvile vs. Briarwood, 3PM, March 4
- Girls semifinal: Moody vs. Charles Henderson, 6PM, March 4
- Girls championship: 9AM, March 7
Class 4A
- Boys semifinal: Deshler vs. Fairfield, 4:30PM, March 3
- Boys semifinal: Ashville vs. Jackson, 7PM, March 3
- Boys championship: 5:45PM, March 6
- Girls semifinal: Good Hope vs. Montgomery Catholic, 3PM, March 3
- Girls semifinal: Plainview vs. Jackson, 6PM, March 3
- Girls championship: 4PM, March 6
Class 3A
- Boys semifinal: Lauderdale County vs. Montgomery Academy, 10:30AM, March 3
- Boys semifinal: Whitesburg Christian vs. Southside Selma, 1:30PM, March 3
- Boys championship: 2:15PM, March 6
- Girls semifinal: Mars Hill vs. Saint James, 9AM, March 3
- Girls semifinal: Glencoe vs. Mobile Christian, 12PM, March 3
- Girls championship: 12:30PM, March 6
Class 2A
- Boys semifinal: Red Bay vs. Lafayette, 4:30PM, March 2
- Boys semifinal: Section vs. Providence Christian, 7:30PM, March 2
- Boys championship: 10:45AM, March 6
- Girls semifinal: Cold Springs vs. Lanett, 3PM, March 2
- Girls semifinal: North Sand Mountain vs. Clarke County, 6PM, March 2
- Girls championship: 9AM, March 6
Class 1A
- Boys semifinal: Hubbertville vs. RC Hatch, 10:30AM, March 2
- Boys semifinal: Wadley vs. Brantley, 1:30PM, March 2
- Boys championship: 5:45PM, March 5
- Girls semifinal: Marion County vs. Francis Marion, 9AM, March 2
- Girls semifinal: Winterboro vs. Kinston, 12PM, March 2
- Girls championship: 4PM, March 5
Ticket information
The event will be general admission with $14 tickets getting you in the building for all eight games each day.
You can order them online + find out more information on the AHSAA website.
Which games are you most looking forward to this week? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, Facebook + LinkedIn.
