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Summary
Second tier of NEPSAC postseason below AAA. Worcester Academy swept boys and girls AA in 2025. The AA bracket is where programs that aren't quite at Brewster/Putnam Science budget compete — still legit prep talent, just one tier removed from the national-top-10 conversation.
What makes this tournament distinct
Higher-seed-host format means you don't get a centralized neutral-court event the way MIAA does. Class AA includes longstanding programs like Cushing, Cheshire and Worcester Academy.
Who it fits
Best for: Mid-tier NEPSAC prep programs with quality post-grad rosters.
Tradeoffs: Higher-seed venues mean different gyms each round — harder for fans and recruiters to chase. Smaller field than AAA.
Hoophall's regional event that runs the weekend immediately before the Hoophall Classic. 2026 expanded the field after a 2025 debut — 56 boys teams, 20 girls teams across 8 Springfield-area gyms over Saturday and Sunday. Targets New England and surrounding-state programs that aren't in the Classic itself.
MLK weekend at Springfield College, the Naismith Hall of Fame's flagship high school event. Hosted at Blake Arena since 2003. ESPN broadcasts the marquee games on the family of networks. The 2026 24th edition has Long Island Lutheran, Sierra Canyon, Christopher Columbus, Brewster, Oak Hill, IMG and Prolific Prep — effectively the country's top half-dozen programs in one building.
Public-school state finals at UMass-Lowell's arena. 10 champions are crowned (5 boys, 5 girls divisions) over a Friday-Sunday window in mid-March. NFHS Network streams everything; tickets $20 per day. NEPSAC and Catholic Conference programs are not in this bracket — those are separate.
Alaska Airlines Center on the UAA campus. Two weekends — 1A/2A first (March 11-14), then 3A/4A (March 18-21). NFHS Network livestreams every game. Branded as ASAA March Madness, hosted by ASAA and Anchorage School District.
Hot Springs. Arkansas Activities Association state finals, classes 1A through 6A boys and girls, all played at Bank OZK Arena over three days in mid-March. Free live streaming through Arkansas TV makes this one of the easiest state finals in the region to follow.
Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, two-day final weekend. The Open Division boys final is the most loaded state title game in the country most years — you have to win your CIF section first, and the Open bracket pulls eight teams from those section champs. Eastvale Roosevelt won the 2025 Open over Archbishop Riordan; Brayden Burries dropped 44 in the final.
Denver. Colorado state finals for both boys and girls, classes 1A through 6A. Great 8 round opens the week, all six championship games run on the final Saturday at Denver Coliseum. Every game streams on NFHS Network.
CIAC moved finals to Mohegan Sun Arena and runs both boys and girls D-I through D-IV champion games over a single weekend. Public + private all together (CT doesn't separate them). Ellington won D-IV 2025 — their first state title in 53 years. Greenwich girls took D-I.
The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association crowns boys, girls, and unified basketball champions each March. The 2025 boys final saw No. 6 Sanford School upset No. 1 Dover 37-34 — typical of a small-state bracket where seeding doesn't carry as much weight as program continuity.
National Prep Tournament in Fort Walton Beach, Florida takes both high school and post-grad programs. Applications stay open through October 31. If you want a competitive early-March slot without invitation-only barriers, this is the one to apply for.