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Summary
MHSA runs four classification championships (AA, A, B, C) on the same March weekend across Bozeman, Billings, Missoula, and Butte. AA is the largest-school bracket, typically rotating between Worthington Arena (Bozeman) and Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Smaller classifications get their own host cities — Class C draws huge crowds because small-town Montana basketball travels.
What makes this tournament distinct
Class C in Montana is a cultural event, not just a tournament — attendance and fan engagement at the small-school level outpaces almost any state.
Who it fits
Best for: MHSA member schools. AA is concentrated in the seven-largest-cities corridor.
Tradeoffs: Closed to non-Montana teams. Geography is brutal — visiting fans drive hundreds of miles per game.
Founded by the late Bobby Small at Rocky Boy. Recent fields have grown to 14 teams from across Montana — south, east, north central, and west. Played both at Rocky Boy and at C.M. Russell HS in Great Falls. Cultural event as much as a basketball event — brings Native communities together during the winter season.
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.
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.