North Carolina high school basketball is governed by NCHSAA for public schools and NCISAA for independents. The state's basketball depth is matched by very few — Charlotte and the Triangle host most early-season tournaments.
Morganton, North Carolina — 51st annual in 2025, hosted in Freedom High's Crump-Rogers Gym. Eight-team boys bracket, four-team girls round-robin (champion only crowned at 3-0). Field draws western NC programs (Asheville Christian, McDowell, West Caldwell) plus a Charlotte-area visitor or two.
Tournament details →Winston-Salem, North Carolina — 46th of the modern era, 71st overall, named for the late Winston-Salem Journal sports editor Frank Spencer. Twelve WS/Forsyth County programs plus four Northwest NC visitors split into the Atrium Health and Pepsi brackets across multiple host schools. West Forsyth took the 2025 Atrium Health bracket at Reagan.
Tournament details →Raleigh, North Carolina — 53rd annual in 2025. Boys games at Broughton, girls at Southeast Raleigh, four days the back half of Christmas week. Boys split into the Rudy Watson, Coby White, and Day'Ron Sharpe brackets; girls into the Frances Pulley and Wonderland brackets. Hoop State streams everything.
Tournament details →North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association postseason, with all four boys titles staged at Providence Day in 2025 and the girls split between Providence Day and Charlotte Latin. Caldwell Academy took 2A boys and Rocky Mount Academy 2A girls — a typical NCISAA bracket where small private programs decide titles.
Tournament details →North Carolina public-school championship week, with all eight title games (boys and girls across four classes) staged at Wake Forest's LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem. WCCB and the CW handle TV in the Charlotte market; NFHS streams the rest. Reidsville came in on a 60-game streak in 2025.
Tournament details →Public schools: North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). Independent/private: NCISAA.
National Prep Tournament · March 6–8, 2026
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.
Apply for the National Prep Tournament →