OHSAA Plans State Basketball Semifinals in Dayton Area Starting 2026

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has announced that, beginning with the 2025-26 season, the boys and girls state basketball tournaments will return to a traditional Final Four format, with all state semifinalists gathering in the Dayton area on the same weekend. While the University of Dayton Arena will continue hosting all seven state championship games and several semifinal games, additional sites in the Dayton area will be used for some semifinals due to the expansion to seven divisions and scheduling constraints. This change comes after feedback from coaches who preferred the unified tournament atmosphere over last season's model, where semifinals were held at various neutral sites a week prior to the finals. The new format consolidates semifinals and finals into a three- or four-day period, offering schools an extra week for regular season scheduling in 2025-26. The specific additional venues and detailed game schedules will be announced later, and the format is set for at least the next two school years. The OHSAA's decision reflects similar multi-site approaches used in other sports and aims to improve the tournament experience for teams and fans.