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I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

brickhouse19 wrote:I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

It could be done. Best way being with the old Tier 1/2 format, where the top 64 (top 8 from each section A or AA) play Tier 1, everyone else in Tier 2. Then you still have 2 sets of trophies being awarded.

Downside being you still have potential for a 5 win metro team with a 2,000+ enrollment playing in the "Tier 2" state tournament instead of the small schools, which goes against the reason the MSHSL went to the A/AA format, and in turn is your reason why it won't happen.

This is what the one class tournament was. You had all your teams in the eight sections, with the winners of the section tournaments meeting in the "Great 8" at the state tournament. Unless the feeling toward having one and only one champion has changed, it will never fly.

brickhouse19 wrote:I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

Do you have a link to that article?

dueling21 wrote:

brickhouse19 wrote:I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

Do you have a link to that article?

It was in Charley Walters column today in the Pioneer Press.

brickhouse19 wrote:I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

We technically already have this. The difference being we have two different divisions. One division has roughly 64 teams give or take a few, the other has a few more. A problem with this is: I doubt we have enough teams to have 64 sections.
Let's modify this slightly. Lets say everyone plays in the same division. 16 regions based on geography and balanced by school size etc...
run all section semis and finals regionally. This way 16 teams still go to the X. There would still be 16 section championships up for grabs...and most importantly to most on this board, there would be ONE state champion.

brickhouse19 wrote:I just read an article in one of the local papers that discussed the possibility of a 64 team high school basketball tournament in Minnesota. It got me thinking that maybe it would be an interesting format for the hockey tournament. Sections would lead to a field of 64 teams. First and second rounds played regionally, like the NCAA. The sweet sixteen appear at the X on Tues/Wed and we go from there.

Would probably never work though since only one set of gold medals would be awarded at the end. Thoughts?

Breck needs their A tourney championships so your idea would never work, even though it is a good one and I would be all for it.

We just can't have Breck having to compete on a level field for their trophies.

Thats a great idea for the whole state. Well..... maybe not Breck.