2026 WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament preview & schedule

AppletonSportsPage.com

MADISON – The 110th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Basketball Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21, at the Kohl Center.

Ticket prices for the tourney are $12.55 per session for all seating at the Kohl Center. Order tickets online by selecting the “Tickets” option at the top of the WIAA homepage or the Tickets page at:  https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAA2?activity=Basketball.

All games will be televised live on WAOW-TV 9 of Wausau and WCWF-TV 14 of Green Bay, and streamed on the WIAA Sports Live app.

Notebook courtesy of the WIAA:

DIVISION 1: Wisconsin Lutheran, the 2025 Division 1 champion last year and the 2024 Division 2 champion, makes its third straight state tournament appearance and its sixth overall. The Vikings have advanced to the championship game in each of their previous experiences. In addition to the past two seasons, they won Division 2 titles in 2009 and in 2014 after finishing runner-up in 2013. They are the champions in the West Division of the Woodland Conference this season. The Vikings continue on their quest for a fifth state title following a convincing 74-46 win over Racine Case in the Brown Deer Sectional final…Second-seeded De Pere makes it back to the state tournament field for the first time since winning their second championship in 2023 and for the eighth time overall. Their first championship was the Class B title won back in 1934. In addition, the Redbirds advanced to the championship game in 2011 in Division 1 and finished runner-up. De Pere returns to the Kohl Center this season following a 97-74 win over Brookfield East in the final of the Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional. They are the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference this season…Madison Memorial is the No. 3 seed. The Spartans will embark on their 11th state appearance and the first since 2017. They made nine straight state appearances from 2004-12. During that run, the Spartans played in the championship game seven times, claiming championships in 2005, 2009 and 2011. They finished runner-up in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. This season, Madison Memorial was the champion of the Big Eight Conference. The Spartans seek their fourth championship after edging Verona 58-56 in the Sun Prairie West Sectional final…Fourth-seeded Appleton North is making its first appearance at state in the school’s history. The Lightning began celebrating their initial berth in the tournament field following a 58-53 victory over Kaukauna in the final of the Oshkosh North Sectional. The Lightning finished tied with Kaukauna atop the standings in the Fox Valley Association this season.

DIVISION 2: Slinger has been issued the top seed in the bracket, qualifying for the first time since its only other appearance 49 years ago. That experience resulted in a loss in the Class B semifinals. The Owls won the North Shore Conference title this season, and they qualified last weekend with a 53-42 win over Notre Dame in the Sheboygan North Sectional final…Second-seeded West Salem makes its fourth state appearance in the past five seasons, which also accounts for their overall number of experiences in the tournament. The Panthers finished runner-up in Division 3 in 2022 and 2023, and they fell in the Division 2 semifinals in 2024. Their return to state follows a 61-54 victory over Menomonie in the Arcadia Sectional final. During the regular season, the Panthers won the title in the Coulee Conference…Whitefish Bay will appear at state for the seventh time and for the first time since 2011 when the Blue Dukes won their third championship. They won their first two championships in 1996 and 1998. In addition, they advanced to the title game in 1990 and finished runner-up. The Blue Dukes are the runner-up in the North Shore Conference this season behind Slinger, the top seed in the bracket. They earned a berth in the tourney by cruising to a 60-40 win over Waterford in the Racine Park Sectional final…Fourth-seeded McFarland returns to the state tournament for the third time and for the first time since the second of back-to-back Class B championships 1973 and 1974. Their advancement to the state semifinals this season comes by virtue of an 86-60 win over New Berlin West in the Oconomowoc Sectional final. The Spartans are the champions of the Badger Conference this season.

DIVISION 3: Top-seeded Seymour is celebrating its first trip to state since 2011 and its 14th overall. The Thunder captured the Division 2 crown in 1997, 2001 and in 2006. They also advanced to the title game and finished runner-up in five of six seasons (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005). Seymour is the champion of the Bay Conference this season, and they defeated Xavier 71-52 in the final of Neenah Sectional to remain in pursuit of a fourth state championship…Lake Mills, the No. 2 seed, returns to the tournament for the second straight season and for the fourth time overall. The L-Cats are attempting to advance to the state final for the first time, falling in semifinals in Division 2 in 2017 and in Division 3 in 2021 and 2025. After their first-place finish in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this season, the L-Cats advanced to state through the Oregon Sectional, culminating with an 85-53 win over Lancaster in the final…Third-seeded Racine St. Catherine’s returns to state for the eighth time and for the first time since winning the Division 3 championship in 2021. The Angels have won six state titles in their seven previous appearances. They had an impressive run of success with six appearances in seven years from 2005-11. During that span, they won five championships. They won three-straight state championships from 2005-07. The first of those was in Division 2 with the second two in Division 3. The Angels then won back-to-back titles in Division 3 in 2009-10 and finished runner-up in 2011. The Angels were a perennial power in the now defunct WISAA. They won nine titles and finished runner-up 11 times. The championships came in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1985, 1992 and 1993. This season, the Angels finished runner-up in the Metro Classic Conference. They advanced from the Whitefish Bay Sectional with a 74-58 win over Oostburg in the final…St. Croix Central is the fourth seed in the bracket. The Panthers will be making their second appearance after their first experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals in 2021. They are the champions of the Middle Border Conference in 2026. The Panthers are the representatives out of the Eau Claire North Sectional with a 61-53 victory over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau in the final.

DIVISION 4: Last year’s runner-up Bonduel earned the top seed in its second trip to state after making its initial appearance last year. The Bears secured their return trip to the Kohl Center with a 78-68 win over Marathon in the D.C. Everest Sectional final. They are the champions in the East Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference this season…Milwaukee Juneau has been issued the No. 2 seed in its first-time qualifying for the state tournament. The Pioneers earned their berth in the semifinals following a 75-69 victory over Howards Grove in the Hartford Sectional final. They are the champions of the Gold Division of the Milwaukee City Conference this season…Third-seeded Eau Claire Regis returns to state for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2015. The most notable performance in the tournament was a Division 3 runner-up finish in 2010. The Ramblers are the champions of the West Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season. They made their way back to the Kohl Center by defeating Clear Lake 77-58 in the final of the Osseo-Fairchild Sectional. As a former member of WISAA, the Ramblers won championships in 1947, 1948, 1952, and they finished runner-up in 1954 and 1962…Fourth-seeded Cambridge finished atop the standings in the South Division of the Capitol Conference this winter. It’s the first time the Blue Jays have qualified for the state tournament in program history. Their path to the Kohl Center was paved through the Verona Sectional with a 58-56 triumph over Lomira in the final.

DIVISION 5: Top-seeded Reedsville is returning to the tournament field for the first time in 80 years, which represents the only other time the Panthers participated at state. They won the championship in the era that featured only one division. Reedsville still holds the distinction of being the smallest town to win a boys basketball championship, with a population in 1946 of 476. The Panthers qualify this year by virtue of a 56-45 win over Tigerton in the Oconto Falls Sectional final. They are the champions of the North Division of the Big East Conference…Second-seeded Prentice will make its first appearance since 1999 and its seventh overall. Qualifying in previous years in Class C and Division 4, the Buccaneers are attempting to advance past the state semifinals for the first time. This season, they placed first in the Marawood Conference standings. The Buccaneers defeated Turtle Lake 60-58 in the Altoona Sectional final to return to the tourney field after a 27-year hiatus…Third-seeded Southwestern qualifies for the first time since its only other experience in the tournament in 1988. The Wildcats advanced to the Class C championship game and finished runner-up. They finished third in the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League this year. The Wildcats advance to the state semifinals after edging Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 44-43 in the Westby Sectional final…Last year’s runner-up, Sheboygan Lutheran, is the No. 4 seed. The Crusaders advance to the state tournament for the fifth time overall. They have won a pair of championships, including 2012 and 2019. This season’s road to the state tournament came through the Watertown Sectional following a 64-57 win over Barneveld in the final. They are the runner-up in the South Division of the Big East Conference this season.

2026 WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament
March 19-21, at Kohl Center, Madison
Thursday, March 19
Division 3 Semifinals
No. 1 Seymour (27-1) vs. No. 4 St. Croix Central (19-9), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Lake Mills (26-2) vs. No. 3 Racine St. Catherine’s (22-4), 3:15 p.m.
Division 4 Semifinals
No. 1 Bonduel (25-3) vs. No. 4 Cambridge (19-9), 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Milwaukee Juneau (26-1) vs. No. 3 Eau Claire Regis (23-5), 8:15 p.m.
Friday, March 20
Division 5 Semifinals
No. 1 Reedsville (26-3) vs. No. 4 Sheboygan Lutheran (23-6), 9 a.m.
No. 2 Prentice (25-3) vs. No. 3 Southwestern (23-6), 10:45 a.m.
Division 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Slinger (24-4) vs. No. 4 McFarland (23-5), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 West Salem (24-4) vs. No. 3 Whitefish Bay (22-6), 3:15 p.m.
Division 1 Semifinals
No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran (28-0) vs. No. 4 Appleton North (24-4), 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 De Pere (25-3) vs. No. 3 Madison Memorial (26-2), 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, March 21
Championship Games
Division 5, 11 a.m.
Division 4, approximately 12:45 p.m.
Division 3, approximately 2:30 p.m.
Division 2, 6:30 p.m.
Division 1, approximately 8:15 p.m.