IHSA Boys Basketball Finals Draw Record Crowds Amid Historic Season
IHSA Boys Basketball Finals Draw Record Crowds Amid Historic Season...
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Boys Basketball State Finals are drawing unprecedented attention this weekend as record crowds pack the State Farm Center in Champaign. The tournament, running March 35, features several undefeated teams and multiple Division I recruits, making it one of the most competitive brackets in recent memory.
Friday's semifinals saw Chicago's Curie High School advance to the Class 4A championship after a buzzer-beating three-pointer, while southern Illinois powerhouse Metropolis Massac County secured its first title game appearance since 1998. The small-school Class 1A and 2A finals tipped off Saturday morning, with both games selling out for the first time in IHSA history.
The surge in interest follows a viral social media moment during Wednesday's supersectionals, when Peoria High's Jamarion Dixon executed a between-the-legs dunk that garnered over 5 million TikTok views. ESPN2's decision to broadcast the 4A championship live Sunday afternoon has further amplified national attention.
Local businesses near the University of Illinois campus report record sales, with hotels at 98% occupancy. The IHSA confirmed it will revisit its policy limiting ticket sales after thousands of fans were turned away Friday night. Championship games conclude Sunday evening with the 3A and 4A finals, both featuring teams ranked in USA Today's national Top 25.
This year's tournament marks the first time since 2019 that all classes are being decided in a single weekend at one venue, a format change that has contributed to the electric atmosphere. With seven future Big Ten players competing, scouts from every conference have been in attendance, including Gonzaga's Mark Few who flew in Saturday to evaluate 6'10" center prospect Malcolm Thomas of Homewood-Flossmoor.
The IHSA announced it will donate 20% of championship weekend proceeds to tornado relief efforts in southern Illinois, where two competing schools sustained damage during February's severe storms. Sunday's 4A finale between Curie and Benet Academy tips at 2:30 PM CT, with the winner likely claiming Illinois' first national high school basketball championship since 2017.
