IHSA basketball state finals coverage

It’s finally here. After more than 700 days, the Illinois High School Association’s state basketball finals have returned. Both the venue and the format have changed.

The tournament has left Peoria, returned to Champaign, and will take place in the newly renovated State Farm Center. Champaign hosted the tournament from 1919 to 1995.

Crowds had dwindled in Peoria and a refresh was needed, so there’s a great deal of excitement around the return to Champaign. The new format has been less well-received. Many fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

All four classes will play over a three-day span. In the past, Class 1A and Class 2A had a two-day weekend tournament followed the next weekend by a two-day Class 3A and Class 4A tournament.

In the new format, Class 1A and Class 2A will play semifinals on Thursday and Class 3A and Class 4A will play semis on Friday. All four title games will take place on Saturday.

The IHSA decided to play the third-place games in the prime 7 p.m. slots on Thursday and Friday, which is odd. All the semifinals will be in the morning and afternoon.