KHSAA votes to push back Boy’s/Girl’s Sweet 16, keep season start date

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ) – The KHSAA Board of Control met on Thursday and another big decision was made regarding winter sports. The Board voted to uphold the previous schedule of winter sports beginning practice on December 14 and competition on January 4. It will be up to districts if they want to allow their schools to both begin practice next week and competition at the beginning of the year.

The big change was regarding the Boy’s and Girl’s Sweet Sixteen. The board voted to hold the two tournaments between March 29-April 8. The Boy’s Sweet 16 was originally set to tip off on March 3; the Girl’s Sweet 16 was supposed to tip off March 10. The new dates are more than three weeks later than planned. This will give teams an opportunity to reschedule games if and when COVID causes postponements or cancellations.

Attempting to make sure both state tournaments are played was a big part of the discussion amongst the board. In 2018-19, the Boy’s Sweet 16 made $837,383. The Girl’s Sweet 16 made $124,386. Last season with the girls only getting in a few games and the boy’s tournament being canceled altogether, the board took a major hit when it comes to financials.

Below you can find a breakdown of dates for the 2020-2021 boy’s and girl’s basketball season in Kentucky;

Practice start date: December 14
Completion start date: January 4
District Tournaments: March 15
Region Tournaments: March 22
Boy’s/Girl’s Sweet Sixteen: March 29-April 8