By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

Many coaches are not fans of the new playoff format the UIL has installed for all team sports, including volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball.

The new division split has received mixed reviews; however, some of the more emblematic issues were exposed in the later rounds of the basketball playoffs.

In the UIL’s split-division format, each classification crowns two state champions and moves the semifinals to neutral sites instead of the traditional state tournament venues.

Only championship games are played at the state tournament venues – the Alamodome in San Antonio for basketball, the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland for volleyball, Birkelbach Stadium in Georgetown for soccer, Dell Diamond in Round Rock for baseball and McCombs Field in Austin for softball.

While the intention is good, removing the semifinals from the state tournament venue created a logistical nightmare in the basketball playoffs.

It’s the same format used in football. However, the key difference between the basketball and football playoffs is that the football playoffs are six rounds spread over six weeks, while other sports are six rounds spread over three weeks.

For basketball, teams were traveling long distances for semifinal games on school nights or playing in venues too small for the magnitude of a regional final or state semifinal game.

In most cases, semifinal games are were played on a Tuesday with a good bit of travel involved. The Class 1A and 2A semifinal winners had a quick turnaround and traveled to San Antonio Wednesday for Thursday’s championship games.

For instance, Class 2A Martin’s Mill girls played their Division II semifinal game against Goldthwaite at China Spring High School. The Mustangs traveled 126 miles one way on a Tuesday night to play a state semifinal basketball game – a four and a half-hour round trip, according to Google Maps.

Martins Mill played in the evening session at the UIL girls basketball championships two days later on Thursday. That means after traveling 252 miles round trip on Tuesday for a semifinal, the Mustangs traveled nearly 300 miles (a four and a half-hour trip one way) the next day to San Antonio from Ben Wheeler for the championship game.

An example of not playing in a big enough venue is the Class 6A Division I boys basketball semifinal between Duncanville and Allen, which was played at Coppell High School. The game sold out in a matter of hours, and many fans were unable to attend.

In the Austin area, Cedar Park and Liberty Hill played their Class 5A Division II girls regional final at nearby Georgetown High School. Hendrickson and Georgetown played their 5A-I regional final at Weiss High School, and then Georgetown played a state semifinal with San Antonio Wagner at Lehman High School in Kyle.

While these venues aren’t bad gymnasiums, they are not big enough for the crowds in attendance or give a big-game feel that a state semifinal or regional final deserves.

The Cedar Park-Liberty Hill game was too crowded. Fans of both Cedar Park and Liberty Hill (and possibly Georgetown and Hendrickson) would have been better accommodated at The Burger Center in Austin.

Even Stony Point’s boys regional final with San Antonio Harlan at San Marcos High School should have been played at a bigger arena. Maybe the nearby Strahan Center at Texas State University.

What makes the football system mean more is that semifinal games and regional finals are played at bigger stadiums, such as Baylor’s McLane Stadium or the Alamodome, giving the kids a big game feel.

The UIL said last week that the state basketball championships will continue to be played at the Alamodome for at least next year but could move in 2027.

Should they move from the Alamodome, there’s a possibility the UIL could hold the girls championships in one venue and the boys championships in another.

Baylor’s Foster Pavilion in Waco could be a target for the girls tournament and The Moody Center in Austin or Dickies Arena in Fort Worth may be possible venues for the boys state championship games. Of course, that is all just speculation.

But the three arenas are basketball venues, unlike the Alamodome. Foster Pavilion has a seating capacity of 7,500, while Dickies Arena seats close to 14,000, and the Moody Center seats 15,000.

It’s unlikely the UIL will move the state tournament back to Austin due to scheduling conflicts with SXSW. The Erwin Center hosted the state tournaments from 1978 until 2015, when they were moved to the Alamodome. The UIL cited hotel availability and costs as reasons for the move.

Because of the division split, there are 24 state semifinals and 12 state championship games. That makes it difficult to play all 36 games in one venue.

One solution would be to add an additional week to the playoffs and return to traditional regional tournaments on Friday and Saturday, then play the semifinals the following Thursday-Saturday at a set venue for the Region I-II champion semifinals and another venue for the Region III-IV champion semifinals.

Whatever the solution, something needs to be done. State semifinals, and even regional finals, should have a big-game feel and be played in bigger arenas. Expect the UIL to address the issues exposed during the basketball playoffs at its annual meeting in June.