Basketball committee will evaluate program before deciding to implement it in 2026-27

By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

If Wimberley and Salado meet again in November in the Class 4A Division II semifinals, they won’t have to worry about finding a neutral site.

The UIL confirmed Monday with the Austin Sports Journal that after an extensive discussion with stakeholders, it will implement a pilot program starting with volleyball to modify the playoff structure.

Under the pilot program, state semifinal matches will be held at predetermined sites on the Saturday before the state championships in Garland.  The change will only affect the Class 6A through 2A volleyball playoffs.

There will be 10 predetermined sites that will host two semifinal matches. The sites will be divided to serve Regions I and II (Division I and II) and Regions III and IV (Division I and II) for each classification. No decision has been made yet about where the semifinal sites will be.

 In Class 1A, the regional finals and state semifinals will be combined into a tournament format, also held at two designated sites – one for Regions 1 and 2 and one for Regions 3 and 4.

A similar proposal is being considered by basketball committees, who will evaluate the results of the volleyball program before deciding on whether or not to implement it for basketball in 2026-27.

This was the first year for the UIL’s new playoff format for team sports, which split each classification into two divisions.  

Several coaches expressed their dislike about semifinal games being moved from the state tournament. It also caused logistical issues with long travel distances for some schools on the Tuesday before the state tournament and then having a quick turnaround for state championship games in a different venue.