MORGANTOWN — Section tournaments are a thing of the past for West Virginia high school basketball as the WVSSAC approved a change to the boys’ and girls’ basketball postseason format on Thursday.
Instead of having section tournaments, all teams in a region will be seeded into one regional bracket starting in 2024-25. Each region will have two championship games with both winners qualifying for the state tournament.
Teams will be seeded in the region tournament by coaches’ balloting. Schools could receive a first-round bye if there are an odd number of teams in a region.
In the event of a tie in balloting, tiebreaks will be head-to-head competition, the total number of wins in classification and above, the total number of wins and finally a coin toss. The higher-seeded team in each game will host.
Previously, teams would play their section tournament with both the section champion and runner-up advancing to the regional round. Section winners would host the other section’s runner-up. In this new format, any loss leads to elimination.
Teams that qualify for the state tournament will still be re-seeded following the regional round.
With the new alignment in place for 2024-25, Class AAAA Region I will be Morgantown, University, Preston, Buckhannon-Upshur, Wheeling Park and John Marshall. Class A Region I will be Trinity Christian, Clay-Battelle, Cameron, Madonna, Notre Dame, Wood County Christian, Valley, Magnolia, Paden City, Hundred and Parkersburg Catholic.
The WVSSAC also approved a small change to the football rating system as well on Thursday.
Teams will now receive one bonus point for a win regardless of the opponent’s classification. Previously, bonus points were only awarded for beating opponents in the same classification or above.
With the addition of a fourth class in football, the point system for strength of schedule has been modified. Class AAAA teams are valued at 15 points, Class AAA at 12, Class AA at nine and Class A at six.
The football mercy rule has also been adjusted. A running clock can now be implemented if a team is leading by 42 points in the third quarter. The rule will still be 35 points in the fourth quarter.
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