Plan would expand regional field to 12 teams, add cross-district qualifiers and give district champions first-round byes; proposal now heads to 13th Region Policy Board
CORBIN — A major change to the 13th Region Boys’ Basketball postseason moved another step forward Monday as the region’s boys’ coaches voted 11-1 in favor of a proposed “Super Regional” format.
The remaining coaches abstained from the vote.
The proposal would expand the 13th Region Tournament field from eight teams to 12 while keeping the traditional four district tournaments in place.
The format will now go before the 13th Region Policy Board, which is expected to consider the proposal within the next couple of weeks.
No vote has been held on the girls’ side. The girls could continue using the current format, with each district champion and runner-up advancing to the traditional eight-team regional tournament, or coaches could still vote to adopt the proposed Super Regional format.
Whitley County boys’ basketball coach Eric Swords said the proposal is designed to create more opportunities while preserving the traditional district and regional tournament structure.
“The Super Region format provides more opportunities for more kids, while also adding more money and exciting games to the district and region tournaments,” Swords said. “This proposal keeps intact the traditional formats, while adding to it.”
How the Super Regional would work
Under the proposal, the 49th, 50th, 51st and 52nd District tournaments would continue to be played as they are now.
Each district champion and runner-up would automatically advance to the 13th Region Tournament, accounting for eight of the 12 spots.
The major change would involve the teams finishing third and fourth in each district.
Instead of seeing their seasons end following a loss in the district tournament, those teams would move into cross-district qualifying games.
“The district tournaments will remain the same,” Swords said. “The two losing teams would play two losing schools from another district, with games played at the No. 3 seed district site.”
The qualifiers would be set up through reciprocal cross-district matchups. For example, if the 49th and 50th Districts were paired, the 49th District’s No. 3 finisher would face the 50th District’s No. 4 team, while the 50th District’s No. 3 would play the 49th District’s No. 4.
The remaining two districts would be paired in the same manner.
The four winners of those games would join the eight automatic qualifiers, producing a 12-team regional field.
That setup also creates the possibility of one district sending all four of its teams to the regional tournament if both of its qualifier teams win.
District champions would receive byes
Winning a district championship would carry an additional postseason advantage under the proposed format.
The four district champions would receive byes into the traditional Final Eight.
The remaining eight teams, four district runners-up and four qualifier winners, would play in the opening round for the final four spots in the Final Eight.
“District winners would get a bye and move to the round of eight,” Swords said. “Runners-up and No. 3/No. 4 seed winners will play in the round of 12, with district winners and others on opposite sides.”
The proposed boys’ schedule would also change district tournament week.
“District tournaments for boys would be played on Tuesday/Thursday, with the round of 12 starting on Saturday at The Arena,” Swords said.
That means eight teams would take the floor during the opening Saturday, with four winners advancing to join the four district champions.
From there, the tournament would return to an eight-team field.
Protected draw would separate district opponents
The proposal also includes protections designed to prevent teams from immediately rematching district opponents.
No teams from the same district would be permitted to face each other during the opening Saturday round.
The four district champions would be placed into protected positions in the Final Eight.
If all four teams from the same district reached the regional tournament, additional protections would apply. Under the proposal, that district’s No. 2 and No. 3 teams would be protected from facing its district champion until the regional championship game, while the No. 4 team could not meet its district champion until at least the semifinals.
The goal is to maintain the traditional draw element of the regional tournament while reducing the possibility of immediate rematches between teams that just played during district tournament week.
Proposal also focuses on revenue and opportunity
The proposal is being presented as more than simply an expansion of the tournament field.
Its supporters believe the additional qualifier games and opening-round regional contests could generate more interest, more meaningful postseason opportunities and additional revenue.
The plan calls for guaranteeing at least $2,500 to every member school.
It also recommends initially implementing the format as a two-year pilot program, allowing the region to evaluate attendance, finances, scheduling and competitive results before deciding what changes, if any, would need to be made moving forward.
Swords said considerable work has gone into developing the proposal.
“We have really put in a lot of thought and effort into this and think it’s something all regions and maybe even other sports can adopt,” Swords said. “I have been in contact with Bell County coach David Teague and North Laurel coach Eddie Mahan, and we are hoping that the girls’ side will join us before we present to the region policy board soon.”
For now, the boys’ side has made its position clear.
With an 11-1 vote among the region’s boys’ coaches, the proposed Super Regional format will now move to the 13th Region Policy Board for the next stage of consideration.
If approved, the format would retain the four district tournaments, create cross-district qualifying games for third- and fourth-place finishers, bring 12 teams to the regional tournament and reward district champions with byes into the Final Eight.
