Palatine College's Tommy Oelter dribbles down the court during the IHSA men's basketball state tournament in Champaign last month. The tournament will be held in Champaign through the 2029 season.
Courtesy of Clark Brooks
The Illinois High School Association boys basketball state tournament will be held in Champaign-Urbana through the 2029 season.
The IHSA Board of Directors announced Thursday the extension of the hosting contract for the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus.
“IHSA is excited that America's Original March Madness will remain in Champaign-Urbana for the foreseeable future,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson.
The contract extension is for five years and includes state championships in 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.
“We are honored to continue hosting the men's basketball state finals on the University of Illinois campus,” said University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman.
The IHSA Men's Basketball State Finals were first held on the University of Illinois campus in 1919 and were held at State Farm Center (then Assembly Hall) from 1963 to 1995 before returning in 2022. The contract extension was a joint proposal from the University of Illinois. Illinois State, Fighting Illini Athletic Department, State Farm Center, Visit Champaign County, and Champaign-Urbana Community.
The State Farm Center also serves as host to the IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals each February.
The IHSA Board of Directors also asked IHSA staff to negotiate a contract extension for the women's basketball state finals to be played at CEFCU Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal.
“CEFCU Arena and the Illinois State University campus are the only known home to the IHSA Women's Basketball State Finals, and we intend to extend that agreement through 2029,” Anderson said.
IHSA will maintain the three-day format (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) that was in place prior to the 2022 state tournament. The daily game and time schedule is being reviewed by the IHSA Basketball Advisory Committee and will be finalized by the IHSA Board of Directors in June.