Understanding Basketball Playoff Procedures Will Pay Off
By Sheila Henderson | Wednesday, February 10, 2010 10:54 AM
As we come to the end of yet another basketball season, there are some important things to remember as we head into the playoff season and the state basketball tournaments.
District Certification
The deadlines for certifying the district champions of all conferences to the League office are as follows: Girls’ - Feb. 13, Boys’- Feb. 20. It is mandatory that the District Chair certifies the district representatives as soon as they are determined on the UIL basketball Web page at www.uil.utexas.edu. This information will be used to place teams into the playoff brackets. Please remember, the brackets are only as good as the information supplied to the UIL. Information will be available once the brackets have been updated.
If the teams are tied at the end of season, the ties must be resolved before certifying teams to the League office. Prior to the season, the district executive committee should decide, in writing, the methods to determine the district representatives in the event two or more schools are tied in win/loss percentages. If the district executive committee has not provided a procedure prior to the season, the UIL basketball tiebreaker procedures must be used.
Exceptions To Resolve District Ties
According to Constitution and Contest Rules, Section 1230 (4), Basketball Plan:
(A) Two Schools Tied. To resolve a two-way tie, the district executive committee may authorize a single elimination game provided only one other matched game is played that calendar week. The tie breaking game may be in addition to the 21 allowed games, but not as an exception to the school week limitation. If a game was played previously during the school week, the tie-breaker game can be played only at the end of the school day on Friday or on Saturday.
(B) Three or More Schools Tied. If three or more schools are tied, the district executive committee may authorize a tournament provided only two matched games have been played that week, using the procedure in Section 1203. These tournament games may be played in addition to the total number of games and tournaments allowed for the season. If a game was played already during that school week, the tie-breaker games can be used like a tournament format ONLY on consecutive days. For example, “Thursday, Friday, Saturday” or “Thursday, Friday” or “Friday, Saturday”.
Post- Season Warm-up Games
a.) Teams can schedule a warm-up game before their first play-off game if they have not reached their 21-game allowable season limit.
b.) Teams that have exhausted their 21-game allowable season limit are given a UIL one-game exception under the following conditions:
* Only first place teams in the 1A, 2A and 3A conferences can use the one-game exception.
* The one-game exception must be played at the end of the school day on Friday with no loss of school time or any time on Saturday.
Post District Competition
As schools move into post-district competition, the advancing coach must complete the following forms. This information is used to keep the playoff brackets updated.
1. Girls’ Basketball Playoff Game Results Form, http://www.uil.utexas.edu/forms/girls_bsktb_game_results.html
2. Girls’ Basketball Next Round Playoff Game Form, http://www.uil.utexas.edu/forms/girls_bsktb_game_results.html
3. Basketball Team Information Form (Regional Qualifiers), http://www.uil.utexas.edu/db/basketball_teaminfo.lasso
Sites
According to Section 1208 (q) of the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules, sites for all rounds of playoffs must be selected by the teams involved. If schools cannot agree, they must flip a coin.
Neutral Sites: A site mid-point or near mid-point, or a site agreed on by both schools as neutral, is a neutral site. Unless mutually agreeable, a site cannot be neutral if its distance from either school is more than two-thirds the total distance between the two schools.
Home and Home Basis: Those sites near home schools selected by the two schools involved OR the actual home playing court. A court selected as the home site, other than the actual home court, should not be an unreasonable distance from the visiting school’s home court.
Mid-Point Sites: Unless mutually agreed otherwise, post-district contests in the team sports of baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball shall be at a mid-point site for schools located more than 100 miles apart.
Financial Reports
After each round of playoffs, a financial report must be sent to the UIL office. If a playoff game is held at a “home” site, it is the responsibility of the home team to submit the financial report to UIL. If a playoff game is held at a “neutral” site as a turnkey, it is the responsibility of the home team to make sure the report is submitted to the UIL office. If the reports are not submitted in a timely manner, a UIL staff member will call the home teams to follow up on the reports.
Team Picture for State Tournament:
Teams advancing to the Regional Tournament must email (pictures@mail.uil.utexas.edu) the three items requested below. The subject of your email must include your school name. Failure to submit this information will result in your school not having pictures in the State Basketball Tournament program. The following materials must be received in our office no later than Feb. 25 (girls’) and March 4 (boys’). This is an important step in providing you with the best possible program. Your assistance in this effort is appreciated. Listed below are the items we need:
1. Team Information Form (List of players, coaches, etc. and list of all games played. Complete the form online on the UIL Web site – www.uil.utexas.edu/athletics/basketball)
2. Team Picture (5x7 color photo), email to pictures@mail.uil.utexas.edu.
3. Picture of Head Coach (head and shoulder shot), email to pictures@mail.uil.utexas.edu.
4. School mascot or school logo (camera ready art work if possible, if not a copy of the mascot from your letterhead, etc.), email to pictures@mail.uil.utexas.edu
This may seem a bit overwhelming, but planning ahead will save a lot of time and confusion. Darryl Beasley is the boys’ basketball director and I, Sheila Henderson, am the girls’ basketball director. Please call us at the UIL office with any questions you may have or if you need additional information
We wish all teams advancing to post-district play good will as they take the all-important steps to make their way to the Erwin Center!