A new seeding paradigm
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association announced that, starting with the 2027‑28 season, its Division I boys and girls basketball state tournaments will be seeded rather than drawn at random. The change follows a 10‑2 vote by the Board of Control, signaling a shift toward a more competitive bracket structure.
The new methodology mirrors the association’s approach in soccer, ranking teams by a composite of their own winning percentage, the winning percentage of their opponents and the winning percentage of those opponents’ opponents. This triple‑layered metric is intended to reward teams that not only win games but also defeat strong competition.
Under the previous blind‑draw system, top programs could be placed in the same half of a bracket, limiting early‑round matchups between elite teams. Recent RPI analyses show that in the 2025‑26 cycle, seven of the nine highest‑ranked girls teams in Class 1A and a majority of ranked squads in Classes 2A and 4A advanced to the state field, underscoring the potential for a more representative tournament.
The board also tabled a proposal to treat third‑place games in Division I district tournaments as elimination contests, a move that would affect region qualification pathways. If adopted at the August meeting, district champions would receive a bye to the region quarterfinals, shrinking the regional field from eight to six teams.
Coaches and administrators are currently being surveyed for feedback, and the board plans to revisit the third‑place‑game rule in August. Should the measure pass, the winner of a district’s third‑place game would advance to the regional stage while the loser would be eliminated, further tightening the postseason ladder.