COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the schedule and host sites for the upcoming girls and boys basketball state tournaments in March. The University of Dayton Arena will continue to serve as the epicenter of both state tournaments, while Wright State University will host some girls and boys state semifinal games and Vandalia Butler High School will also host some girls state semifinals.

The girls state tournament will be a three-day event, while the boys will span four days.

Last season, the OHSAA expanded the basketball postseason tournament from four divisions to seven, and the state semifinals were played at sites around Ohio. The winners advanced to UD Arena, which only hosted the seven state championship games. This season, all 21 state tournament games for both the girls and boys state tournaments will come to the Dayton area for their Final Four weekends.

“When we expanded to seven divisions, we looked at several models for how to conduct the state tournament,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “Last year, we used the football model that had the state semifinals on their own weekend around the state. We certainly had some great environments and less travel for the teams, but the feedback from the coaches was that they preferred larger venues and the opportunity to have a weekend at the state tournament, so we have worked hard to set that up with additional sites, just like we do in baseball and girls volleyball.”

The seating capacity for UD Arena is 13,400, while the Nutter Center at Wright State University is 10,000 and Vandalia Butler High School is 4,500.

“The Dayton area is such a great host for the basketball state tournaments,” said Ute. “UD Arena creates an amazing environment for the teams and fans. The Nutter Center at Wright State University has been a great host through the years for several of our sports, as has Butler High School, which has an outstanding gymnasium. We are thankful for their partnership and willingness to host these big games.”