See You at State!
March 20-22 | 2026
Boys & Girls | Grades 3-8
Bloomington-Normal
The 9th Annual Illinois Middle School Basketball Championship is a qualifier-based tournament with two divisions (Club and School/Feeder) that features top competition from all corners of the state. Over 200 teams expected!
We’re excited to announce that the tournament has moved exclusively Bloomington-Normal! This new home offers top-tier facilities and is centrally located to better serve teams across the state. Games sites include the Shirk Center, the home arena of the Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's teams and the NCAA Division III basketball tournament.
WIDE GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
The 2025 State Tournament featured teams from throughout Illinois offering fresh competition for all squads. Players hailed from 358 zip codes and 284 hometowns across the state. Check out the map above with all of the hometowns represented at State! #SeeYouAtStateIL
UPCOMING QUALIFIERS (2025-26)
Teams earn their spot at State by placing 1st or 2nd in an official Qualifier Tournament or League, or through an At-Large Bid to State.
| Next Up | Presented by | Event Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/23/-25/2026 |  |
Love Strong Shootout Mascoutah |
Tournament Flyer |
| 1/24-25/2026 |  |
R2R Championships Burlington, IA |
Illinois and Iowa Teams |
| 1/24-25/2026 |  |
Orange Effect Tournament Edwardsville |
|
| 1/24-25/2026 |  |
CYBN Survivor Classic | boys and girls 3rd-8th |
| 1/24-25/2026 |  |
Winter Snowdown Emerald Acres Sports Connection Mattoon |
|
| 1/24-25/2026 |  |
Oswego East Winter Classic Oswego presented by Oswego East Wolfpack |
|
| 1/25/2026 |  |
Matto “B” Tourney Libertyville presented by JCats Boy's Basketball |
Tune in
News!
The Road to a State Championship....
Big News! STATE 2026 moved to Bloomington-Normal!
- By Pauline Kibathi 11/10/2025, 1:30pm PST
Eligibility
All team rosters are verified by the State Eligibility Committee prior to tournament play. Last season, we reviewed over 21,000 Proof of Eligibility documents!
GRANDFATHER EXCEPTION: Any player who participated in a prior State tournament is automatically approved for 2026 play and does not need to re-submit Proof of Eligibility (POE) documents. However, ALL players, returning or not, are required to have a new Parent/Guardian Waiver submitted for 2026.
MEET YOUR STATE REPS
State Reps attend many of our Qualifier Tournaments to award top teams with their Gold Ticket invitation to State.
Interested in becoming a State Rep?
Click here to learn more!
State tournament generously supported by
Baden is the Official Ball of all 2025 State Basketball Championships events
