In a column that ran in Friday’s newspaper, I called for the WIAA to switch to eight-team brackets in the basketball state tournaments instead of 16 and do away with the consolation games.

Read the column. Tell me what you think. Do you like the tournament the way it is? Would you change anything?

In the column, I detailed a regional tournament format for Class 4A. To keep the piece from being cluttered, I omitted the 3A, 2A and 1A. I have listed them here.

Click below to see them.

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Class 4A
78 total schools

Region I: WesCo Conference (14 schools) and KingCo Crown or Crest (6) for a 20-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament. KingCo can rotate the Crown and Crest divisions each year.

Region II: KingCo Crown or Crest (6), SPSL North or South (9) and Greater St. Helens League (6) for a 21-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament. The SPSL could rotate the North and South each year.

Region III: Narrows League (11) and SPSL North or South (9) for a 20-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament.

Region IV: Big Nine (11) and Greater Spokane League (6) for a 17-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament. Long distances to travel means there is really no way around this smaller regional.

Class 3A
68 total schools

Region I: Northwest Conference (3 schools) and WesCo Conference (5) for an eight-team regional that will send one team to the state tournament.

Region II: Metro League (14), KingCo Conference (6) and Olympic League (4) for a 24-team regional that will send three teams to the state tournament.

Region III: SPSL 3A (9), Seamount (9), Western Cascade Conference (4) and Greater Spokane League (4) for a 28-team regional that will send three teams to the state tournament.

Region IV: Big Nine/Columbia Basin (3) and Greater Spokane League (5) for an eight-team regional that will send one team to the state tournament.

Class 2A
55 total schools

I'd keep the 2A tournaments at the Yakima SunDome. The organizers do a good job and there will also be big crowds because of the arena's proximity to so many 1A and 2A schools.

Region I: Northwest Conference (8) and Cascade Conference (6) for a 14-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament.

Region II: Nisqually League (4), Olympic League (4) and Interlake for a nine-team regional that will send one team to the state tournament.

Region III: Evergreen Conference (8) and Greater St. Helens League (6) for a 14-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament.

Region IV: CWAC (10) and Great Northern (8) for an 18-team regional that will send three teams to the state tournament.

Class 1A
63 total schools

By far, this was the most difficult classification to come up with regional tournaments. Geographic restrictions make it difficult and I’m not happy with what I came up with. I’m open to suggestions. I’m thinking that play-in games or shared berths might be a solution.

Region I: Northwest Conference (3), Cascade Conference (2), Emerald City (7), Auburn Adventist and Friday Harbor for a 14-team regional that will send two teams to the state tournament.

Region II: Nisqually League (7) and Southwest Conference (14) for a 21-team regional that will send three teams to the state tournament.

Region III: SCAC (14), Caribou Trail (8) and Northeast (5) for a 27-team regional that sends three teams to the state tournament.

Class 2B, 1B
Scrap the 1B and 2B tournaments. Go back to just one B tournament in Spokane.