NCSAA Basketball Championships

March 4-7, 2026

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

Location and Directions:

Games will be played at the following two facilities:

Athletes in Action Sports Complex - Wooden Family Fieldhouse (Xenia, OH) - Directions available HERE
Cedarville University (Cedarville, OH) - Directions available HERE

If you are playing your FIRST game of the tournament at Cedarville University, you will need still need to come to the Athletes in Action Sports Complex for on-site registration and your coaches' meeting.

What You Need to Provide:

Medical Waiver Forms – The parent / guardian of each player MUST complete an online Athlete Waiver Form. No player will be permitted to participate in any NCSAA tournament if NCSAA does not have a completed, current, and valid form on file for that player. Please make your players and their parents aware of this requirement now, so that they can begin going online and submitting their forms. All forms must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Monday, February 23. You can access the Athlete Waiver Form by clicking HERE. Waiver forms that are submitted after the deadline will incur a $10 fee (per late waiver).
Scorebook Keeper – You’ll be responsible for providing one person to keep your team scorebook during each of your games. Please have that person check in at the scorer’s table, with your team’s information completed in the scorebook, at the end of the preceding game (or at least 15 minutes before your scheduled game). If you will not have someone available to keep your scorebook, please notify NCSAA right away. (For any tournament game at which neither team has a person available to keep the scorebook, both teams will be required to pay $50 each -- so that NCSAA can pay someone to at least keep score and fouls for that game. We are not offering this as a service, as we don't have extra staff readily available to do this...so please bring someone to keep your scorebook, so that we can avoid assessing this penalty to your team.)
Basketballs – You’ll need to bring your own balls for warm-up, and we will plan to use one of the participating teams' best balls for the game ball in each game. (We will have a few extra game balls on-hand, in the event that no good game balls are available for a particular game.)
Water Bottles - You’ll be responsible for bringing your own filled water bottles to the gym. There are water fountains nearby most courts, if you need access to water there, as well.
Medical Supplies – We will have an athletic trainer or medical personnel on site at most times, but you will be responsible for bringing your own medical supplies. (In particular, be sure to have your own tape and underwrap, for taping ankles, etc -- as this will not be provided by the trainer.) During times when an athletic trainer or medical personnel is not available, we will have directions to nearby hospitals and urgent care facilities, if needed.

Making Your Payment:

All teams should already have submitted their entry fees for this tournament. If you have not done so, please contact us ASAP to do so.

Each team also must submit Individual Athlete Fees for each of their athletes (you may not play your first game in the tournament without doing so). Individual athlete fees are due by 11:59 PM on Monday, February 23. Individual athlete fees that are paid late (or brought to be paid at the tournament) will be assessed a $50 late fee.

Individual athlete fees are $25 per athlete.

Entry fees can be paid at THIS LINK.

Individual athlete fees can be paid at THIS LINK.

If you are not sure whether your team has made payment, please contact NCSAA.

Registration / When You Arrive:

Coaches are required to arrive early enough to attend their assigned Coaches Registration Meeting on Wednesday (girls) or Thursday (boys). These are required; coaches MUST attend the correct registration meeting, corresponding to their first game time (girls on Wednesday, boys on Thursday):

Wednesday Coaches' Meetings (Girls):
All 1:30 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 12:00 PM registration meeting
All 3:00 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 1:30 PM registration meeting
All 4:30 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 3:00 PM registration meeting
All 6:00 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 4:30 PM registration meeting
All 7:30 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 6:00 PM registration meeting

Thursday Coaches' Meetings (Boys):
All 8:30 AM game times - Coaches arrive for 7:00 AM registration meeting.
All 10:00 AM game times - Coaches arrive for 8:30 AM registration meeting.
All 11:30 AM game times - Coaches arrive for 10:00 AM registration meeting.
All 1:00 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 11:30 AM registration meeting.
All 2:30 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 1:00 PM registration meeting.
All 4:00 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 2:30 PM registration meeting.
All 5:30 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 4:00 PM registration meeting.
All 7:00 PM game times - Coaches arrive for 5:30 PM registration meeting.

All Coaches' Registration Meetings will be held inside Wooden Family Fieldhouse (at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex). Please be sure that your head coach arrives early enough to locate the correct room where this important meeting will be held; if you don't arrive on time, you will be required to stay later, and you'll be delayed from getting to your court on time for your game (which may lead to a forfeited game). Thank you for making this a priority!

At these meetings, on-site tournament registration will take place...and you will receive your coaches' packets (very important!) and final schedules (reflecting any recent changes), verify that all of your athletes are eligible to participate, and be provided with important tournament information. Again, these meetings are mandatory...so please arrive on time for your scheduled meeting...Thank you!

For teams scheduled to play their first game on Thursday at Cedarville University...You MUST come to the Coaches' Registration Meeting at Athletes in Action before proceeding to Cedarville University! (We make the meetings quick, so that you'll be able to get over to Cedarville in plenty of time for your team to warm up.)

Schedule:

The tournament schedule will be available on or before Friday, February 27 (as long as all teams submit their rosters / scores / seeding information by the deadline). We will send an e-mail out to all athletic directors and coaches, when the schedule has been published.

Please contact us now if you have any questions about the schedule.

Tournament Livestream:

An exciting feature of the tournament is a livestream broadcast of most tournament games, provided by BallerTV. (We are planning to broadcast all games at Athletes in Action and Cedarville University via the livestream.) For more details about the livestream broadcasts and how to make them available to your families and school community, click the graphic below:

Game Start Times:

The times listed on the tournament schedule are the start times for the games. In order to keep the tournament on schedule, we must begin each game on time. If your team is late for your scheduled game, you may be required to forfeit. Please plan to arrive early for each of your games.

We have tried to schedule sufficient time to allow teams to get onto the court and warm up before their games. However, in the event that the court time before your game is cut short (by an overtime period in the previous game or some other reason), please begin some basic warm-up and stretching elsewhere in the facility – so that we can start each game on time, as often as possible. In that event, we will make sure that your team still receives sufficient on-court warm-up time before your game.

Home / Away Uniforms:

The first team listed (on the schedule) will be considered the home team in each game. The home team should wear white / light jerseys.

The second team listed (on the schedule) will be considered the away team in each game. The away team should wear dark jerseys.

If you have any problems regarding your team’s jerseys (for instance, your team only has a jersey of one color), please contact us before the tournament. Please bring both your home and away uniforms to each game, in case any problems arise.

Game Play Specifics:

Girls’ Tournament Format: The tournament format will include 40 teams playing in seven divisions. All teams will play three games.

Boys’ Tournament Format: The tournament format will include 88 teams playing in thirteen divisions. All teams will play three games.

AGE ELIGIBILITY: A student-athlete shall be ineligible for participation upon attaining the age of nineteen years, with the following exception: if the age of 19 is attained on or after July 1 preceding the current school year, the student-athlete shall be eligible, age-wise, to compete through that school year.

Game play and other matters will generally follow NFHS rules. If you have any questions regarding game play or any other matters concerning this tournament, please contact NCSAA in advance of your arrival at the tournament, and / or discuss those matters with the tournament officials before you play. Thanks so much!

Mercy Rule – A running clock shall be used in the second half of games when the differential in score grows to 40 points or more. The clock shall continue to operate in standard fashion if a 40-point advantage is reached in the first half. When the mercy rule is in place, the clock will still stop for free throws and time-outs, as well as for regular stoppages during the the final minute of the game.

Thursday Evening Skills Contests and Devotions:

On Thursday evening (beginning at 9:00 PM), we will hold a a Point Guard Challenge (divisions for both girls and boys) and a Three-Point Competition (divisions for both girls and boys).

Coaches should register their players online at these links:
Point Guard Challenge
Three-Point Competition
Registration for these contests will end on Thursday, March 5, at 5:00 PM.

That evening will also feature a time of devotional challenge (featuring NCSAA chaplain, Micah Ramsey, as the speaker) -- before the contests begin. Please plan to join us for a great evening of fun and fellowship on Thursday! Directions to the Athletes in Action campus are provided HERE.

Closing Ceremonies and Awards:

A short closing ceremony will be held at your court, following your team's final game in the tournament. Please plan to stay for that ceremony, if possible.

The first-place and second-place teams in each division will receive NCSAA championship and runner-up banners, and there will also be a prize for the winners of the consolation brackets.

This ceremony will also include a special recognition of and prayer for all senior athletes. A special gift from NCSAA will be presented to your team's senior players (if your roster was submitted on time).

All-tournament team awards are also available for your coaches to present to the top performers on their teams. Coaches will use the all-tournament selection sheet enclosed in their coaches' packets to select all-tournament players from their teams. Coaches, please be sure to return this sheet to us at the end of the tournament, so that we can provide you with all-tournament awards for your players -- and so that we can publish your team's all-tournament selections online and in the post-tournament report sent to college coaches.

NCSAA Coaches’ Award:

The NCSAA Coaches' Award will be presented to players throughout the tournament. These awards will be given by the coaches of the participating teams, as a way to recognize and encourage athletes who demonstrate noteworthy effort, leadership, encouragement, integrity, humility, courage, grace, and other qualities of Biblical discipline in their play. This program allows us to encourage coaches to be intentional in “building into the lives” of the players who are competing in the event.

Admission:

There is no admission fee at this tournament. We welcome your fans to attend and support the teams!

Team Devotions:

Micah Ramsey (NCSAA chaplain) will be the speaker at a time of team devotions (on Thursday at 9:00 PM, at the Wooden Family Fieldhouse at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex, before the skills contests). We encourage your team to join us for this important time of fellowship, fun, and spiritual challenge! This is a significant part of the NCSAA tournament experience -- so, coaches, please bring your teams to this evening event. Directions to the Athletes in Action campus are provided HERE.

Tournament T-Shirts:

Official 2026 NCSAA Basketball Championships T-shirts were sold via a pre-order sale before the tournament. If players from your team ordered t-shirts, we'll have those available for pick-up at the registration table when you arrive. (Your athletic director received information, by e-mail, about how to pre-order tournament t-shirts.)

College Recruiting Exposure:

Many college coaches have been invited to attend the tournament, and each year various coaches choose to attend the event.

After the event, a tournament report (including tournament results and all-tournament team selections) will be distributed to college coaches across the country.

Facility Host:

Athletes in Action and Cedarville University have generously agreed to host this NCSAA tournament. Please encourage your team to be mindful of their generosity in the way that you treat their facilities; we want to be excellent stewards of the gymnasiums and both campuses. Thank you!

There will be no use of locker rooms and showers during the tournament. Please make plans to meet before and after your games in another area in the building, and during halftime at your bench area. The showers will not be available to teams at all this week, so please make other plans in that regard. Thanks for your understanding!

Lodging and Meals:

If you have not yet made your lodging arrangements and need some assistance finding a local hotel, you can use our hotels list for the Xenia and Cedarville areas by CLICKING HERE .

Also, a local information sheet (containing information about local restaurants, medical facilities, etc) will be e-mailed out to you, in the near future -- and will also be available in your coaches' packets.

Some additional recommended lodging options (for those interested):

(COMING SOON)

You will be given (when you arrive, as part of your coach's packet) a list of suggested restaurants in the Xenia and Cedarville areas. There will also be a very nice concession stand, which will include a number of meal-type food options, available at the gym throughout the tournament.

Some restaurants (and local attractions) that we specifically recommend:

Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken
550 W. Main Street
Xenia, OH 45385
937-376-2299

One Bistro
87 East Main Street
Xenia, OH 45385

Pies and Pints
52 Plum Street
Beavercreek, OH 45440
937-429-7437

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact NCSAA right away at 724-846-2764.

NCSAA Contact Numbers:

Office: 724-846-2764 (until 4:30 PM on Monday, March 2)

Tournament Cell Phone: 724-494-0110 (only from Tuesday, March 3, through Saturday, March 7)

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