What to know about the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament: Brackets, top players, storylines
Southwest Missouri's favorite holiday basketball tournament is here with the four-day Blue and Gold Tournament tipping off at Missouri State this week.
Most of the area's best talent will face off in search of a Blue and Gold title. There are plenty of storylines to look for during this tournament which also features the best players in the Ozarks.
Here's what you need to know heading into the week.
When is the tournament?
On Tuesday, the Blue and Gold Tournament will tip off with two games at 9:30 a.m. in Great Southern Bank Arena and Hammons Student Center. Each gym will host eight games on the first day.
The quarterfinals of both tournaments will be played Wednesday with the semifinals on Thursday and both championships on Friday. Every winners' bracket game after Tuesday will be played in Great Southern Bank Arena.
More: 5 big things we're looking for in the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament
Consolation matchups will be played each day as well. Check the tournament bracket throughout to see when and where your favorite team is playing.
Blue Division bracket
First-round games in Hammons Student Center on Dec. 26
9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Lebanon vs. Mountain Grove
11 a.m. — No. 1 Nixa vs. Reeds Spring
12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Fair Grove vs. Aurora
2 p.m. — No. 4 Logan-Rogersville vs. Camdenton
5 p.m. — No. 7 Catholic vs. West Plains
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Republic vs. Buffalo
8 p.m. — No. 6 Willard vs. Bolivar
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Hartville vs. Stockton
Gold Division bracket
First-round games in Great Southern Bank Arena on Dec. 26
9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Ash Grove vs. Willow Springs
11 a.m. — No. 1 Central vs. Skyline
12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Greenwood vs. Crane
2 p.m. — No. 4 Sparta vs. Spokane
5 p.m. — No. 7 Branson vs. Ava
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Ozark vs. Clever
8 p.m. — No. 6 Strafford vs. Mount Vernon
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Glendale vs. Marshfield
News-Leader coverage plan
News-Leader reporter Wyatt Wheeler won't leave Missouri State's campus as long as winner's games are being played.
A live blog with coverage of the games, and likely complaints about the horrible, repetitive Imagine Dragons stadium music, will be available for free each day on News-Leader.com.
More: Predicting the 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament. Is this Central's year? Will Nixa repeat?
Wheeler will have plenty more coverage aside from the live blog. There will be features, takeaways and bonus stories throughout the week. A "top performers" column will be released every night while breaking down who had the biggest games.
Most stories will be available for subscribers only. Online digital subscriptions currently are available for $1 for six months.
Can Nixa repeat as a Blue and Gold champion?
The top-seeded Eagles in the Blue Division will be looking to go back-to-back at the Blue and Gold Tournament. Greenwood and Hartville were the last programs to repeat between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Nixa will have the opportunity to tie Kickapoo for the most Blue and Gold championships following the 78th edition of the holiday staple.
Nixa is capable despite losing its best player from a year ago. We've seen the Eagles go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the area already this season and they're going to have a shot at winning their loaded Class 6 district once the season comes to an end.
Brock Blansit's squad, in his second season leading Nixa, will have to come out on top of a bracket that features the likes of Republic, Hartville, Logan-Rogersville and Fair Grove. The Blue bracket features a handful of coaches who have had an incredible amount of success, including Jay Osborne, the tournament's all-time winningest coach, who has a solid Catholic squad as seven-seed.
Nixa has the team to do it and it's getting better by the game. Players like Josh Peters and Garrett Hines had success a year ago and we'll see a few more get their first taste of extended Blue and Gold action with freshman Adam McKnight and sophomore Jackson Cantwell starting to make their mark at the varsity level.
Will Central win its first Blue and Gold title since 1983?
Central has its best team in a long time and it's going to have an opportunity to win its first Blue and Gold Championship in 40 years.
The Bulldogs enter the Gold Division as the bracket's favorite considering its blowout win over reigning Class 6 state champion Staley and its recent 12-point win over Father Tolton. They have maybe the best shooting team in the Ozarks and top-level stars in Keion Epps and Tyrique Brooks.
More: 5 big things we're looking for in the 2023 Pink and White girls' basketball tournament
A championship run for the Bulldogs would have to see them rise above the likes of Ozark, Glendale, Sparta and Greenwood. There are a few teams that have had deep Blue and Gold runs in recent years while Central lacks some fo the deep experience that others have.
But that's no reason to count Central out. The Bulldogs have been, arguably, the best team in southwest Missouri over the first few weeks of the season. A historic run could be in the works.
Top players to watch
Blue Division
Josh Peters, Nixa
Garrett Hines, Nixa
Adam McKnight, Nixa
Brenley Hagewood, Republic
C.J. Uhl, Republic
Jalon Cryer, Hartville
Logan Simpson, Hartville
Chase Branham, Logan-Rogersville
Bryden Baxter, Fair Grove
Spensar Seiger, Fair Grove
Antonio Starks-Fewell, Willard
Brett Roberson, Catholic
Gold Division
Keion Epps, Central
Tyrique Brooks, Central
Hunter Roberts, Ozark
Jace Whatley, Ozark
Amare Witham, Glendale
Jacob Lafferty, Sparta
Collin Clark, Greenwood
Cody Voysey, Strafford
Brady Nicholson, Ash Grove
Tegen Curley, Marshfield
Potential matchups that would be worth the price of admission
Top Blue Division first-round games
No. 6 Willard vs. Bolivar — These two have already played with the Tigers winning 73-60 on Dec. 12. It wouldn't be a surprise if that score was closer the second time around. Bolivar has made great Blue and Gold runs in recent years but will be without Kyle Pock, the heart behind many of those victories.
Top Gold Division first-round games
No. 3 Glendale vs. Marshfield — Two Division I-caliber players will match up with Glendale's Witham playing Marshfield's Curley. The Blue Jays are a heck of an unseeded team.
Potential Blue Division games
Hartville vs. Republic (semifinals) — This would be a potential semifinal rematch from a classic game from last year's Blue and Gold.
Nixa vs. Logan-Rogersville (semifinals) — The Eagles and Wildcats matched up against each other in last year's Gold Division championship game.
Nixa vs. Republic (championship) — Two of the top programs and two teams that won Blue and Gold titles a year ago could find themselves playing for their second-straight titles against each other.
More: Predicting the 2023 Pink and White Tournament. Can Glendale make a special run?
Potential Gold Division games
Sparta vs. Greenwood (quarterfinals) — A potential Class 3, District 11 championship preview between two of the best players in the area. Sign us up.
Central vs. Sparta (semifinals) — Last year's Cinderella program going up against a team that's looking to make its deepest run since 1983? Yes, please.
Central vs. Ozark (championship) — There isn't a pair of teams that can match up in either bracket that play harder than these two. The pace of this game would make for one of the more entertaining nights of the season.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament brackets, players, storylines
