Why is there an extra week between IHSAA boys basketball semistate and state finals?

For the second time this winter, an IHSAA state championship tournament is being altered from its normal schedule.

The boys basketball state finals are being delayed a week due to NCAA men’s basketball tournament games being played March 21-24 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This means the IHSAA championship games will be played Saturday, March 30, two weeks after the semistate games were played.

More: IHSAA basketball semistate scores, highlights

Last month, the state wrestling finals were moved from Indianapolis to Evansville due to the NBA All-Star game being played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

All four state championship games will be played on the 30th. The Class 1A game between Bethesda Christian (23-7) and Fort Wayne Canterbury (18-9) will start at 10:30 a.m. The Class 2A contest between Brownstown Central (27-4) and Wapahani (26-2) will begin at approximately 12:45 p.m.

The Class 3A showdown between South Bend Saint Joseph (20-9) and Scottsburg (24-5) will be at 6 p.m. The Class 4A finale between Ben Davis (23-5) and Fishers (28-1) will cap off the night with a start time of approximately 8:15 p.m.

More: South Bend Saint Joseph wins IHSAA 3A boys basketball semistate title in 3OT thriller over Delta

This is the second time in four seasons the state finals have been delayed. The 2021 championship contests were pushed back due to the entire NCAA men’s basketball tournament being played in Indianapolis that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Why there's a two-week break between IHSAA boys basketball semistate and state finals