FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 5, 2024

Pairings for the 2024 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® and the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® will be unveiled on Monday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. ET on the KHSAA's annual Sweet 16® Draw Show.

The 2024 Sweet 16® Draw Show will air on KHSAA.tv via the NFHS Network at no cost to viewers. The broadcast will originate from the KHSAA offices in Lexington, hosted by Dave "Buzz" Baker and Brian Milam of WKYT.

Both basketball tournaments will be held inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, with the 63rd installment of the Girls’ Sweet 16® taking place March 13-16 and the 106th Boys’ Sweet 16® scheduled one week later on March 20-23.

Each game of the 2024 Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16® will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network to subscribers. A monthly subscription to the NFHS Network entitles users to every broadcast by the KHSAA and the more than 45 participating state associations. To subscribe to the NFHS Network, visit: nfhsnetwork.com/subscribe/retail

Sweet 16® brackets with official pairings will be made available following the conclusion of the Draw Show.

Tickets will be available for purchase on khsaatickets.org at a later date. Renewal ticket purchasers will be contacted by the Central Bank Center Box Office via email about continuing the purchase of previously held tickets. Following the renewal period, the remaining unsold seats will be available online at khsaatickets.org.

Archive: https://ly.khsaa.org/2tka

Draw is under way.  First quadrant:

15 v 14
8 v 11

That 8 v 11 game will be an incredible opener, and the winner of that is straightaway a favorite for the semis.

Second quadrant:

16 v 2
5 v 1

Great draw for Lyon County to advance to the semifinals.  That semifinal....

Third quadrant:

13 v 4
9 v 10

Some monster teams in that one. 

And finally:

12 v 7
3 v 6

Likely all-Louisville quarterfinal there.

So all together, we have:

15 v 14
8 v 11

16 v 2
5 v 1

13 v 4
9 v 10

12 v 7
6 v 3

Lyon County is the big winner from what I see.  A very, very clear path to the semifinals, and you always expect a tough matchup by that point.  I think it's a relatively good draw for 7th, as I favor their region over the 6th.  8 v 11 gets a really difficult first round but the winner of that is going to be in the semis.  Region 15 and 14 probably get as good a first game as they could have hoped for. 

I don't think there are any winners in that third quad.  Newport/Covington Catholic, Bowlin Green, GRC, Harlan County - those are some tough, tough teams.

Could be a Lyon Co and 11th Region winner Semi.  Would be a dandy, and really crowded game.

I don't get why there is random draw for some sports and not for others. You would think would be same format for all sports. Could do like football where 8 regions in West are seeded by RPI and 8 in East are seeded. Then reseed each round like football does. I've never been a fan of random draws. 

From the KHSAA:

Bracket pairings for the 2024 Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® and the 2024 UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® are now available on khsaa.org.

• Girls’ Sweet 16® bracket (KHSAA/Riherds Scoreboard): https://ly.khsaa.org/zc5a
• Girls’ Sweet 16® bracket (PDF): https://ly.khsaa.org/zeyq
• Boys’ Sweet 16® bracket (KHSAA/Riherds Scoreboard): https://ly.khsaa.org/exma
• Boys’ Sweet 16® bracket (PDF): https://ly.khsaa.org/gxma

Both basketball tournaments will be held inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, with the 63rd installment of the Girls’ Sweet 16® taking place March 13-16 and the 106th Boys’ Sweet 16® scheduled one week later on March 20-23.