FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 17, 2026

The UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet Sixteen® will tip off its 108th installment this week inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, beginning with the first of back-to-back days of first-round matchups on Wednesday.

Wednesday will start at 11:00 AM with Region 9 champion Covington Catholic (31-2) vs. Region 7 titlist St. Xavier (26-7). The Colonels return to Lexington in March for the first time since 2022. As for the Tigers, St. Xavier repeats as regional champions for the first time since the 1942 and 1943 seasons. 

Warren Central represents the 4th Region, carrying a 26-3 record into the 1:30 PM matchup with Region 13 winner North Laurel (28-7). The Dragons enter the Sweet 16®, enjoying their sixth tournament appearance in the last eight years. The Jaguars return to Rupp Arena for a second straight season and for the fourth time in five years.

Taylor County (26-9) claimed the flag for the Fifth Region for the first time since a 3-peat during the 2015-17 seasons. The Cardinals meet Grayson County (25-6), who make it back to the Greatest Show in Hoops after being absent since 2009.

Danville Christian (23-7) will take on defending UK HealthCare Boys' Basketball Sweet 16® champion Great Crossing (23-11) in the final game of the opening day. The Warhawks have won the 11th region three consecutive years, while the Warriors are back-to-back 12th region champions.

On Thursday, March 19, at 11:00 AM, the first game of the day features 6th region champion Butler (26-5) and 14th region stalwart Hazard (24-10). The Bears won the crown, beating the defending regional champion, Jeffersontown. The Bulldogs have captured more region titles than any team in the field. Hazard has been to the state tournament on 28 occasions.

Boyd County (29-6) returns to the KHSAA's biggest basketball stage for the first time since 2018 and plays the 1st region winner, Marshall County (24-8), at 1:30 PM.  The Marshals scored their second region title in the last three seasons. 

North Oldham (25-5) plays Lyon County (29-6) to begin Thursday's evening session. After waiting more than 70 years for a trip to the state tournament, the Lyons are back for the 4th time in five years. The Mustangs and Lyons played earlier this season, in late December, with North Oldham winning a low-scoring game 47-37.

George Rogers Clark (29-4) and Johnson Central (28-5) complete the first round at 8:30 PM. Cardinals' head coach, Josh Cook, and Golden Eagles' head coach Tommy McKenzie were college teammates at Alice Lloyd College and will match wits with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.

The quarterfinals will take place on Friday at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The Sweet 16® will conclude Saturday, beginning with semifinal action at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and ending with the championship game at 7:30 p.m.

To order or manage tickets for the Sweet 16®, visit khsaa.org/ruppboys. Each game of the tournament will be broadcast live on khsaa.tv to subscribers of the NFHS Network, with free audio-only streams available on khsaa.net.

 

2026 UK HEALTHCARE BOYS’ BASKETBALL SWEET 16®

• khsaa.org/ruppboys
• khsaa.tv
• khsaa.net
• Live Stats
• KHSAA/Riherds Scoreboard
• Tournament Bracket
• Tournament Program

Fun facts here for everyone from the Google AI overview:

"Sweet Sixteen" and "Sweet 16" are registered trademarks primarily owned by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) for their annual high school basketball tournaments, with origins dating back to the early 1930s. While the NCAA uses the phrase for its tournament, they license it. 

Key Trademark Details

Primary Owner: Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA).

Usage: Used for high school basketball tournaments since the 1930s, and heavily associated with the tournament field narrowing.

NCAA Connection: The NCAA has a license to use "NCAA Sweet Sixteen" and "NCAA Sweet 16," but they do not own the base phrase "Sweet Sixteen," which is protected by the KHSAA, say Berman Fink Van Horn P.C..

Other Uses: "Sweet Sixteen" has appeared in other trademark filings over the years (e.g., cosmetics, toys), though many of these have been cancelled or expired. 

The phrase is heavily monitored during March Madness to protect the brand's integrity, with restrictions on its use in commercial advertising by unauthorized parties. 

I'll be there tomorrow for the early session. My favorite week of the year. Can't wait. Go Kentucky hoops!

I’m gonna go up for the first session tomorrow. The Mrs. might even take a day off work to join me.

Should be two highly entertaining games.

9 minutes ago, Falcon Pride said:

The Mrs. might even take a day off work to join me.

?

Bump.

I am having trouble with program link, both the original post above and the KHSAA website.   Getting the 404 Not Found error.  Anyone else having a problem?   Or have the correct link?

1 minute ago, FatNate said:

I am having trouble with program link, both the original post above and the KHSAA website.   Getting the 404 Not Found error.  Anyone else having a problem?   Or have the correct link?

Here you go and gosh dang KHSAA, get your act together, it is one thing after the other:

https://khsaa.org/Publications/Programs/20252026/BoysBasketball/basketballprogram2026.pdf

Bump.

Welcome to the UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16Ⓡ. We appreciate your interest in high school athletics and this year’s tournament. Please be reminded that broadcasting and media rights to all rounds of the KHSAA postseason championships belong exclusively to the KHSAA. Additionally, the KHSAA has a long-term agreement with the NFHS Network as the sole distributor of the live webcast. Accordingly, the KHSAA is the only entity permitted to originate a live broadcast during the Sweet 16® (this includes the use of social media streaming platforms such as Facebook Live by media members).

Further, it is important that you know the legal obligations regarding the use of the term Sweet 16®. This term may not be used without permission. Sweet Sixteen® and Sweet 16® are registered trademarks of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, with shared use by the NCAA for collegiate basketball only, pursuant to a licensing agreement under which the NCAA has been granted permission by the KHSAA. The KHSAA requires any use of these registered terms to include the mark ® to help identify the status of these marks. 

The KHSAA thanks you for your cooperation in this regard. Please note that the KHSAA will aggressively and actively pursue violations of these registered trademarks.

? All-Tournament Team and Awards

● Team ~

Reece Davidson, North Laurel 

Brady Orem, Great Crossing 

Adrian Wilder, Butler

Matthew Langhi, Marshall County 

Jack Logsdon, Grayson County 

Spencer Langdon, Grayson County 

Pierre Rondo, North Oldham 

Tommy Gregg, North Oldham 

Jeremiah Jackson, St. Xavier 

Josh Lindsay, St. Xavier

Jermaine Cameron,  St. Xavier 

Amari Bartelson, George Rogers Clark 

Montez Gay, George Rogers Clark 

MVP - Malachi Ashford, George Rogers Clark 

● Awards ~

Sweet 16®️ Academic Scholarship: Ben Mikels, Danville Christian Academy 

Ted Sanford Award: Seth Caudill, Hazard

 

Link to the KHSAA Awards page below.

khsaa.org/2026-all-tournament-team-and-awards-uk-healthcare-boys-sweet-16