TOPEKA, Kan. – The KSHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinal and final sites for the 2028 season have been selected, and for the first time, all sites are located in the Wichita area. Koch Arena at Wichita State University, Heartland Federal Credit Union Arena in Park City and the Garvey Center at Friends University will host semifinal and final games across six classifications for boys and girls in Wichita.
The Hutchinson Sports Arena at Hutchinson Community College will serve as the semifinal and final site for Class 2A boys and girls tournaments as part of the Wichita-area tournament footprint. It’s the first time since 1945 that all state championship games have been this close in proximity, and fans will have the opportunity to take in multiple classes and sessions of the state tournament without extensive travel between championship venues. The 2028 format is a result of KSHSAA member schools requesting championship tournaments combine to fewer sites.
“State championship tournaments feature Kansas student athletes on the biggest stage for the most important games of their season,” KSHSAA Executive Director Bill Faflick said. “With all games in the greater Wichita area, fans will be able to support the best of the best in the pursuit of the ultimate prize in high school sports while witnessing the thrill of victory in their choice of the 14 championship tournaments.”
The 2028 season marks a significant milestone for the State Basketball Tournament, bringing all semifinal and final matchups within the Wichita metro area for the first time in the tournament’s history.
“We’re incredibly proud and excited to welcome all classifications of the KSHSAA Boys & Girls Basketball State Championships to the Wichita region in 2028,” said Josh Howell, vice president of sports development at Visit Wichita. “Wichita has hosted KSHSAA championships for many years, and bringing every classification together across the region at the same time is a tremendous opportunity for our community and for basketball fans across Kansas.”
The distribution of classes among the Wichita sites will be announced at a later date. Ticket information and schedules will be released closer to the event.
The opening round of the 2028 state tournament will follow the same sites established for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Winners of the state quarterfinal round will advance to the Wichita-area semifinal and final sites. The first round sites are as follows: Kansas City Kansas Community College, White Auditorium in Emporia, Koch Arena, Friends University, Tony’s Pizza Event Center, Kansas Wesleyan University, United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.
