Minnesota Region Playoffs

2024 Minnesota Youth Basketball Region Playoffs


NEW!
Pacesetter Playoffs Changes – 2024 (MN regions)
• Limited to 8 teams in each grade/gender group for grades 4-7 – 3 games per team
• Limited to 32 teams per day on 4 courts – am group and pm group – faster day
• Veteran teams get the first opportunity to claim one of the 8 spots
• Playoff sites will be set earlier in the year – mid-February to mid-March.
• 8th and 9th grade teams will play in 2 “Super Sections”: March 24. Limit of 16 teams
• MN State will be April 6-7 in 2024 due to Easter March 31
• Pacesetter Great 5-State will remain in the summer due to Lynx game collaboration

Pacesetter Goals & Team Benefits
• Promote school/community TEAM basketball
• Support school programs and head coaches
• Play faster – ½ day instead of all day
• Limit play to maximum of 3 games
• Assure most brackets will fill with 8 teams
• Make the MN State and 5-state system more exciting with more teams involved

Eligibility Guidelines:
  • All players on a team must either be enrolled in the same school system or live or attend school in the same city or the same tribal community. Smaller schools may combine to form one team if the combined high school enrollment for grades 9-12 is 400 or fewer. Schools that combine must be from neighboring schools.

All rosters must be submitted before teams will be placed in the tournament bracket. A copy of your roster also needs to be turned in at each tournament.

Every player must fill out an online player waiver form before their first tournament of the season in order to be eligible to participate.

2024 Grades 4-7 Tournament Locations

  • Region 1: Stewartville/Rochester • March 16 & 17
  • Region 5: St. Cloud • February 24 & March 2
  • Region 2: Lake Crystal • March 23 & 24
  • Region 6: Alexandria • February 17 & 18
  • Region 3: Redwood Falls • March 9 & 10
  • Region 7: Grand Rapids/Mt. Iron-Buhl • February 17 & 18
  • Region 4: St. Cloud • February 25 & March 3
  • Region 8: Bemidji • March 16 & 17

2024 Grades 8-9 Tournament Locations

  • North/Central Super Section: St. Cloud • March 24
  • Southeast/Southwest Super Section: Lake Crystal • March 24

“POST-SEASON” INVITATIONS

Minnesota region champions are invited to play in the over-all Pacesetter Minnesota Youth Basketball State Championships. All other participating teams are invited to play in the Minnesota Invitational Tournament held the same weekend. The top two teams from the state tournament advance to play in Minneapolis, where they will play in the Target Center in the Pacesetter Great Five-State Championships against the top teams from North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Post-season invitations will be issued at each qualifying tournament. All post-season tournaments are listed below with basic information. Further information, guidelines, etc. for each tournament will be provided in the invitation and posted on the website.

Pacesetter Minnesota Youth Basketball State Championships

Teams must have played in a MN Regional tournament and received an invitation to play. All teams play three games in one day in an eight-team format.

  • Sunday, April 7 • St. Cloud
Pacesetter Youth Minnesota Invitational Tournament

All teams will play 3-4 games in one day in a bracket with 4-16 teams. Top finishers at each regional location will receive an invite.

  • Saturday, April 6 • St. Cloud
Pacesetter Great Five-State Championships / Target Center • Minneapolis, MN

The Pacesetter “Great State” tournament will be held at the  Target Center in Minneapolis, and will feature top teams from Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa in an 8-team format. This exciting five-state playoff system is sponsored by the 3-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Great State tournaments will be held in conjunction with Minnesota Lynx games.