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Thursday marks the first day of three straight weeks featuring state championship basketball here in the the Volunteer State.
Division II champions will be crowned on Saturday at Austin Peay’s F&M Arena. Division II-AA semifinals will be played Thursday and Division II-A semifinals on Friday.
So what teams bring home gold?
There will be plenty of representation from the 615 over the three days and our crew thinks that a few of those teams very well could end the year as state champions.
Here’s who we have winning and why:
Division II-A Girls
Cam Reid
PCA 63, USJ 55: PCA gets enough from their guards to outlast Haylen Ayers and win the first girls basketball championship is school history.
Chris Brooks
USJ 61, PCA 51: The Lady Bruins have won 16 straight entering the tournament and the only way for anyone to end that streak is to slow down Haylen Ayers… and that’s easier said than done.
Jake Hood
PCA 59, USJ 55: PCA will avenge its 2025 loss to The King’s Academy to meet USJ in the state championship. Both teams lost in the semifinals in 2025.
Joe Spears
PCA 61, USJ 58: There’s no denying that USJ junior Haylen Ayers is the best player in the field. However, if the Lady Lions can force someone else on USJ to beat them, they have more than enough talent to win the program’s first gold ball.
Konner Cornett
PCA 71, Notre Dame 69: PCA has carried strong momentum just like their boys’ team, and with stars throughout the lineup, I see them taking this one.
Scott Burton
USJ 58, PCA 49: Haylen Ayers and company get back in top.
Division II-A Boys
Cam Reid
PCA 72, BGA 58: PCA completes the sweep and goes back to back behind a big game from Chris Washington Jr. and Mason Applegate.
Chris Brooks
PCA 73, BGA 69: After grabbing gold last year, the Lions won’t want to downgrade – and Chris Washington, Jr. won’t let them.
Jake Hood
PCA 71, BGA 64: The two best teams in the state happen to share a district. The Lions and Wildcats will battle each other for a fifth time
Joe Spears
PCA 71, BGA 60: BGA is the only DII-A team to beat the Lions this season and have stayed within striking distance even in the losses. However, it’s hard to imagine Chris Washington Jr. not ending his high school career without another gold ball.
Konner Cornett
BGA 77, PCA 72: These teams have met four times with PCA winning three, but with that familiarity and Lawson Lee leading the way, I like BGA to flip the script and take it when it matters most.
Scott Burton
PCA 72, BGA 65: Chris Washington is just a matchup nightmare for BGA’s defense.
Division II-AA Girls
Cam Reid
CPA 52, Lipscomb Academy 47: The Lady lions get the gold ball in a nail-biting championship contest. Lily Morrow leads the way with 20+ points in her final high school game.
Chris Brooks
CPA 59, Lipscomb Academy 50: I like a redemption story and Lily Morrow will have a heck of one to tell should the Lady Lions add a gold ball to the trophy case.
Jake Hood
Knox Webb 61, Lipscomb Academy 58: The 2026 state championship will be a rematch of the 2025 semifinals, where the Lady Spartans squeaked past Lipscomb Academy by five points.
Joe Spears
CPA 65, Lipscomb Academy 59: It just feels like the time is now for the Lady Lions. Motivated by last year’s championship loss to Knox Webb, they get some revenge and then beat a familiar foe for the program’s first state title since 2013.
Konner Cornett
CPA 58, Lipscomb Academy 50: These teams know each other well, but with CPA winning three against Lipscomb Academy and scoring 50-plus in each matchup, it’s not hard to side with the Lions here.
Scott Burton
CPA 52, Lipscomb Academy 50: The Lady Lions outlast the Lady Mustangs on the shooting of Charley Rae Hutchison and Lexie White.
Division II-AA Boys
Cam Reid
JPII 74, Briarcrest Christian 71: Trey Pearson and this senior group of Knights finds a way to get across the finish line to capture the elusive gold ball.
Chris Brooks
JPII 76, Knoxville Catholic 72: Hard to pick against Trey Pearson, Osby Cavin and the Knights, but this is a stacked final four.
Jake Hood
Briarcrest Christian 66, JPII 64: The Knights will head to Clarksville to battle the 2025 state runner-up Saints, who haven’t lost a game since the New Year.
Joe Spears
JPII 68, Briarcrest Christian 65: Yes I know the Saints are the favorites now that Webb is out but I’m going with a homer pick here. If the Knights can continue to shoot like they have over the last month, there’s no reason why they can’t win gold.
Konner Cornett
JPII 69, Briarcrest 68: In a star-studded matchup featuring Fred Smith and Trey Pearson that could come down to the final possession, I’ve got Pope pulling it out in a razor-close finish.
Scott Burton
Briarcrest Christian 64, JPII 60: The size of Josh Huggins and Fred Smith negates the drive and dish offense of the Knights.
