State Farm Holiday Classic pairings released

Posted on December 9, 2018
State Farm Classic
The State Farm Holiday Classic takes place over four days between Christmas and New Year’s Day at four venues in Bloomington-Normal. (State Farm Holiday Classic)

By Greg Halbleib

BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL – Brackets are set for the State Farm Holiday Classic, the 64-team boys and girls high school basketball tournament in Bloomington-Normal between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Of the 64 teams, nine are undefeated and 30 have two or fewer losses, plus 22 are ranked or are receiving votes in current state polls. The combined winning percentage of the 64 teams is .634.

Complete brackets can be found at theclassic.org/brackets/ by clicking here.

In the Small School Girls division, St. Joseph-Ogden has the top seed followed by Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Brimfield and Annawan. The Small School Girls bracket has a combined record of 106-34 for a .737 winning percentage.

Aurora Christian takes the top seed in Small School Boys with the next three seeds given to Rock Falls, Chicago Providence St. Mel and Quincy Notre Dame.

In Large School Girls, the top four seeds of the 16-team division are Peoria Richwoods, Ryle of Union, Ky., Morton and Rock Island.

The top seed in Large School Boys is Chicago Kenwood followed by Joliet Central, Rock Island and Metamora.

Several local squads are also among the 64 teams. The Classic runs Dec. 26 through 29 with play on the first three days at Normal Community, Normal West and Bloomington High Schools and Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center. The final day involves the four third place and four championship games, all at Shirk Center. WJBC-AM 1230 is a sponsoring partner of the Classic and will provide play-by-play coverage throughout the tournament.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected]. 

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