“March Magic” State Basketball Tournament Returns to MidAmerica Sports in Louisville

“March Magic,” the Special Olympics Kentucky State Basketball Tournament, will return to MidAmerica Sports Center in Louisville March 11-12. Teams qualify for the State Tournament through a series of Regional Tournaments that are held in February in Bowling Green, Florence and Elizabethtown.

This year’s Tournament will return to a two-day event. There have been 48 teams from across the state that have qualified to compete for state championships in 13 divisions. Games get underway at 9 am Saturday on four courts with the last games starting at 3:15. Remaining teams will return starting at 9 am for Championship Sunday where ALL 13 of the days games will be for state titles. The last game on Sunday will start at 12:45 pm.

In addition to the teams competing in the State Tournament, teams that do not qualify for the tournament have the opportunity to participate in the Team Skills Competition on Saturday. The Team Skills Competition measures teams’ abilities in six basic basketball skills and gives teams that did not reach the State Tournament the opportunity to participate in State Tournament weekend festivities. The Skills Competition will begin at 9 am at Westport Middle School.

2023 State Tournament Brackets

2023 Team Skills Competition Schedule

In all more than 600 athletes will be in action over the weekend.

State Basketball weekend festivities also include a Healthy Athletes opportunity at MidAmerica on Saturday, and the victory dance on Saturday night.

See photos from the 2022 State Basketball Tournament

Not surprisingly, basketball is the largest team sports offering on the Special Olympics Kentucky calendar each year.

The Special Olympics Kentucky State Basketball Tournament is sponsored by Year-Round Partners Jersey Mike’s, Texas Roadhouse and Toyota Motor Corporation, as well as event sponsors The Kentucky Wireless Association, Bachman Subaru and Subaru of America, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Torch Run and the Kentuckiana Basketball Officials Association. Members of the KBOA volunteer their time to officiate tournament games.

For more information about the State Basketball Tournament or about the Special Olympics Kentucky basketball program, contact Director of Sports and Competition Holly Vincent at 502-695-8222 or hvincent@soky.org.