The Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors approved scheduling and venue changes for the boys' and girls' basketball state tournament for the next five seasons to cope with facilities scheduling issues.
Currently, the girls' state tournament is played the week before the boys and games are held Wednesday through Saturday at Target Center and Williams Arena. The changes, which go into effect in the 2014 season, will add Mariucci Arena as a venue and require games on Tuesdays.
The format will change for three years, 2014-16, moving the boys' tournament ahead of the girls' tournament. Boys' games will be played at Target Center and Williams Arena while the girls' games will be played at Mariucci Arena and Williams Arena. The girls' tournament could start with Tuesday games at the Target Center during that span.
In 2017 and 2018, the girls' tournament would again be played first at Mariucci Arena and Williams Arena. For those two seasons, the girls' tournament will start with Tuesday games at the Target Center.
Conflicts with Target Center scheduling begin in March 2014 when the National Collegiate Hockey Conference starting using the arena for its postseason tournament. The NCHC has a five-year contract with the Target Center.
