{"id":180410,"date":"2026-02-26T00:35:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/180410\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T00:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:35:06","slug":"division-split-in-basketball-raises-issues-for-some-dallas-area-teams-as-playoffs-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/180410\/","title":{"rendered":"Division split in basketball raises issues for some Dallas-area teams as playoffs begin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Birdville<\/a> boys basketball coach Anthony Holman wanted to clinch the No. 1 seed for his team, but he also wanted to win.<\/p>\n

There was no best of both worlds scenario entering the final game of the regular season, which also happened to be Birdville\u2019s senior night. Holman and his players chose to win, beating Denton Ryan 68-55. For that effort, the state\u2019s sixth-ranked 5A team earned District 6-5A\u2019s No. 2 seed in the 5A Division I Region I playoffs.<\/p>\n

With a loss to Ryan, Birdville would have been the top seed. <\/p>\n

How is that possible? Ryan was still in postseason contention ahead of the regular season finale. Denton High won the District 6-5A title<\/a>, but because Ryan was still alive and had a larger school population, the scenario pushed Denton into the 5A Division II bracket.<\/p>\n

Birdville\u2019s win eliminated Ryan from playoff contention and moved Denton into the Division I bracket, because its enrollment is larger than Colleyville Heritage and Richland, the district\u2019s other two playoff qualifiers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was weird how it worked out,\u201d Holman said.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the University Interscholastic League restructured the basketball playoffs<\/a> to resemble the 6A football postseason format, which splits qualifying teams into two divisions based on enrollment and crowns two champions in each classification. Previously, no divisions existed in UIL postseason basketball.<\/p>\n

This month, the UIL revealed its new districts for the 2026-28 realignment cycle<\/a>, for which the organization plans to continue following the Class 6A football postseason format. Many Dallas-area basketball coaches hoped the UIL would predetermine their district and playoff bracket assignments based on their enrollment number each realignment, like it does for football programs in Classes 1A through 5A. <\/p>\n

The format has created scheduling and preparation issues for Dallas-area coaches, who don\u2019t have a clear picture of their potential playoff opponents. It has also put coaches like Holman in difficult positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf seeding was the only thing that mattered, you could imagine that a coach would in that scenario, not want to win that game,\u201d Holman said. \u201cBecause if I win that game, I put our team in a worse position because that could change the seeding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Double the prep for Panther Creek<\/p>\n

With playoff divisions and seedings still not finalized by the time Frisco Panther Creek<\/a> clinched a postseason berth, boys coach Kevin Graham already started preparing for both No. 1 Carter and defending 4A Division I state champion Kimball, programs his team could see in the second round.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re really good programs, but to have to prep for both of them, that can be very taxing,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n

Kimball ended up going 4A Division I and Carter landed in the 4A Division II bracket with Panther Creek. Both Carter and Panther Creek enjoyed huge first-round playoff wins and will now play each other Thursday in the area round.<\/p>\n

Graham had a prospective matchup with either of the two Dallas ISD powers on his mind, but it wasn\u2019t until last Friday, long after his team had clinched, that he knew who Panther Creek\u2019s first playoff opponent would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cProsper Richland and Gainesville had a play-in game. We are smaller than Richland, but we\u2019re bigger than Gainesville,\u201d Graham said. \u201cRichland won the game, so that pushed us to small school. But if Gainesville would have won the game, that would have pushed us to big school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter coach Lyndon Love said he also didn\u2019t know if his program could potentially face Gainesville or Panther Creek.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll you can do is wait until it comes out,\u201d Love said. \u201cWhen it came out that it was Panther Creek, we were really excited to get that matchup.\u201d<\/p>\n

UIL format a plus for Dallas ISD<\/p>\n

While some coaches like the fact that the playoff format<\/a> crowns two state champions and creates more opportunities for teams across the state, others have said the competition seems watered down.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s because of the new format that Dallas ISD has the potential to boast two state champions in Class 4A, with Kimball and Carter being top contenders in the Division I and II brackets, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be awesome for the city, awesome for DISD,\u201d Love said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been done, so it will be a first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love said he is a proponent of splitting the classifications. Graham said he can also appreciate the opportunities the format presents, though he wishes the division splits were predetermined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it\u2019s easier based on location, but I\u2019m not sure if what\u2019s easier is always what\u2019s best,\u201d Graham said. \u201cIn [non 6A] football, you have a clear vision of what that route looks like. Your kids can prepare, you can prepare. \u2026 When it\u2019s last minute, it almost puts everybody at a disadvantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birdville coach Holman said the basketball districts and playoff format also disrupt continuity, which can take away from the team and fan experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me it makes sense that you would just keep everything together with your football split,\u201d Holman said. \u201cI want to coach at a place where the rivals that our football team have are the rivals that we have. We play completely different schools for the most part than our football team does.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Twitter\/X: @t_myah<\/a><\/p>\n

Boys soccer leaders (2\/25): See who has the best stats in D-FW<\/a>Girls soccer leaders (2\/25): See who has the best stats in D-FW<\/a><\/p>\n

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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