MPSSAA State Basketball Tournament Is On the Move

After a long run in College Park, the boys and girls state hoop finals will be played at UMBC, March 12-14.

CEI Arena on the campus of UMBC will host the 2026 MPSSAA Basketball State Championship games, March 12-14. / UMBC

The Maryland state public high school boys and girls basketball championships will have a new home. 

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) announced the University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance (CEI) Arena will host the championship games, March 12th thru 14th. 

The Boys States Had a Long Successful History in College Park

The University of Maryland’s XFINITY Center hosted the girls and boys title matches the previous three years.

It’ll be the first boys finals played at any other than the state’s flagship school. Ritchie Coliseum (1947-1955), Cole Field House (1956-2001) and XFINITY Center (originally named Comcast Center, 2003-2022) hosted both state semifinal and final contests until 2019. 

The Girls Have Been at Xfinity Center for The Last Three Years

The state boys and girls semifinals were cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no tournament in 2021 as many of the state public school systems didn’t play because of the pandemic.

In 2022, the boys and girls state championship games were played on the same court at XFINITY Center. The girls state semifinal and final games were previously played at Towson University’s SECU Arena (2014-2019), UMBC’s Retriever Activities Center (1993-2013) and, from 1973 to 1992, Catonsville Community College (now Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville).

With the boys and girls championship games at one site since 2022, state semifinal contests have been played at high schools with large capacity gymnasiums. Last year, Montgomery Blair, North Point, Thomas Johnson, New Town and Henry A. Wise hosted state final four contests with Allegany Community College hosting a 1A girls state semifinal contest.

CEI Arena, which opened in 2018, seats over 4,600 for basketball games. 

The 2026 state tournament is scheduled to start Feb. 27th with regional play.