Our plan to build a high school basketball field of 68

Video: Way Back When NCAA Tournament Edition
Recent high school stars Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum and Nigel Williams-Goss ready to dance.

Elon Musk is targeting 2024 to embark on a manned mission to Mars.

That means we are probably closer to a human being touching down on a planet 140 million miles away than creating a true high school basketball national championship tournament.

Fans can still dream, right?



And dream we do every year around this time, constructing our own NCAA Tournament-style high school field of 68.

MORE: See the 2016 high school field of 68

From Maine to Hawaii, all 50 states get a ticket to our dance. Read on for a look at how the MaxPreps selection committee would build the brackets. Putting together a 68-team high school field

- Using the MaxPreps High School Top 25, Independent Top 10 and MaxPreps Computer Rankings, the highest ranked champion from all 50 states earns an automatic bid. The highest ranked private school champions in North Carolina and Virginia, as well as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament champ and District of Columbia State Athletic Association champ (the latter two were won by the same team this season) also earn an invite, bringing the grand total to 53 automatic bids.

- Using the aforementioned set of rankings as a guide, 15 additional teams will earn an at-large invite. Special consideration will be extended to state champions.

- Unlike the NCAA Tournament, participants are clustered geographically, then seeded within respective regions.



Breaking down the field

Automatic bids

Alabama: Mountain Brook (Birmingham), Class 7A champion
Alaska: East (Anchorage), Projected Class 4A champion
Arizona: Shadow Mountain (Phoenix), Class 4A champion
Arkansas: Jonesboro, Class 6A champion
California: Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), Projected Open Division champion
Colorado: Eaglecrest (Centennial), Class 5A champion
Connecticut: East Catholic (Manchester), Projected Class LL champion
Delaware: Smyrna, DIAA champion
District of Columbia: Gonzaga, WCAC and DCSAA champion
Florida: Dillard (Fort Lauderdale), Class 7A champion
Georgia: Tift County (Tifton), Class AAAAAAA champion
Hawaii: Kahuku, Division I champion
Idaho: Rocky Mountain (Meridian), Class 5A champion
Illinois: Simeon (Chicago), Projected Class 4A champion
Indiana: North Side (Fort Wayne), Projected Class 4A champion
Iowa: Iowa City West (Iowa City), Class 4A champion
Kansas: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park), Class 6A champion
Kentucky: Fern Creek (Louisville), Projected KHSAA champion
Louisiana: Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge), Class 2A champion
Maine: Portland, Class AA champion
Maryland: Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro), Prive school champion
Massachusetts: Cambridge Rindge & Latin (Cambridge), Projected Division I champion
Michigan: Grand Rapids Christian (Grand Rapids), Projected Class A champion
Minnesota: Champlin Park (Champlin), Projected Class AAAA champion
Mississippi: Meridian, Class 6A champion
Missouri: Webster Groves, Projected Class 5 champion
Montana: Beaverhead County (Dillon), Class A champion
Nebraska: Gretna, Class B champion
Nevada: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Class 4A champion
New Hampshire: Portsmouth, Projected Division I champion
New Jersey: Patrick School (Elizabeth), Projected Tournament of Champions winner
New Mexico: Roswell, Class 5A champion
New York: Long Island Lutheran (Brookville), Projected Federation AA champion
North Carolina (NCHSAA): Southwest Guilford (High Point), Class 4A champion
North Carolina (NCISAA): Greensboro Day (Greensboro), Class 3A champion
North Dakota: Minot, Class A champion
Ohio: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), Projected Division I champion
Oklahoma: Edmond North (Edmond), Class 6A champion
Oregon: Jefferson (Portland), Class 6A champion
Pennsylvania: Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), Projected Class AAAA champion
Rhode Island: Bishop Hendricken (Warwick), Projected RIIL champion
South Carolina: Dorman (Roebuck), Class AAAAA champion
South Dakota: O'Gorman (Sioux Falls), Projected Class AA champion
Tennessee: Memphis East (Memphis), Projected Division I AAA champion
Texas: Cypress Falls (Houston), Class 6A champion
Utah: Bingham (South Jordan), Class 5A champion
Vermont: Rutland, Division I champion
Virginia (VHSL): L.C. Bird (Chesterfield), Group 5A champion
Virginia (VISAA): Trinity Episcopal (Richmond), Division I champion
Washington: Nathan Hale (Seattle), Class 3A champion
West Virginia: Capital (Charleston), Projected AAA champion
Wisconsin: La Crosse Central (La Crosse), Projected Division 2 champion
Wyoming: Riverton, Class 3A champion

At-large bids (listed alphabetically)

Basha (Chandler, Ariz.), No. 22 High School Top 25
Bolingbrook (Ill.), No. 51 MaxPreps Computer Rankings
Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.), No. 11 High School Top 25
Chino Hills (Calif.), No. 7 High School Top 25
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), No. 5 Independent Top 10
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 1 Independent Top 10
Klein Forest (Houston), No. 17 MaxPreps Computer Rankings
La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), No. 2 Independent Top 10
Linden (N.J.), No. 19 High School Top 25
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 6 High School Top 25
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 4 Independent Top 10
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 6 Independent Top 10
Prolific Prep Academy (Napa, Calif.), No. 2 Independent Top 10
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 24 High School Top 25
St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), No. 3 Independent Top 10

The Brackets