The system works like a hybrid of some previous systems.

Last year, the NCHSAA overhauled its process by seeding the basketball playoffs. The number of automatic bids per conference was the same, but the teams were grouped into four 16-team regions based on east-to-west coordinates, and seeded 1-16.

The coaches complained the process, which will finalize the brackets Saturday before starting the first round of the playoffs the following Monday, gave them too little time to prepare.

“What we did this year, based on their suggestions, was to group conferences so they have an idea of which teams, or at least what conferences, so they can go in and see where everybody’s going to fall,” said Que Tucker, NCHSAA deputy executive commissioner.

Last year, the Raleigh-based Cap-8 4A Conference was in the easternmost region with Wilmington schools. This year, it’s back in a region with mostly teams from the Durham-based PAC-6 and Cary-based Tri-9.

There will not be a chance for a local school to play a team from a “western” conference in the first round, which is what Green Hope’s boys (versus Southeast Guilford) and Panther Creek’s girls (at Southern Alamance) did last year.

Another change recommended by coaches is that conference tournament games, which start Tuesday in the Tri-9, will be counted in the overall seeding.

All conference tournament games will mean something even if there are few upsets in the tournament.

The conference tournament winner advances as the league’s No. 2 seed unless the regular season champion, which is the No. 1 seed, wins the tournament.

Rematches possible, not likely

Last season, less than one-fifth of all boys’ and girls’ first-round playoff games were conference rematches.

In a study done by The News & Observer, this year’s format would keep the number of those games about the same.

“The only way to avoid (conference rematches) would be to take conferences and spread them totally throughout the bracket, so then you’d have to seed that way so you’d have one-versus-32 and two-versus-31 – well, that just increases your travel,” Tucker said.

“Our principals, superintendents and even the coaches wouldn’t agree to that.”

Trial ends, other sports possible

This season will be the end of the NCHSAA’s two-year trial period with the basketball playoffs. After examining how both formats worked, Tucker hopes that the NCBCA and the NCHSAA can work on something permanent going forward.

“I hope what we learn is that this works and that coaches will, for the most part, be satisfied that this would be the way they’d want to continue going forward,” Tucker said.

“If in fact they do want to continue to seed, then we need to lock in on the process. And then coming out of this, there are other sports sitting out there hoping that maybe they will get a chance to be seeded and maybe learn from what basketball is doing now.”

Many Triangle 4A soccer coaches and volleyball coaches, unhappy with how often the best local teams play one another early in the postseason, have expressed interest in seeded playoffs.

“If this way works, what we could do is share this with the other coaches associations,” Tucker said. “We would say ‘This is what we’ve done in basketball. Are you interested in being seeded? And if so, this is the format that is most successful, or at least the most acceptable by the coaches.’ ”