JTV Sports | May 10th, 2019 | Gabriel Schray

Jackson, Michigan– The Michigan High School Athletic Association is tweaking the basketball playoff system following their May 5th and 6th meeting. Several changes are being made at the district level.

Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, girls and boys basketball and soccer will employ a seeding process to place the top two teams in every District on opposite sides of that bracket, guaranteeing those two teams could not play each other before the District championship game.

The district pairings will be set two weeks before the postseason begins. Teams not seeded first or second will be randomly placed in the district bracket.

“The addition of seeding at the District level in basketball and soccer and multiple adjustments to the process used to select the playoff field for 11-player football were among the most notable actions taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Spring Meeting, May 5-6 in Gaylord,” said the beginning of the press release by the MHSAA.

Read the full details on the changes to High School Football here

The two teams to be seeded in each District will be determined using a Michigan Power Ratings computer formula based on regular-season results against other MHSAA Tournament-eligible teams and opponents’ strength of schedule.

Games against out-of-state teams or non-MHSAA opponents will not count in the MPR.

Other notable MHSAA changes

• In boys and girls golf, competitors can now use cell phones for distancing.
• In boys and girls golf, the maximum score per hole will be 12.
• Intending to boost the dwindling official pool, the Student Officials Legacy Program is expanding to include freshmen and sophomores of at least 14 years of age.

For more local sports news and information, you can connect with JTV Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This article was wirtten by JTV’s Gabriel Schray. He is in his fifth year covering Jackson Area sports and news for JTV. You can connect with Gabriel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well.