Enter THE Official “College Hoops PLAAY-Down” Bracket Contest!
Late-breaking idea--let's do our OWN College Hoops bracket competition! Here at PLAAY HQ we were talking about the fun and excitement of "building your bracket" and we just decided to roll with it! Here's how it's gonna work...
NOTE: This contest has concluded, many thanks to everyone who participated in the official PLAAY-Down! Complete results are posted below, there are three videos on the PLAAY Games YouTube channel including the National Championship Game between Texas National and Baxter & Hawley…
(If you haven't done so already) download the official PLAAY-down bracket and look it over. (If you have the set already, there's a printed copy included--in color, no less!) Choose ONE team from each of the regionals. Then who you think will win it all.
After that, here's how the tournament will unfold...
• 03.16.26 Monday: We'll use the Quick Play grid to PLAAY-Down the 32 first-round games, eight from each regional. This will be a recorded stream, posted Monday evening at 5pm MT to the PLAAY Games YouTube channel. The chat room will be open, and we'll be participating!
• 03.20.26 Friday: We’ll play the second round games, again using the Quick Play Grid to narrow the field down to the Sweet Sixteen. Here’s the link to the YouTube stream of these games.
• We'll play the rest of the regionals off-line during the weekend using the Quick-Play grid. We'll post the results below (edited into THIS blog post, at the end) Sunday night, taking us to the Final Four.
• 03.23.26 Monday: We'll play the Final Four semi-finals with Highlight Maker Hoops (highlights version). We'll record this and post the video Monday at 6pm on the PLAAY Games YouTube Channel.
• 03.26.26 Thursday: We'll play the PLAAY-Down National Championship Game with Prime Time, LIVE on the PLAAY Games YouTube channel!
How do you win? We'll say you get 1 point for each correct finalist and 2 points for picking the winner. Whoever gets the most points wins. Period. Tie breakers? Earliest entry wins all tie-breakers.
What does the winner get? Let's go with a $50 PLAAY games gift card! (Along with the fame, honor and glory that goes along with being the bracket-guru of the community!)
Questions? Lemme know! Good luck, here's hoping your bracket doesn't get busted!
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THE “Official” College Hoops PLAAY-Down Results
• Last updated 03.13.26 at 12:45pm MT (Winner marked in bold, advances to next round)…
First Round Games
RED Regional
Edmund Fitzgerald (D+) vs. Texas National University (AAA) final score 67-61 in OT
Indiana-Zionsville (B-)vs. Colorado Union (B) final score 73-61
Nebraska A&M (C+) vs. Old Ohio (B+) final score 70-68
Old Missouri (C) vs. Boston Catholic (B+) final score 75-73 in OT
Penn Central (B-) vs. Kentucky Union (B) final score 84-77
Atlantic Shore (C) vs. Garden State College (B+) final score 72-69
North Kansas State (B-) vs. Yampa University (B) final score 90-88
Seattle Suburban (D+) vs. College of the Bronx (A) final score 66-47
GOLD Regional
Green Mountain State (D+) vs. Old Tennessee (AA) final score 65-45
Texas A&E (B-) vs. Kerwin College (B-) final score 96-87
Oklahoma Union (C+) vs. Grand Teton University (B) final score 82-76
Iowa Union (C) vs. California Blue (B) final score 73-66
California-Pacific (C+) vs. Nara Visa College (B) final score 63-60
Mount Horeb (C-) vs. St. Aloysius (A-) final score 81-79
Ocean View (B-) vs. College of Los Angeles (B-) final score 76-58
So. Carolina Methodist (D+) vs. Connecticut Union (A) final score 88-60
BLUE Regional
Iowa A&I (D) vs. Arizona Desert U (AA) final score 72-64
Cranston College (B-) vs. Old Indiana (B-) final score 71-66
Peach State (C+) vs. Carolina (B) final score 75-71
Michigan Union (C) vs. Arkansas A&L (B+) final score 83-76
Gulf Coast Tech (C+) vs. Old Virginia (B) final score 91-87
Rocky Mount (C-) vs. Georgia Northern (B+) final score 73-56
Maine State (B-) vs. Honolulu Union (B) final score 75-70
Northern North Dakota (D+) vs. Gallamore (A-) final score 73-65
GREEN Regional
Chico State (D-) vs. Old Michigan (A+) final score 81-75
Paeth State University (B-) vs. Metairie College (B-) final score 61-60
Scituate State (C+) vs. Clark International (B) final score 86-77
Mississippi A&L (C) vs. Old Alabama (B+) final score 89-74
Kentucky A&L (C+) vs. Our Lady of Indiana (B) final score 77-75
Barraclough University (D+) vs. Baxter & Hawley (B+) final score 75-62
Eastern Maryland (B-) vs. Kansas Union (B) final score 75-65
Roynell (D+) vs. South Carolina Union (A-) final score 73-65
Second Round Games
• Here’s the revised Score Generator Deck that we used for the second round games and beyond. Determine the winner using the Quick Results Grid, then flip two cards from this deck. First card gives you the winning team’s score. Second card gives you the margin of vistory. Use the initial dice roll to determine whether the margin of vistory was close, routine or a “blowout.” All overtime games should use the “close” reading.
RED Regional
Texas National (AAA) vs. Colorado Union (B) final score 60-52
Nebraska A&M (C+) vs. Boston Catholic (B+) final score 70-68 (OT)
Kentucky Union (B) vs. Garden State College (B+) final score 55-45
Yampa University (B) vs. Seattle Suburban (D+) final score 83-81
GOLD Regional
Old Tennessee (AA) vs.Texas A&E (B-) final score 65-45
California Blue (B) vs. Grand Teton (B) final score 65-48
California-Pacific (C+) vs. St. Aloysius (A-) final score 81-79
College of Los Angeles (B-) vs. Connecticut Union (A) final score 88-60
BLUE Regional
Arizona Desert (AA) U vs. Old Indiana (B-) final score 68-62
Carolina (B) vs. Arkansas A&L (B+) final score 69-59
Old Virgina (B) vs. Georgia Northern (B+) final score 58-50
Honolulu Union (B) vs. Gallamore (A-) final score 72-63
GREEN Regional
Paeth State University (B-) at Old Michigan (A+) final score 71-69
Scituate State (C+) vs. Old Alabama (B+) final score 64-57
Baxter & Hawley (B+) vs. Kentucky A&L (C+) final score 74-65
Roynell (D+) vs. Eastern Maryland (B-) final score 81-79 (OT)
Third Round Games
RED Regional
Texas National (AAA) vs. Boston Catholic (B+) final score 68-67 (OT)
Kentucky Union (B) vs. Seattle Suburban (D+) final score 84-70
GOLD Regional
Old Tennessee (AA) vs. Grand Teton (B) final score 75-60
St. Aloysius (A-) vs. Connecticut Union (A) final score 70-64
BLUE Regional
Arizona Desert (AA) vs. Carolina (B) final score 73-56
Georgia Northern (B+) vs. Gallamore (A-) final score 80-78
GREEN Regional
Old Michigan (A+) vs. Scituate State (C+) final score 74-70
Baxter & Hawley (B+) vs. Eastern Maryland (B-) final score 74-65
Fourth Round Games
RED Regional
Texas National (1)(AAA) v. Kentucky Union (6)(B) final score 66-48
GOLD Regional
Old Tennessee (1)(AA) vs. Connecticut Union (2)(A) final score 79-76
BLUE Regional
Arizona Desert (1)(AA) vs. (3)Georgia Northern (B+) final score 83-74
GREEN Regional
Old Michigan (1)(A+) vs. Baxter & Hawley (3)(B+) final score 65-63 (OT)
Final Four
Old Tennessee (AA) vs. Baxter & Hawley (B+) final score 78-73
Texas National (AAA) vs. Arizona Desert (AA) final score 79-66
National Championship Game
• Texas National vs. Baxter & Hawley (Thursday 03.26.26, PLAAY Games YouTube Channel) final score 60-49
In an interesting twist, our national championship game was a defensive showdown, and the Raiders won with superior rebounding and a solid advantage in turnovers. B&H moved out to an early lead, but the Heroes rallied lated in the first half to grab a one-point lead foing into the intermission. But the Raiders went on a 10-0 run mid-way through the second half to put the game out of reach. Both teams had trouble finding the basket, each finished below 40% shooting. B&H made just one of fourteen three-pointers! Raiders Senior guard Caleb Love was the game’s high scorer with 15 points, sophomore forward T. J. Ayo gets the MVP award, with three steals, a pair of blocked shots, 13 points and eight rebounds. Congratulations to our Bracket Contest winner, Cory Highfield. Cory was one of ten entrants who got three of the final four correct, and had the earliest entry to win the PLAAY Games gift card. No one chose Baxter & Hawley to be the National Champion, although eight people chose them to win the Green Regional. Thanks for following along!
