Beginning this week, WRAL High School Hoops will be releasing it's High School Basketball Bracketology each Sunday along with it's Top 25. Just so you know some of the basics, here is how the 4A Playoffs work this season.

- In the 64-team bracket, the automatic berths will be awarded to one half the number of schools in the conference (do not round up) plus one. For example, a conference with 5 teams equals 2.5; drop the .5 and add 1; 3 teams from that conference will go to the state tournament.
- Once all automatic bids have been determined, wildcards will be determined by looking at the next school in the conference that did not receive and automatic berth.
          - Wildcards based on overall winning percentage, not including the conference tournament, and             will place with geography in mind.
- If multiple teams tie for playoff berths, the NCHSAA tie-breaker procedure will be used to break the tie.
- When conference tournaments are played... the number one seed from a conference will be the regular season champion, with the number two seed (if two berths are guaranteed) the conference tournament winner. If a team below number two wins the conference tournament, it becomes the number two seed.
- Conference tournaments should end on Friday night.
- Schools from the same conference may meet in the first round.
- Any time equal seeds meet, follow the seeding priority designated on the brackets. Wildcard teams will not host.

The latest conference bids for the state tournament have been released by the NCHSAA and are as follows:

Conference Breakdown

94 4-A Schools	# Schools	Conference	32-WC teams	48-WC teams	64-WC teams
East	8	Tri-Eight	2	3	5
	7	Cap-Seven	2	3	4
	8	Greater Neuse	2	3	5
	8	Pac-Six	2	3	5
	8	Mid-Southeastern	2	3	5
	7	Two Rivers	2	3	4
	2	Coastal	1	1	2
	4	Mid-Eastern	1	1	3
	52		14 berths - 2 wildcards	20 berths - 4 wildcards - 8 byes	33 berths - 0 wildcards
WEST	3	Big South	1	1	2
	4	Queen City	1	1	3
	6	MECA-6	2	3	4
	8	Southwestern	2	3	5
	7	Northwestern	2	3	4
	7	Central Piedmont	2	3	4
	7	Metro	2	3	4
	42		12 berths - 4 wildcards	17 berths - 7 wildcards - 8 byes	26 berths - 6 wildcards
TOTAL	94

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