Colorado High School Basketball Great 8 Showdowns Set

CHSAA's March Madness reaches pivotal stage with Class 6A and 5A boys and girls tournaments at Denver Coliseum

Mar. 5, 2026 at 6:37pm

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The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) basketball tournament enters a critical stage this weekend with the Class 6A and Class 5A boys' and girls' Great 8 games taking place at the Denver Coliseum. The action-packed schedule features several highly anticipated matchups, including surging underdogs, perennial powerhouses, and retiring coaching legends.

Why it matters

The Great 8 round is a pivotal step on the road to the state championships, with the winners advancing to next weekend's Final Four. These games showcase the top high school basketball talent in Colorado and will determine which teams have the best chance of cutting down the nets at the end of the season.

The details

In Class 6A, No. 13 Grandview upset No. 4 Arvada West in the Sweet 16 and will face No. 5 Rock Canyon. The top seeds include No. 1 Chaparral, No. 2 Ralston Valley, and No. 3 Rangeview. The Class 5A bracket features retiring head coach Bob Banning leading No. 13 Silver Creek against No. 12 Mesa Ridge, while the Western Slope is represented by No. 1 Palisade and No. 2 Grand Junction.

  • The Great 8 games will take place on Friday, March 7, 2026 and Saturday, March 8, 2026 at the Denver Coliseum.

The players

Ryan Turk

Head coach of the No. 13 Grandview Wolves basketball team.

Noah Sevy

Senior forward for the No. 13 Grandview Wolves, averaging 14.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Bob Banning

Retiring head coach of the No. 13 Silver Creek Raptors, with a 48-year coaching career spanning multiple schools.

Hunter Howard

Senior leader of the No. 1 Palisade Bulldogs, one of three double-digit scorers on the team.

Madden Smiley

Senior guard for the defending champion No. 4 Windsor Wizards, averaging 24.2 points per game.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

The takeaway

This year's CHSAA Great 8 tournament promises to be an exciting showcase of Colorado's top high school basketball talent, with several intriguing storylines and matchups to follow as teams vie for a spot in the state championship games.