2026 Class C1 Boys State Basketball Preview

The Nebraska boys take their turn at center court when it comes to putting on the show that decides which basketball programs take home the championship hardware. While many of the same programs are back in the hunt, there are no guarantees when it comes to March Madness.

Ogallala opens Class C1 action Thursday at Devaney when the Indians battle Syracuse. The only team to knock off defending Class C1 state champ Ashland-Greenwood this season, Ogallala is led by Sawyer Smith, the Class C1 tournament's top player. Smith leads the C1 field in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Syracuse is led by Maxwell Parde's 12.1 points.

Then Douglas County West and Grand Island Central Catholic tip off in the usually hard to pick No. 4 vs No. 5 quarterfinal. Trey Olsen and Nolan Asher lead the way for the Falcons while Connor Haney is top scorer for the Crusaders.

Ashland-Greenwood kicks off its Class C1 state title defense when the Bluejays hit the court against Lincoln Christian Thursday at 1:30 pm at Devaney. Led by Jamison Thies, the Crusaders hope to flip the script on Derek Tonjes and Ashland-Greenwood after falling to the Bluejays 52-44 during regular season action.

Auburn and Gothenburg round out Day 1 action in Class C1 at 3:15 pm at Devaney. The Bulldogs are led by Ryan Guenther and Brenton Wenzl, the C1 field's No. 4 and No. 5 scorers. Bryson Neels, meanwhile, leads Gothenburg with 10.2 points a contest.