2026 3A Basketball Postseason: Substate Brackets & Results

February 17, 2026 David Thompson Sports
News Context
At a glance
  • The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released postseason brackets for Class 4A and Class 3A boys basketball on Monday, February 16, 2026.
  • Seventh-ranked Prairie High School (15-4) emerged as the top seed in Substate 6.
  • Linn-Mar (11-8) is seeded second in a substate featuring the top-ranked Cedar Falls (19-0).
Original source: iahsaa.org

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released postseason brackets for Class 4A and Class 3A boys basketball on . Preliminary round games in Class 1A began , with first round district games in Class 2A and Class 1A also starting on . First round substate games in Class 4A and Class 3A are scheduled to begin on .

Class 4A Outlook

Seventh-ranked Prairie High School (15-4) emerged as the top seed in Substate 6. The Hawks, having won six consecutive games and 12 of their last 13, received a first-round bye. Tenth-ranked Bettendorf (15-4) also secured a bye as a top seed in the same substate. The remaining teams in Substate 6 include North Scott, Davenport Central, Clinton, and Davenport West. Prairie is the only school from the Metro or Iowa City area to earn a No. 1 substate seed in Class 4A.

Linn-Mar (11-8) is seeded second in a substate featuring the top-ranked Cedar Falls (19-0). Iowa City West is a third seed in Substate 3, facing tough competition from Waukee Northwest and Ankeny. Dubuque Senior (18-1) holds the top seed in Substate 5, with Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington also competing in that bracket.

Class 3A Competition

Solon (19-2) earned the No. 1 seed in its Class 3A substate. DeWitt Central and Marion are seeded second and third, respectively. Dubuque Wahlert (13-7) leads Substate 3 as the top seed, followed by Cedar Rapids Xavier (12-7) in the second position. Decorah (14-5) presents a potential challenge as a fourth seed in the same substate. Center Point-Urbana (16-5) is the second seed in Substate 5, trailing third-ranked Pella.

Postseason Schedule and Advancement

The brackets are structured with district and substate formats, managed by the IHSAA since the introduction of basketball rankings in the 2022-23 season. In Class 2A and Class 1A, the winners of District 1 and District 2 will advance to play in Substate 1, while the winners of District 3 and District 4 will compete in Substate 2, and so on.

The Class 4A schedule progresses with the first round on , followed by the second round on , and the substate final on . Class 3A follows a similar timeline, with the first round on , the second round on , and the substate final on .

Class 2A’s schedule begins with the first round on , continuing with the second round on , the District Final on , and culminating in the Substate Final on . Class 1A’s schedule includes a Preliminary Round on , the First Round on , the Second Round on , the District Final on , and the Substate Final on .

Eight teams from each class will advance to the 2026 IHSAA State Basketball Tournament, presented by Iowa Farm Bureau, which will be held from at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. The release of these brackets marks a pivotal moment for high school basketball teams across Iowa as they begin their pursuit of a state championship.