2025 boys basketball state tournament preview, broadcast schedule

Four schools from Southeast Nebraska will contend for a state championship in boys basketball in Lincoln this week! Read on to learn a little more about each team and check out what games we’re covering on Ol’ Red 99.5 and KWBE! 

Wednesday marks the start of the 2025 NSAA Boys Basketball State Championships. Four schools from across three classifications will represent Southeast Nebraska in their quests for a state championship this week, a quest that will culminate in Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday. 

News Channel Nebraska is televising half of the games in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, and the championships will air live on Nebraska Public Media. You can listen live to every game involving Norris, Freeman, Fillmore Central and EMF on either Ol’ Red 99.5 or KWBE!

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Class C2 - #1 Freeman (24-1) 

After winning the tournament in 2023 and missing out of the final eight last year, the Freeman Falcons return to the state championship field as the top seed in Class C2 – the Falcons are once again one of the best boys basketball teams in this part of the state. Freeman blew out its competition in subdistricts and then coasted past Sandy Creek 52-32 in the district final to make the tournament for the 13th time.  

The Falcons have lost just once this year, and that was to a then-undefeated Johnson-Brock squad in the MUDECAS championship as heard on Ol’ Red and KWBE. But Freeman, which was the last team to beat J-B way back in 2023 en route to their state title, got some revenge by beating the Eagles again later this season, part of Freeman’s 12-game win streak following their only loss to this point in the year. 

 

Class C2 - #5 EMF (23-4) 

It’s already been a banner year for Bobcat boys basketball, which is in just its second year playing together following the co-op of Friend and Exeter-Milligan ahead of last school year. Exeter-Milligan boys basketball made the state tournament a couple of times, including as recently as 2019, but this will be a first for all of these players and for EMF as a unit. 

EMF hosted a subdistrict and won both games there before dispatching Perkins County in the district final to qualify for the final eight for the first time. EMF’s only losses this year have come to the aforementioned elite Johnson-Brock team (three times) and a head-to-head loss against Cross County, one of the other best teams in C2, in the final game of the regular season for both teams. EMF will have to face Summerland in the quarterfinals, and should they win that battle of the Bobcats, that would likely set up an all-Southeast Nebraska semifinal against Freeman on Friday. 

 

Class C1 - #8 Fillmore Central (21-5) 

Multiple media outlets tabbed Fillmore Central as a state tournament contender this season, and the Panthers fulfilled those expectations by weathering a postponement and going on the road and shocking Auburn in the district final last week. The Bulldogs had been in the state championship game for the last half dozen seasons, but the Panthers held on for a 58-55 overtime win to qualify for the state tournament for the first time in team history. 

The senior trio of Dan Stoner, Jarin Tweedy and Kiffin Theobald represent a rock-solid core for this Panther team, which recovered from losing to Doniphan-Trumbull in subdistricts to beat Auburn and book their trip to Lincoln (Doniphan-Trumbull is also in the final eight as the #7 seed). Fillmore will appear in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday at 9 AM against top-seeded Lincoln Lutheran. 

 

Class B - #1 Norris (24-2) 

Long one of the best boys basketball teams in this part of the state, the 2025 Norris Titans have staked their claim as the frontrunners in Class B. Norris was the #2 seed going into the district finals, where the Titans faced a Mt. Michael Benedictine team they blew out back in December. MMB gave Norris a good showing this time around, but Norris’ depth and precision team shooting helped carry them into the final eight, where they jumped Scottsbluff to become the tournament’s top seed.  

Norris has lost only twice this season, to two high quality opponents: Skutt Catholic, the #4-seed in Class B, and Papillion-La Vista South, which after a season-long race ended up as the top seed in Class A. As a reward for getting that top seed in Class B, the Titans will take on Lincoln Pius X, fresh off beating them 76-33 in the subdistrict championship. To learn more about this year’s Titan team, check out Jake Bartecki’s team preview. 

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2025 Boys Basketball State Tournament Broadcast Schedule 

Wednesday, March 12 

C1 – Fillmore Central vs. Lincoln Lutheran – 9 AM – Ol' Red 

Thursday, March 13

C2 – Freeman vs. Archbishop Bergan – 9 AM – KWBE 

C2 – EMF vs. Summerland – 10:45 AM – Ol' Red 

B – Norris vs. Pius X – 1:30 PM – KWBE  

Friday, March 14

B - Norris vs. Skutt - 6 PM - KWBE

Saturday, March 15

TBD