NJSIAA Releases 2026 Boys Basketball State Pairings; Cumberland County Teams Learn Paths

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association released its 2026 boys basketball state tournament pairings Feb. 17, setting clear first-round paths for Cumberland County programs and locking a schedule that sends opening games to higher-seed campuses next week. "Playoff basketball will be bouncing into action next week," Tom McGurk wrote as the brackets were seeded Tuesday and made official at noon Wednesday, with Rutgers University slated to host the state finals weekend.

Vineland's Vikes drew (10) Central Regional in South Jersey Group 4, listed as (10) Central Regional at (7) Vineland in the bracket. South Jersey Group 4's full first-round slate pairs (16) Toms River North at (1) Cherry Hill East, (9) Williamstown at (8) Cherokee, (12) Millville at (5) Howell, (13) Southern Regional at (4) Atlantic City, (14) Gloucester County Tech at (3) Eastern, (11) Rancocas Valley at (6) Kingsway, (10) Central Regional at (7) Vineland, and (15) Pennsauken at (2) Lenape. ShoreSportsInsider's schedule table notes the higher seed will host opening rounds, so Vineland is set to host Central Regional at its gym under the state hosting policy.

Cumberland High School is also on the bracket map, drawn to host Toms River East as (5) Cumberland vs (12) Toms River East in South Jersey Group 3. South Jersey Group 3 first-round pairings show (16) Triton at (1) Deptford, (9) Clearview at (8) Seneca, (12) Toms River East at (5) Cumberland, (13) Pinelands at (4) Delsea, (14) Hammonton at (3) Ocean City, (11) Winslow at (6) Timber Creek, (10) Moorestown at (7) Toms River South, and (15) Mainland at (2) Shawnee. According to ShoreSportsInsider, Round 1 for Groups 2 and 4 begins Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Round 1 for Groups 1 and 3 begins Wednesday, Feb. 25, with higher seeds hosting.

The Non-Public brackets list contested first-round matchups that include South Jersey Non-Public A games such as (9) Union Catholic at (8) St. Augustine with the winner to face (1) Paul VI, (12) St. John Vianney at (5) Red Bank Catholic, (13) Donovan Catholic at (4) St. Joseph (Metuchen), (14) Notre Dame at (3) St. Peter's Prep, (11) St. Thomas Aquinas at (6) Immaculata, and (10) Pingry at (7) Camden Catholic with the winner to face (2) Christian Brothers Academy. Non-Public B opens with (9) Princeton Day at (8) St. Rose with the winner at (1) Rutgers Prep, (12) Noor-ul-iman at (5) Bishop Eustace, (13) Moorestown Friends at (4) Doane Academy, (11) Calvary Christian at (6) Ranney with the winner at (3) Holy Spirit, and (10) Wildwood Catholic at (7) Gloucester Catholic with the winner at (2) Holy Cross Prep. Two mainstream outlets report Non-Public playoffs beginning Feb. 26 (Group A) and Feb. 27 (Group B) with sectional finals March 9 and Non-Public state finals March 12, but Central Jersey Sports Radio's feed lists a conflicting March 26/27 start for Non-Publics; the papers and bracket repositories list brackets as official at noon Wednesday and ShoreSportsInsider said, "The NJSIAA approved the final brackets for the 2026 State Tournament earlier today at Noon. There were no changes made from the projected brackets."

Central Jersey Sports Radio noted five area No. 1 seeds — Hillsborough, Piscataway, Colonia, Gill St. Bernard's, and Rutgers Prep — and said 36 teams in its coverage area qualified. CJSR also highlighted a seeding wrinkle in Central Jersey Group 4: Montgomery, the two-time defending sectional champion, landed the third seed under the state's power-points formula despite beating Hillsborough twice this season. The broader timetable published across outlets schedules sectional finals for public Groups 2 and 4 on March 6 and Groups 1 and 3 on March 7, state semifinals March 10 and 11, and Rutgers to host state finals March 14 and 15 for public groups with Non-Public championship games set for March 12.