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The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) has released sectional pairings for boys' basketball for the 2024-25 season -- more than a month earlier than a year ago -- and things appear, for the most part, to be similar to last season. 

Other than schools moving from one division to another based on enrollment shifts, the biggest changes involve the schools impacted by the newly adopted Competitive Balance Plan.

Schools directly impacted by the Competitive Balance PLan for 2024-25 include:

Pewaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran moving from Division 2 to Division 1.

Brillion and Saint Thomas More moving from Division 3 to Division 2.

Kenosha St. Joseph moving from Division 4 to Division 3. 

That leaves the following breakdown for each of the five divisions:

* Division 1 -- 72 schools, 70 with an enrollment of 1,200 or above, along with Pewaukee (870) and Wisconsin Lutheran (924). 

* Division 2 -- 92 schools with an enrollment between 600 and 1,199, along with Brillion (319) and Saint Thomas More (566).

* Division 3 -- 98 schools with an enrollment between 324 and 599, along with Kenosha St. Joseph (219). 

* Division 4 ---99 schools with an enrollment between 189 and 323.

* Division 5 -- 128 schools with an enrollment of 188 and under.

Here are the sectional groupings:
Division 1 (72 schools)
Division 2 (92 schools)
Division 3 (98 schools)
Division 4 (99 schools)
Division 5 (128 schools)
Total: 489

Four teams in each division advance to the WIAA State Tournament, set for March 20-21-22, 2025 in Madison. 

Here are the divisional changes for the 2023-25 WIAA playoffs:

New Division 1 Schools (1,200 or above in enrollment)
Pewaukee
(Enrollment: 870, moved up from D2 via Competitive Balance Plan)
Watertown
(Enrollment: 1,220, previous D2)
Waukesha South
(Enrollment: 1,204 (previous D2)
Wisconsin Lutheran 
(Enrollment: 924, moved up from D2 via Competitive Balance Plan)

New Division 2 Schools (600 to 1,199 in enrollment)
Brillion
(Enrollment: 319, moved up from D3 via Competitive Balance Plan)
Brookfield Central
(Enrollment: 1,173, previous D1)
Edgewood
(Enrollment: 619, previous D3)
Golda Meir
(Enrollment: 609, previous D3)
Green Bay East
(Enrollment: 1,164, previous D1)
Saint Thomas More
(Enrollment: 566, moved up from D3 due to Competitive Balance Plan)
Waupaca
(Enrollment: 644, previous D3)

New Division 3 Schools (319 to 599 in enrollment)
Brodhead
(Enrollment: 323, previous D4)
Hayward
(Enrollment: 597, previous D2)
Hmong American Peace Academy
(Enrollment: 515, first year in WIAA playoffs)
Kenosha St. Joseph
(Enrollment: 219, moved up from D4 due to Competitive Balance Plan)
Kingdom Prep Lutheran
(Enrollment: 446, first year in WIAA playoffs)
Laconia
(Enrollment:324, previous D4)
Racine Lutheran
(Enrollment: 343, previous D4)
Seymour
(Enrollment: 595, previous D2)
Whitewater
(Enrollment: 586, previous D2)

New Division 4 Schools (189 to 318 in enrollment)
Cashton
(Enrollment: 194, previous D5)
Clear Lake
(Enrollment: 201, previous D5)
Clinton
(Enrollment: 317, previous D3)
Glenwood City
(Enrollment: 203, previous D5)
Hurley
(Enrollment: 203, previous D5)
Lomira
(Enrollment: 315, previous D3)
Ozaukee
(Enrollment: 196, previous D5)
Reedsville
(Enrollment: 192, previous D5)
Salam
(Enrollment: 209, previous D4)
Sevastopol
(Enrollment: 189, previous D5)
Southern Door
(Enrollment: 311, previous D3)
Valley Christian (Oshkosh)
(Enrollment: 189, previous D5)

New Division 5 Schools (23 to 188 in enrollment)
Augusta
(Enrollment: 165, previous D4)
Granton
(Enrollment: 62, new varsity program)
Princeton/Green Lake
(Enrollment: Princeton 88, Green Lake 93 = 181, previous D4)
Randolph
(Enrollment: 171, previous D4)
Sheboygan Lutheran
(Enrollment: 185, previous D4)
Spring Valley
(Enrollment: 180, previous D4)
Valley Christian (Osceola)
(Enrollment: 24, first year in WIAA playoffs)
Webster
(Enrollment: 184, previous D4)
Williams Bay
(Enrollment: 178, previous D4)
Young Coggs Prep
(Enrollment: previous D4)

Here are some interesting tidbits regarding sectional placements:

** The following cities have their public schools in different divisions or sectionals:

Brookfield (East in D1, Central in D2)
Green Bay (Preble in D1, East, Southwest and West in D2)
Racine (Case and Horlick in D1, Park in D2)
Waukesha (South in D1, North and West in D2)
Wausau (West in D1 and East in D2)
Wauwatosa (West in D2, Sectional 3, East in D2, sectional 4)

Milwaukee City Conference teams could conceivably place six teams at the WIAA State Tournament and potentially win four state titles. Five City schools are placed in Division 1 with all in Sectional 4; nine are in Division 2 spread over three sectionals; five are in Division 3 with all in Sectional 4; and two are in Division 4 in the same sectional. 

** My way-too-early picks to win each Sectional (I picked 10/20 correct in each of the past two seasons): 

Division 1
Sectional 1: Marshfield
Sectional 2: De Pere
Sectional 3: Verona
Sectional 4: West Allis Central

Division 2
Sectional 1: Wausau East
Sectional 2: Nicolet
Sectional 3: Mount Horeb
Sectional 4: Whitnall

Division 3
Sectional 1: Altoona
Sectional 2: Laconia
Sectional 3: Lake Mills
Sectional 4: Milwaukee Academy of Science

Division 4
Sectional 1: Cumberland
Sectional 2: Southern Door
Sectional 3: Pardeeville
Sectional 4: The Prairie School

Division 5
Sectional 1: Spring Valley
Sectional 2: Sheboygan Lutheran
Sectional 3: Royall
Sectional 4: Southwestern

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