KHSAA Boys Basketball Sweet 16 Bracket Breakdown: Thursday Games

The 2026 UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 begins this week in Rupp Arena. By Saturday night, a state champion will be crowned. KSR is here to give you a sneak peek of what’s in store ahead of a jam-packed stretch of Kentucky high school hoops.

After previewing Wednesday’s first-round games earlier this week, we’re doing the same with the remaining first-round games on Thursday. While Thursday won’t feature a top-two (or even top-10) matchup, there are a ton of talented players with winning coaches in this section of the bracket. We’ll even be treated to the top eighth grader in the entire state, one who has an interesting connection to the University of Kentucky.

Dive in below to check out our preview of Thursday’s first-round games. The fun officially begins in less than 24 hours.

11:00 AM | No. 7 Butler vs. RV Hazard

Thursday’s games kick off with the No. 7 Louisville Butler Bears (26-5) taking on the Hazard Bulldogs (24-10), which is receiving votes in KSR’s latest Top 25 rankings update. Butler has made the Sweet 16 six times now, most recently in 2019, but has yet to win the title. Meanwhile, Hazard is back in Rupp for the 30th time in program history, winning the whole thing twice (1932, 1955), but it’s been nearly two decades since the Bulldogs made it this far.

Butler comes into Thursday’s opener having won 14 straight, including a huge win over a ranked Jeffersontown team in the 6th Region Tournament championship. The Bears finished a perfect 15-0 in the region under head coach Kevin Geary. Senior Adrian Wilder, who averages 14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and is among the state’s top three-point shooters, is the player to watch. Butler’s 72.9 points per game rank 22nd in the state. The Bears are beating opponents by 17.5 points per contest this season.

Hazard is one of only two teams in the bracket with 10 or more losses, but most of those came early in the season. After an 8-7 start, head coach Casey Huff led his team to a strong finish. Despite losing in the 54th District Tournament title, Hazard won all three games in the 14th Region Tournament by single digits. Region Player of the Year Seth Caudill paces the Bulldogs with 20.9 points and six rebounds per game. Junior Trace Kincaid tacks on 14.8 points per outing, making over three triples per game.

1:30 PM | No. 9 Boyd County vs. No. 16 Marshall County

We’ll see two of the best scorers in the entire state go head-to-head in Thursday’s second game when the No. 9 Boyd County Lions (29-6) battle the No. 16 Marshall County Marshals (24-8). Boyd County is playing in Rupp for the first time since 2018, while Marshall County is making its second appearance in the last three years. Neither has been able to win it all just yet.

Boyd County’s star is senior guard Jacob Spurlock, who ranks sixth in the state at 27.3 points per game. The Youngstown State commit and 16th Region Player of the Year makes over four triples per game and is among the best free-throw shooters in the Bluegrass. With Spurlock leading the charge, the Lions score more points than any other team in the state (82.5 PPG), beating opponents by 14.5 points per contest. Senior Malachi Payne adds 17 points per game for good measure. Head coach Randy Anderson led the Lions to a 16th Region Tournament win over Ashland Blazer.

On the other side, Marshall County’s Matthew Langhi is right behind Spurlock with his 27 points per game. Considered a three-star prospect as a junior, Langhi is an excellent free-throw shooter and efficient inside the arc. Head coach Sawyer Donohoo led the Marshals to a huge upset win over McCracken County in the 1st Region Tournament semifinals. Marshall County is a good outside shooting team (38.4 percent) and ranks in the top 25 in the state on defense.

6:00 PM | No. 3 North Oldham vs. No. 15 Lyon County

This one has the potential to be the best game of the day. Not only will a super-talented eighth grader suit up as a starter, but it will also feature the 2024 Sweet 16 champions. The No. 3 North Oldham Mustangs (25-5) will go up against the No. 15 Lyon County Lyons (29-6) in our third game of the day. This will be just the second state tournament appearance for North Oldham and the fifth for Lyon County (four of those coming in the last five years, including the title a couple of years ago when Travis Perry was roaming the floor).

Coached by former Louisville player David Levitch, North Oldham has a couple of big-time guards in the backcourt. Junior Thomas Gregg leads the way with 14.9 points per game, while eighth grader Pierre Rondo (Rajon Rondo‘s son) isn’t far behind at 14 points per game. The Mustangs rank as the 15th-best defense in the state, beating opponents by an average of 13.4 points per contest, to complement their three-point shooting (37.5 percent). North Oldham hasn’t lost since Jan. 14, easily sweeping through the 8th Region Tournament on its way to Rupp.

Lyon County head coach Ryan Perry (Travis’ dad) is no stranger to being in Rupp. He has the Lyons back in the Sweet 16 after a 64-61 win over a good Henderson County squad in the 2nd Region Tournament title bout. That was a revenge win for the Lyons, who lost to Henderson County on Feb. 2 — they haven’t dropped a game since. Senior Bray Kirk and his 21.5 points per game are a big reason why. Aided by 17.7 points per game from junior Nolan Coffman, Lyon County ranks 15th in the state in scoring offense (74.3 PPG) while also ranking 9th in scoring defense (49.1). The Lyons have been blasting teams by an average of 25.2 points per game this season.

8:30 PM | No. 5 George Rogers Clark vs. No. 21 Johnson Central

A Top 25 showdown will close out the first round. The No. 5 George Rogers Clark Cardinals (29-4) will look to kickstart another state title run by going through the No. 21 Johnson Central Golden Eagles (28-5) in the final game on Thursday night. GRC won it all in 1951 and 2022, making it back to the Sweet 16 in 2023. Meanwhile, Johnson Central hasn’t been at Rupp since 2019.

George Rogers Clark is fueled by junior Montez Gay (17.2 PPG, 6 RPG) and up-and-coming sophomore Ryder Atkins (15 PPG), not to mention 10th Region Player of the Year Malachi Ashford, who averages 13.4 points. Head coach Josh Cook led the Cardinals past a talented Montgomery County team in the 10th Region Tournament championship. GRC is a top 20 scoring team in the state (74 PPG; 18th) while giving up just 53.1 points per outing. As a team, the Cardinals shoot 53.6 percent from the field, fifth-best in the Bluegrass.

Tommy McKenzie coached Johnson Central through the 15th Region Tournament, capped off with an impressive 81-68 win over Pikeville. McKenzie only goes about six players deep, but four of them average in double-figures, led by a pair of 20-point scorers in juniors Austin Slone (21.2 PPG) and Brayden Shepherd (20 PPG). Junior Kyle Rose tacks on 6.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game on over 70 percent shooting. The Golden Eagles rank fifth in the state in scoring (79.6 PPG), shooting the ball from deep at an elite clip (41 percent).

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