OLD SCHOOL Playoff Warm Up Games

[Kowboy98]

There used to be a day when playoff warm up games were hyped up and a thing. Can anyone remember some good ones from the 80s and 90s? I’m sure this doesn’t happen anymore with 4 teams and two separate divisions per district. But could you imagine this: 

All games played at Montagne Center:

Game 1 - Bridge City v East Chambers

Game 2 - WB v Atascocita 

Game 3 - BU v Katy Seven Lakes 

 

[BBfan061]

I honestly don’t think Bridge City would gain anything from playing East Chambers… Nothing against EC but they aren’t that great this year. Now Bridge City vs Orangefield would be better 

[AggiesAreWe]

UIL rules have changed that doesn't allow some teams to play warm up games these days. Teams now have game limits and once they have reached those limits, you are not allowed to play any extra unless it's for district seeding or play in games.

Most teams these days play tournaments that are pool play which allows teams to play more tourney games. That adds up over the season. Also several play in multiple holiday jamborees which adds to their totals.

Really the only teams that can play warm up games these days are teams that have to wait till football is over to start their basketball season. Sometimes that's two to three weeks after everyone else has started. Usually that is only in the 3A and down classifications.

We still have some teams that will play warm up games this year. I have already received info on some of the games.

I will be posting a Seed/Play In/Warm Up Game Info thread on Wednesday morning.

[BBBB]

2 hours ago, BBfan061 said:

I honestly don’t think Bridge City would gain anything from playing East Chambers… Nothing against EC but they aren’t that great this year. Now Bridge City vs Orangefield would be better 

Would love to see a BC/OF match up! OF played the BC JV team with a couple Varsity players early in the season when football was in the playoffs. Fully staffed would be a great game! 

[Kowboy98]

4 hours ago, AggiesAreWe said:

UIL rules have changed that doesn't allow some teams to play warm up games these days. Teams now have game limits and once they have reached those limits, you are not allowed to play any extra unless it's for district seeding or play in games.

Most teams these days play tournaments that are pool play which allows teams to play more tourney games. That adds up over the season. Also several play in multiple holiday jamborees which adds to their totals.

Really the only teams that can play warm up games these days are teams that have to wait till football is over to start their basketball season. Sometimes that's two to three weeks after everyone else has started. Usually that is only in the 3A and down classifications.

We still have some teams that will play warm up games this year. I have already received info on some of the games.

I will be posting a Seed/Play In/Warm Up Game Info thread on Wednesday morning.

Did the UIL modify the number of playable games since the 90s? I know we played a total of 35 games before the playoffs even started. Typically back then the 1 seed got a first round bye. Which was NS my years. 

[Kowboy98]

2 hours ago, BBBB said:

Would love to see a BC/OF match up! OF played the BC JV team with a couple Varsity players early in the season when football was in the playoffs. Fully staffed would be a great game! 

Wow I made a blind assumption and didn’t see the bobcats as #6 in the state. Yes correct, Battle of Orange County with BC and Orangefield. Does Orangefield participate in some type of foreign student exchange program? There was a 6’9” kid that was clearly of African descent on the team a short time ago. Not from the US 

[Elessar]

1 hour ago, Kowboy98 said:

Wow I made a blind assumption and didn’t see the bobcats as #6 in the state. Yes correct, Battle of Orange County with BC and Orangefield. Does Orangefield participate in some type of foreign student exchange program? There was a 6’9” kid that was clearly of African descent on the team a short time ago. Not from the US 

No they don’t

[BEARCPA]

14 hours ago, Kowboy98 said:

There used to be a day when playoff warm up games were hyped up and a thing. Can anyone remember some good ones from the 80s and 90s? I’m sure this doesn’t happen anymore with 4 teams and two separate divisions per district. But could you imagine this: 

All games played at Montagne Center:

Game 1 - Bridge City v East Chambers

Game 2 - WB v Atascocita 

Game 3 - BU v Katy Seven Lakes 

 

I remember my dad taking me to the old McDonald Gym at Lamar somewhere in the 2001-2003 timeframe for a bunch of playoff warmup games all on the same day there. The atmosphere was electric, even though they were just warmup games. At least I think thats what they were. Could have possibly been a pre-district tournament. Long time ago lol

[AggiesAreWe]

3 hours ago, Kowboy98 said:

Did the UIL modify the number of playable games since the 90s? I know we played a total of 35 games before the playoffs even started. Typically back then the 1 seed got a first round bye. Which was NS my years. 

Game limits were changed about 10 years ago.

[Sdillard]

On 2/17/2026 at 8:32 AM, BBfan061 said:

I honestly don’t think Bridge City would gain anything from playing East Chambers… Nothing against EC but they aren’t that great this year. Now Bridge City vs Orangefield would be better 

EC played HJ closer than BC did. That’s the only opponent they both have played to be able to compare. 

[BBBB]

14 minutes ago, Sdillard said:

EC played HJ closer than BC did. That’s the only opponent they both have played to be able to compare. 

BC was missing over half the team due to illness

[Boogy1000]

I believe the UIL changed this rule around 2014? I remember Silsbee driving like 3hrs for a warm up game near Austin around that time. 

[CoachWynnTHS]

Long time listener first time caller a couple things here on warm ups

 

1. You are allowed 21 match games and 3 tournaments (can also do 23 games and 2 tournaments and a few other combinations but no one does that), how many games you play in a tournament doesn't change anything. You can play 6 or you can play 3 and it still counts as a tournament. Jamborees or showcases or whatever you want to call them count as one of your 21 games. The UIL changed this to 21/2 or 19/3 about ten years ago and then changed it back after a year or two due to coaches not being happy at all with the change. Not even sure what the original reasoning was for the change to be honest. 

2. The warm-up era was huge when the UIL switched from allowing 2 teams to 3 teams to make the playoffs in the late 90's I think it was. At that point in time (most of the 00's) if you won district you had a first round bye which meant not playing for a week and a half and that was felt to be too long by most coaches, so that is when you saw the warm-up game really take off. Once the UIL allowed 4 teams to make it now there is only a week between games and you started to see less and less warm up games. I also think the mandatory UIL one game suspension for an ejection has played into this as well. Now not only are you risking injury with only a week between games you are also risking the potential of having a first round suspension due to an ejection, so that plays a small role as well. 

 

In my opinion (just one coach others may feel totally different), the only real value in warm up games now are like what you see with Coach Sutherland at EC and as mentioned above is you lose so many games to the football team making the playoffs and you have an opportunity to make one up because you didn't even get close to your game limit. Also, if you are a massive powerhouse like Silsbee and you more or less ran through your district without any close games at all like they did several times in the last decade, you don't want to go into the playoffs without having played a close game in a month and a half, so going and playing high level competition in a warm-up game adds value. 

Also think that if the UIL flips to what they did with volleyball ( and rumor is it is probably going to happen) and the regular season ends on Friday and the first round of the playoffs starts on Thursday/Friday the following week, which would leave Monday/Tuesday as your warm up game options, in my opinion the warm-up game is completely dead at that point. 

 

[AggiesAreWe]

1 hour ago, CoachWynnTHS said:

Long time listener first time caller a couple things here on warm ups

 

1. You are allowed 21 match games and 3 tournaments (can also do 23 games and 2 tournaments and a few other combinations but no one does that), how many games you play in a tournament doesn't change anything. You can play 6 or you can play 3 and it still counts as a tournament. Jamborees or showcases or whatever you want to call them count as one of your 21 games. The UIL changed this to 21/2 or 19/3 about ten years ago and then changed it back after a year or two due to coaches not being happy at all with the change. Not even sure what the original reasoning was for the change to be honest. 

2. The warm-up era was huge when the UIL switched from allowing 2 teams to 3 teams to make the playoffs in the late 90's I think it was. At that point in time (most of the 00's) if you won district you had a first round bye which meant not playing for a week and a half and that was felt to be too long by most coaches, so that is when you saw the warm-up game really take off. Once the UIL allowed 4 teams to make it now there is only a week between games and you started to see less and less warm up games. I also think the mandatory UIL one game suspension for an ejection has played into this as well. Now not only are you risking injury with only a week between games you are also risking the potential of having a first round suspension due to an ejection, so that plays a small role as well. 

 

In my opinion (just one coach others may feel totally different), the only real value in warm up games now are like what you see with Coach Sutherland at EC and as mentioned above is you lose so many games to the football team making the playoffs and you have an opportunity to make one up because you didn't even get close to your game limit. Also, if you are a massive powerhouse like Silsbee and you more or less ran through your district without any close games at all like they did several times in the last decade, you don't want to go into the playoffs without having played a close game in a month and a half, so going and playing high level competition in a warm-up game adds value. 

Also think that if the UIL flips to what they did with volleyball ( and rumor is it is probably going to happen) and the regular season ends on Friday and the first round of the playoffs starts on Thursday/Friday the following week, which would leave Monday/Tuesday as your warm up game options, in my opinion the warm-up game is completely dead at that point. 

 

Excellent post.

Thanks for your input and clearing things up. Appreciate it Coach!