The Service Cougars get to defend their state championship after all.
The Service boys are one of two Anchorage teams -- the Chugiak girls are the other -- to receive at-large bids to the Class 4A state basketball tournament, which begins March 19 at Sullivan Arena.
By then, four state champions will have been crowned in the Class 1A and Class 2A tournaments.
Alaska's version of March Madness begins Saturday in Anchorage. Eighty teams will play in eight tournaments at three arenas over eight days.
The fun starts Saturday with 16 play-in games for the Class 1A tournament, which features Alaska's smallest schools. The action will be virtually nonstop at the Alaska Airlines Center auxiliary gym and the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, where the first games will begin at 8 a.m. and the last games are scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m.
The survivors of those games -- eight boys teams, eight girls teams -- will advance to first-round state tournament play March 16 at Sullivan Arena. The losers will drop into a consolation bracket at the Alaska Airlines Center auxiliary gym.
Also beginning March 16 at Sullivan is the Class 2A state tournament. Championship games for both 1A and 2A are March 18 at Sullivan.
The next day, the big schools take over.
The Service boys, who failed to secure an automatic tournament berth at last week's Cook Inlet Conference tournament, will begin defense of their Class 4A title in a March 19 game against Lathrop.
Lathrop received the other at-large berth in 4A boys tournament. The Malemutes were the top seeds in the Mid-Alaska Conference last week in Fairbanks but were upset by West Valley, which earned the conference's automatic tournament berth.
Gaining at-large berths for the 4A girls tournament were Chugiak and Thunder Mountain. At-large bids were determined by the Alaska School Activities Association's power rankings.
Anchorage will have six teams in the 4A tournament -- Service, East and West on the boys side and Dimond, East and Chugiak on the girls side.
Three other Anchorage teams will play in the Class 3A tournament, which also begins March 19 at Sullivan. Both Anchorage Christian teams qualified and so did the Grace Christian boys.
The 3A boys tournament has the potential to be highly competitive. Barrow, Bethel, ACS and defending champion Monroe headline the field.
The 4A and 3A championship games are March 21 at Sullivan.
Class 1A play-in games
UAA (two locations)
Saturday
Girls
8 a.m. -- Wainwright vs. Cook Inlet Academy, Alaska Airlines Center
9:40 a.m. -- Minto vs. Newhalen, Alaska Airlines Center
11:20 a.m. -- Kipnuk vs. Shishmaref, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
1 p.m. -- Yakutat vs. Buckland, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
3:30 p.m. -- Scammon Bay vs. Selawik, Alaska Airlines Center
5:10 p.m. -- Akiak vs. Nikolaevsk, Alaska Airlines Center
6:50 p.m. -- Manokotak vs. Teller, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
8:30 p.m. -- St. Mary's vs. Kake, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
Boys
8 a.m. -- Anaktuvak Pass vs. Akiachak, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
9:40 a.m. -- Noatak vs. Klawock, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
11:20 a.m. -- Newhalen vs. Scammon Bay, Alaska Airlines Center
1 p.m. -- Elim vs. Toksook Bay, Alaska Airlines Center
3:30 p.m. -- Seldovia vs. Kotlik, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
5:10 p.m. -- Manokotak vs. Teller, Wells Fargo Sports Complex
6:50 p.m. -- Noorvik vs. Nikolaevsk, Alaska Airlines Center
8:30 p.m. -- Fort Yukon vs. Angoon, Alaska Airlines Center
Class 2A
Sullivan Arena
March 16 first round
Girls
11:20 a.m. -- Metlakatla vs. Dillingham
1 p.m. -- Nenana vs. Bristol Bay
6:50 p.m. -- Glennallen vs. Point Hope
8:30 p.m. -- Craig vs. Hooper Bay
Boys
8 a.m. -- Nenana vs. Dillingham
9:40 a.m. -- Metlakatla vs. Unalakleet
3:30 p.m. -- Unalaska vs. Chevak
5:10 -- Glennallen vs. Wrangell
Class 3A
Sullivan Arena
March 19 first round
Girls
11:20 a.m. -- Barrow vs. Bethel
1 p.m. -- Valdez vs. Nikiski
6:50 p.m. -- Sitka vs. Anchorage Christian
8:30 p.m. -- Homer vs. Hutchison
Boys
8 a.m. -- Barrow vs. Sitka
9:40 a.m. -- Grace Christian vs. Cordova
3:30 p.m. -- Bethel vs. Monroe
5:10 p.m. -- Hutchison vs. Anchorage Christian
Class 4A
Sullivan Arena
March 19 first round
Girls
8 a.m. -- West Valley vs. Thunder Mountain
9:40 a.m. -- Wasilla vs. Colony
3:30 p.m. -- East vs. Ketchikan
5:10 p.m. -- Chugiak vs. Dimond
Boys
11:20 a.m. -- Wasilla vs. Colony
1 p.m. -- East vs. Ketchikan
6:50 p.m. -- Service vs. Lathrop
8:30 p.m. -- West vs. West Valley