The National Junior College Athletic Association 2022 Men’s Basketball tournament teams were made public on Sunday March 6th.
24 teams will travel to Hutchinson Kansas for March Madness beginning Monday March 14 and running through Saturday March 19. This year is the 75th Anniversary of the NJCAA Division 1 tourney and the organization is expected to remain in Hutchinson til the year 2041. According to officials, some $29.5 million dollars has been spent on the historic Hutchinson Sports Arena.
This year’s tournament will feature “16 District champions” with 8 “At-Large Teams.” The top-eight seeds receive first-round byes in the tournament.
The Top 8 seeded teams this year are, overall #1 Salt Lake 32-1, #2 Dodge City 29-4, #3 Kilgore 30-2, #4 John A. Logan 29-3, #5 Chipola 28-5, #6 Indian River State 28-4, #7 Indian Hills 27-6 and at #8 is Odessa, Tx. 27-6.
The Raiders of Roane State 18-9, making their first appearance, seeded 24th will face #9 Shelton State 29-4. The two will tip off at 12:00CT Monday in Session 1.
There has been a lot of talk over the years by Region VII fans, wondering why teams from the state of Tennessee seem to be overlooked each and every year. There has never been a team from the TCCAA selected as an “at-large” team.
For instance look at Dyersburg State. The Eagles started the season 17-0 and ended the year with a record of 28-3! AND did not receive an at-large bid. A disgrace in my opinion, while the NJCAA Committee selected 3 teams with 11 losses. Columbia State also missed out with a record of 25-5!
But as NJCAA Div.1 Committee Chariman Dean Myrick explained, it all boiled down to the team schedule and D1 wins. You have to play a great D1 schedule. In reference to the 2022 tourney he believes there will be several major upsets. This year could produce the most ever because of the parity across the board. The Madness begins Monday March 14th! All game sessions are available to watch on the NJCAA Network here. All games are Pay-Per-View.