The 2022 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college basketball in the United States. Featuring sixty-four teams, it began on March 4, 2022, following the 2021âÂÂ22 season, and concluded with the championship game on March 19, 2022.
The national semifinal and championship rounds were held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The tournament was won by the RandolphâÂÂMacon Yellow Jackets, which "repeated" as national champions. During the 2021 season, the Yellow Jackets had won a mythical national championship from polls organised by D3Sports.com and a "bowl game" style championship game against the Trine Thunder in 2021.
This was the first tournament completed since 2019 after the two previous editions (in 2020 it was unfinished while in 2021 it did not happen all together) were cancelled for separate but different reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tournament schedule and venues
First and second rounds
First and second-round games were played at campus sites on March 4 and March 5.
On the basis of team strength and geography, these locations were chosen to host first and second-round games in the 2022 tournament:
- Kolf Sports Center, Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Host: University of WisconsinâÂÂOshkosh)
- Mayborn Campus Center, Belton, Texas (Host: University of Mary HardinâÂÂBaylor)
- Williams Fieldhouse, Platteville, Wisconsin (Host: University of WisconsinâÂÂPlatteville)
- R.A. Fagenel Hall, Elmhurst, Illinois (Host: Elmhurst University)
- Woodruff Physical Education Center, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Emory University)
- McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex, Alliance, Ohio (Host: University of Mount Union)
- Shirk Center, Bloomington, Illinois (Host: Illinois Wesleyan University)
- Washington University Field House, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Washington University in St. Louis)
- Ban Johnson Arena, Marietta, Ohio (Host: Marietta College)
- Tarble Pavilion, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (Host: Swarthmore College)
- Freeman Center, Newport News, Virginia (Host: Christopher Newport University)
- Stockton University Sports Center, Galloway Township, New Jersey (Host: Stockton University)
- Crenshaw Gymnasium, Ashland, Virginia (Host: RandolphâÂÂMacon College)
- Robert A. Kidera Gymnasium, Pittsford, New York (Host: Nazareth College)
- Freeman Athletic Center, Middletown, Connecticut (Host: Wesleyan University)
- Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, Massachusetts (Host: Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Third and fourth rounds
Third and fourth-round games were played at campus sites on March 11 and March 12.
At the conclusion of the second round, the NCAA announced the following locations would host third and fourth-round games.
National Semifinals and Championship
The National Semifinals and Championship were played on March 18 and March 19.
Fort Wayne hosted the Final Four for the second time, having previously hosted in 2019. Fort Wayne was also scheduled to host the Final Four in 2020 and 2021, before those editions of the tournament were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Qualifying teams
Automatic bids (44)
The following 44 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2022 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid (except for the UAA, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).
At-large bids (20)
The following 20 teams were awarded qualification for the tournament field by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee. The committee evaluated teams on the basis of their winâÂÂloss percentage, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, results against common opponents, and results against teams included in the NCAA's final regional rankings.
Tournament bracket
<nowiki>*</nowiki> â Denotes overtime period
Cleveland Sectional Final
Bloomington Sectional Final
Marietta Sectional Final
Ashland Sectional Final
Final Four
National Semifinals
National Championship
All-Tournament Team
- Buzz Anthony (Sr, RandolphâÂÂMacon) â Most Outstanding Player
- Miles Mallory (Jr, RandolphâÂÂMacon)
- Jake Rhode (Sr, Elmhurst)
- Lukas Isaly (Sr, Marietta)
- Jack Davidson (Sr, Wabash)
Record by conference
- The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.
- The Allegheny Mountain, American Rivers, Atlantic East, CUNYAC, Colonial States, Commonwealth Coast, Great Northeast, Heartland, MASCAC, Midwest, Minnesota, NECC, North Atlantic, Northern Athletics, Northwest, Presidents', Skyline, SAA, SLIAC, Upper Midwest, and USA South each had one representative, eliminated in the Round of 64 with a record of 0âÂÂ1.
See also
References