NACC Adjusts Basketball Tournament Schedule

MEQUON, Wis. - The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Council of Chief Executive Officers recently approved changes in format for both the 2022 NACC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, as announced Thursday by the league office.

Originally slated to feature the top six men's and top six women's teams, both tournament fields will now feature all NACC institutions. The men's tournament will be a 13-team affair with the top three teams receiving first-round byes, while the women's tournament field will be composed of 14 programs with the top two receiving byes. There will be no reseeding throughout either tournament.

The adjustment in format is in response to scheduling inequities brought on by the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has caused multiple NACC postponements in recent weeks. Given the unique circumstances of the 2021-22 season, the increased field sizes were viewed by campus administrators as an avenue to mitigate those inequities and allow more programs the opportunity to compete.

First-round games in both tournaments are currently slated for Saturday, Feb. 19. To accommodate the expanded fields, regular-season games originally scheduled for that date have been canceled.

Both tournaments will then continue along with their previously established schedules the following week. Quarterfinals for the men's tournament are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 22, followed by semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 24, and the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 26. Women's quarterfinals will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23, with semifinals to follow on Friday, Feb. 25, and the final on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Details regarding both tournaments are subject to change as NACC administrators continue to adhere to state, local, and campus guidelines while monitoring the ongoing effects of COVID-19.