2022 Matchups
The 2022 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship will include San Jose State, Missouri State, North Texas, Ball State, UNC Wilmington, Vermont, Long Beach State, and Oakland. They will spend Thanksgiving Week in the Bahamas in what is being announced as the largest College Basketball Event in 2022 featuring 20 schools in total. Baha Mar is also hosting an eight-team Women’s event (Pink Flamingo Championship) and the four-team Bahamas Championship featuring Oklahoma State, UCF, Santa Clara, and DePaul. The 2022 Tournament is set for Friday through Sunday, November 25-27.
VERMONT vs. BALL STATE (NOON ET) - The reigning America East regular season and tournament champions, Vermont, will take the court in the early matchup against Ball State. The Cardinals begin a new era this November with the hiring of Michael Lewis. The Catamounts lose the long-time greats in Ben Shungu and Ryan Davis but expect to be right back in contention. UVM made waves by landing Dylan Penn from Bellarmine in the Portal. Aaron Deloney, Nick Fiorillo, and Evan Guillory all return to play key roles alongside Penn. For Ball State, the freshly appointed Coach Lewis will likely rely on an old Ball State friend, Jarron Coleman II, who transferred back to Muncie via Missouri. Coleman had a breakout season as a Sophomore for the Cardinals two seasons ago.
MISSOURI STATE vs. UNC WILMINGTON (APPROX 2:30PM ET) - Missouri State is coming off of a season where they finished Top 70 in KenPom and competed all year for the MVC title. The Bears under Dana Ford will have a new look in 22-23 as 10 newcomers are joining the team after a flurry of activity that included Isaih Mosley transferring to Mizzou and Assistant Coach Corey Gipson leaving to take the Northwestern State coaching job. Don’t fear Bears fans, Coach Ford has reloaded the roster with vets like Bryan Trimble, Jr., Kendle Moore, and Matthew Lee, plus Donovan Clay returns. UNC Wilmington was one of the best stories of the 2021-22 season by winning a surplus of games where they trailed in CAA play. The Seahawks finished a remarkable 15-3 in the league and one game away from the NCAA Tournament. They used the momentum to win the CBI Championship. Shykeim Phillips, Trazarien White, and Jamahri Harvey are all back to lead UNCW even further. This could certainly be the best of the Quarterfinal games on the 25th.
NORTH TEXAS vs. SAN JOSE STATE (5:30PM ET) - The Mean Green are the likely favorite to win the Nassau Championship if we’re being honest here. UNT was knocking on the NCAA Tournament door as an at-large (and I believe deserved more consideration due to 10 true road wins) in 21-22. Grant McCasland and an excellent core of players including Tylor Perry are back to help the Mean Green compete for another Conference USA Title. San Jose State heads into year two under Tim Miles and features an exciting young core of players returning. Omari Moore is the primary scorer and returns as well. If you haven’t seen PG Alvaro Cardenas handle the rock, you are in for a treat in this event. Spartans will use these three games to build cohesion and improve heading towards a tough Mountain West season in January.
OAKLAND vs. LONG BEACH STATE (8PM ET) - LBSU might be my sleeper pick to win this event. You heard that correctly. A team that was as hot as anybody last year in the second half of the season, surprised many by winning the Big West regular-season championship. This season they have added Marcus Tsohonis (via VCU and Washington) to a core that includes Joel Murray, Jadon Jones, and Aboubacar Traore. Great roster on paper. Oakland Head Coach Greg Kampe is no stranger to great mid-major players. He has Rocket Watts, Keaton Harvey, and Lorne Bowman all coming in this season! Jalen Moore and Trey Townsend are also back in the fold for the Golden Grizzlies. This nightcap promises to be a fantastic matchup. Let’s also not forget that Oakland won the 2021 Gulf Coast Showcase, which included a quarterfinal round win over Vermont.
BRACKET
2022 Nassau Championship Schedule and Bracket