2022 The Basketball Classic

Tournament organizers originally announced that there would be 32 teams in the field; however, when the list of participating teams was released, only 21 were present. Three of the 21 teams subsequently withdrew prior to competing, leaving the actual field size for the tournament at 18. Due to the fluidity of the field, rather than adhering to the traditional bracket, a model previously used by the National Invitation Tournament was leveraged in which matchups were set only one round at a time. Later-round host sites were determined, at least in part, by earlier-round game attendance figures. Five matchups in the tournament were designated as "Legend Games", honoring Zelmo Beaty, Travis Grant, Marques Haynes, Cleo Hill and Willis Reed, all of whom played college basketball at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In addition to advancing in the tournament, the winning teams received a trophy honoring the legend for whom the particular game was named. Due to scheduling issues, the designated Cleo Hill game was unable to be held. ==Participating teams==

The following eighteen teams accepted invitations to the tournament and competed. Team records are as of the end of the regular season and prior to the beginning of the tournament. The following three teams accepted invitations to the tournament, but withdrew prior to competing. Team records are as of the end of the regular season and prior to the beginning of the tournament. The following seven programs declined invitations: Arkansas State, Liberty, Oakland, Samford, Utah Valley, Weber State. ==Schedule==

The following games were announced but never played. ==Bracket==

The Basketball Classic field was announced after the field for the NIT was released on March 13. With an 18-team bracket, organizers chose to match one second-round winner against Portland, with three other second-round winners advancing directly to the semifinals. Note: Bracket is for visual purposes only. In lieu of a traditional bracket, the field and matchups were determined following the completion of the preceding round. Home teams listed second. ==Awards==

The following were the most valuable players selected for each of the Legend Games: • Zelmo Beaty Game – Rudi Williams, Coastal Carolina • Travis Grant Game – Javon Franklin, South Alabama • Marques Haynes Game – Dwayne Cohill, Youngstown State == Editorials & Opinions ==

Joel Whetzel: "Disappointing, to be sure ... simply a microcosm of how this tournament has gone since conference tournaments ended. The shame is the tournament could serve a great purpose if things were to go correctly." == Notes ==