Everything You Need to Know About 2022 March Madness Tournament
2020 was a year many of us would like to forget. There was a slight return to normalcy in 2021 with March Madness returning, even be it in a different format. In 2022, the tournament looks to return to normal, even adding on to the already successful men’s college basketball tournament. The student athletes are ready to lace up their sneakers and play ball.
Like many of the great sports tournament, a huge amount of money is generated from March Madness. In 2019, the last “normal” year for March Madness, the tournament generated $917.8 million in revenue. This is obviously expected to rise in 2022 as it is reported that over a billion dollars has been spent on the tournament. The number is largely attributed to huge TV deals. It is reported that all ad slots have been sold, equating to a successful year. Additionally, and arguably more important, local host cities see a major jump in tourism.
The almighty “bracket” has all but became mainstream. Offices have pools, and almost everyone joins a group to see if their bracket can get lucky. No one has ever even gotten close to picking all the games correctly. There are many nuances and upsets that picking all the winners are odds thinner than anything imaginable. The above is why March Madness is great. That, and the fact that the tournament brings together the nation. Even if your favorite team didn’t make the tournament, it is easy to jump on the bandwagon of a team and ride them to the finish line. Let’s take a look at the tournament basics below.
The Tournament in 2022
Location: College basketball, and especially the March Madness Tournament, is great largely due to its diversity of colleges and universities across the country. Mid-major schools get to mix in with the big dogs which makes for a great slate of games. Returning this year, games will be held in venues across America.
Venues: Back again in 2022, fans are able to support their teams across the country. This year’s tournament format returns to the four-region setup (West, East, South, Midwest). Below is a look at the cities hosting tournament games in 2022.
First Four
Dayton, Ohio
First and Second Rounds
Buffalo, New York
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fort Worth, Texas
Portland, Oregon
Greenville, South Carolina
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Diego, California
Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight
San Antonio, Texas
San Francisco, California
Chicago, Illinois
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Final Four and Championship
New Orleans, Louisiana
Television: The rights for the 2022 tournament are held by CBS Sprots and Turner Sports. This means you can watch all games on the networks of CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. Additionally, the NCAA website hosts March Madness Live where you can stream all of the games.
Selection Process: The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) is the new metric used to seed teams in the tournament. The NET is a culmination of many categories that combine to score each team. The scoring categories are:
Game Results
Strength of Schedule
Location (home, away, or neutral site)
Scoring Margin
Net Offensive and Defensive Efficiency
Equal Evaluation of Games
Quality of Wins and Losses (Quadrant I-IV)
Since its inception in 2019, NET has supposedly made the selection process easier, leaving less room for subjective interpretation of games. For example, a team that wins big games against ranked opponents should be judged differently than wins games against less opponents.
Wagering: If sports betting is legal in your state, take a look at your favorite sportsbook and let your wagers do the talking. Sportsbooks are looking to cash in on an unprecedented amount of money about to be spent on games with tournament season. Always gamble responsibly.
Key March Madness Dates
Selection Sunday: March 13, 2022
March Madness Tournament: March 15 – April 4, 2022
The tournament will kick off with the First Four on March 15th at 6:40 p.m. ET. The tournament will conclude on April 4th with the Final Four finishing out with the National Championship Game.
NCAA National Championship Game: April 4, 2022
The final game of March Madness will be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will air on CBS on Monday, April 4th at 9 p.m. ET.
Future Final Four March Madness Sites
April 1/3, 2023 Rice University, University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX
April 6/8, 2024 Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
April 5/7, 2025 University of Texas at San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
April 4/6, 2026 Horizon League, Indianapolis, IN
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