Keelhaulers draw UC Merced in Cal Pac Championship's opening round
California Pacific Conference Men's Basketball Championship Bracket
VALLEJO, Calif. - Cal Maritime is one of six teams that will head to Lancaster, California, to compete in the California Pacific Conference Men's Basketball Championship, hosted by Antelope Valley. The Cal Pac Conference is guaranteed two berths in the NAIA's National Tournament; the winner of the league's playoffs will earn an automatic bid.
Before any of the six teams begins thinking about a national championship, they must compete against the conference's top teams first in an event that will take place inside the Pioneer Event Center, starting with Sunday's opening round.
The Keelhaulers will open this year's tournament at 2 p.m. against local rival UC Merced — a team they did not face throughout the 2021-22 campaign since both originally-scheduled matchups, and subsequent attempts to compete against one another, were cancelled due to COVID protocols.
The winner of this game will advance to Monday's 5 p.m. semifinal and face top-seeded Saint Katherine for a berth in Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. championship game.
As the top-seeded teams in this year's playoffs, Saint Katherine and Simpson will receive a bye and begin competition during Monday's semifinal round.
The NAIA opening round will be played at campus sites on March 11-12, with four teams descending on the assigned locations. The winners of those opening tournaments head to Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium on March 17-22.
2022 California Pacific Conference Men's Basketball Championship
Hosted by University of Antelope Valley
Sunday, February 27-Tuesday, March 1
Championship Participants
#1 Seed - Saint Katherine
#2 Seed - Simpson
#3 Seed - Antelope Valley
#4 Seed - Cal Maritime
#5 Seed - UC Merced
#6 Seed - Benedictine-Mesa
Tournament Schedule
Sunday, February 27 - Opening Round
Game 1: Cal Maritime vs. UC Merced (2 p.m.)
Game 2: Antelope Valley vs. Benedictine-Mesa (4:30 p.m.)
Monday, February 28 - Semifinal Round
Game 3: Saint Katherine vs. Game 1 Winner (5 p.m.)
Game 4: Simpson vs. Game 2 Winner (7:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 1 - Championship Game
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner (7:30 p.m.)