KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Small College Basketball is extremely excited to announce that the 2022 SCB Tip Off Classic will be moving to the Florida Southern College campus for the next three years.

The tournament will be held in Jenkins Field House and will begin its three-year run on Saturday Nov. 5, 2022. The event will also be supported by Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing.

"We are thrilled to bring the Small College Basketball Tip Off Classic to Lakeland," stated John McCarthy, the founder of Small College Basketball. "With the tremendous support from Florida Southern College and the Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, this will continue to be the most prestigious in-season event within NCAA Division II basketball. Together, we'll create a special experience for the student athletes, coaches and fans, right in the heart of the Sunshine State. I'd also like to extend my gratitude to the NCAA D2 Conference Commissioners Association for their continued support of our event, as they've continued to extend the exemption."

The 2022 event is undergoing some changes, as it was previously called the SCB Hall of Fame Classic and showcased eight teams. The 2022 incarnation will be expanding to 10 teams and changing its name to the SCB Tip Off Classic. Lakeland will be the third location to host the event since its inception in 2016. 

In years past, the SCB Tip Off Classic has featured some of the top NCAA Division II institutions in the country. Hosting allows Florida Southern men's basketball ample opportunities to compete against nationally ranked opponents. 

Most recently the SCB Tip Off Classic was held in St. Joseph, Mo., earlier in November. After taking a year off in 2020, the event took place over the weekend of Nov. 6 and 7 at the Civic Arena.

That was the case this year as preseason National Association of Basketball Coaches' No. 1 Northwest Missouri State, No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), No. 15 Northern State, and No. 16 Queens (N.C.) all participated. 

"Florida Southern College is proud to host this very special event," Florida Southern College Athletic Director Drew Howard said. "Small College Basketball and John McCarthy do an amazing job of promoting student-athletes at all levels. I am very excited to showcase elite NCAA Division II basketball in the George Jenkins Fieldhouse and bring this event to the Lakeland community."

This will be the first time since the SCB Tip Off Classic's inaugural year in 2016 that Florida Southern will be participating in the event. John Ebeling, Class of '89, is an inaugural member of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Mark Jackson, Director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, is extremely excited to bring the event to Central Florida.

"With its record of excellence, we're thrilled to have The Small College Basketball Tip Off Classic relocate to the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland," Jackson said. "The addition of this event to our already expansive slate of premier athletic events means more economic activity for Polk County hotels and restaurants as they come to enjoy more great basketball."

Below are the matchups for the 2022 SCB Tip Off Classic. Each day will consist of five games. For more information on Small College Basketball and the SCB Tip Off Classic, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com. 

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022
11 a.m. — Hillsdale vs. Dallas Baptist
1:15 p.m. — Nova Southeastern vs. Alabama-Huntsville
3:30 p.m. — Minnesota State-Moorhead vs. Valdosta State
5:45 p.m. — Flagler vs. Florida Southern
8 p.m. — Queens vs. Northwest Missouri State

Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022
11 a.m. — Minnesota State-Moorhead vs. Alabama-Huntsville
1:15 p.m. — Nova Southeastern vs. Dallas Baptist
3:30 p.m. — Valdosta State vs. Hillsdale
5:45 p.m. — Queens vs. Florida Southern
8 p.m. — Northwest Missouri State vs. Flagler

About Florida Southern College

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2022 Best 387 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2022." The 2021-2022 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 12 consecutive years.

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SOURCE Florida Southern College