The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has approved the 11 game officials recommended by J.D. Collins, the national coordinator of officiating, to work Saturday’s two national semifinal games and Monday’s national championship game. A three-man crew will work each Final Four game, while two officials will serve as the standby officials for all three contests.
The NCAA has notified these 11 individuals that they have been selected to work the 2022 Final Four, which will be played at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans:
- Jeff Anderson, West Henrietta, New York;
- Roger Ayers, Roanoke, Virginia;
- Bo Boroski, Indianapolis, Indiana;
- James Breeding, Louisville, Kentucky;
- Ron Groover, Newnan, Georgia;
- Keith Kimble, Arlington, Texas;
- Joe Lindsay, Harleysville, Pennsylvania;
- Terry Oglesby, Maryville, Missouri;
- Tony Padilla, Sacramento, California;
- Doug Sirmons, Virginia Beach, Virginia;
- Bert Smith, Florence, Kentucky.
“The 2022 NCAA tournament officials have collectively done a great job of officiating the tournament,” said Collins. “We are fortunate to have a very qualified pool of officials, many of whom could have been chosen to work the Final Four. Getting the opportunity to officiate the Final Four is an honor and a privilege for these 11 men. The officials working the Final Four reflect the efforts of all their peers and I am extremely proud of each of these individuals for being selected.”
Sirmons will be officiating in his eighth Final Four, while Anderson has been selected for the fifth time and Ayers, Groover and Kimble were each chosen for a fourth Final Four. This will be the third Final Four for Boroski, Breeding and Padilla, while Lindsay and Smith will make their first Final Four appearance.
Saturday’s first semifinal features Midwest Region champion and No. 1 seed Kansas facing Villanova, the No. 2 seed and champions of the South Region. Kansas is making its 16th Final Four appearance, while Villanova is making its seventh. Tipoff is set for 5:09 p.m. central time. The second semifinal game, which is scheduled 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1, pits East Region champion North Carolina against West Region champion Duke. The eighth-seeded Tar Heels will be making their 21st appearance in the Final Four, while the No. 2 seed Blue Devils are in the Final Four for the 17th time.
The officiating assignments for each semifinal game, as well as Monday night’s national championship game, will be announced an hour before each game.
Per Release