What to know about the 2022 Blue and Gold Tournament
Southwest Missouri's favorite holiday basketball tournament is here with the four-day Blue and Gold Tournament tipping off at Missouri State this week.
Most of the area's best talent will face off in search of a Blue and Gold title. There are plenty of storylines to look for during this tournament which also features the best players in the Ozarks.
Here's what you need to know heading into the week.
When is the tournament?
On Monday, the Blue and Gold Tournament will tip off with two games at 9:30 a.m. in Great Southern Bank Arena and Hammons Student Center. Each gym will host eight games on the first day.
The quarterfinals of both tournaments will be played Tuesday with the semifinals on Wednesday and both championships on Thursday. Every winners' bracket game after Monday will be played in Great Southern Bank Arena.
Consolation matchups will be played each day as well. Check the tournament bracket throughout to see when and where your favorite team is playing.
Blue Division bracket
First-round games in Hammons Student Center
9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Ash Grove vs. Skyline
11 a.m. — No. 1 Bolivar vs. Catholic
12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Sparta vs. Mountain Grove
2 p.m. — No. 4 Ozark vs. Reeds Spring
5 p.m. — No. 7 Hillcrest vs. Spokane
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Republic vs. Stockton
8 p.m. — No. 6 Camdenton vs. Mount Vernon
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Hartville vs. Buffalo
Gold Division bracket
First-round games in Great Southern Bank Arena
9:30 a.m. — No. 8 Marshfield vs. West Plains
11 a.m. — No. 1 Nixa vs. Clever
12:30 p.m. — No. 5 Fair Grove vs. Crane
2 p.m. — No. 4 Parkview vs. Branson
5 p.m. — No. 7 Lebanon vs. Willard
6:30 p.m. — No. 2 Logan-Rogersville vs. Ava
8 p.m. — No. 6 Greenwood vs. Willow Springs
9:30 p.m. — No. 3 Strafford vs. Aurora
News-Leader coverage plan
News-Leader reporter Wyatt Wheeler won't leave Missouri State's campus as long as winner's games are being played.
A live blog with coverage of the games, and likely complaints about the horrible, repetitive stadium music, will be available for free each day on News-Leader.com.
Wheeler will have plenty more coverage aside from the live blog. There will be features, takeaways and bonus stories throughout the week.
A "top performers" column will be released every night while breaking down who had the biggest games.
Some stories will be behind a paywall. Online digital subscriptions currently are available for 99 cents per month for the first 12 months.
Will Kyle Pock lead Bolivar to its second-straight Blue and Gold Tournament title?
Kyle Pock's decorated career could include one more Blue and Gold title to his resume after he led the Liberators to a Gold Division title last season. Bolivar beat Ozark 67-50 for the title.
Not many players get to win one Blue and Gold title, let alone two — not even some of the great ones to come through the area. Pock has that opportunity while leading a newer Bolivar group in this year's Blue Division.
Bolivar would have to overcome some big threats to its throne. Its path could include another matchup with Ozark and a potential championship game against either Republic or Hartville. Each has great coaches and talented players who have gone through the Blue and Gold before.
Republic beat Bolivar 56-52 on Dec. 16 which could make a potential championship that much more intense. We'll see if Bolivar has more heroes step up because it can't just be the Northern Iowa-bound guard leading the way.
Does Nixa solidify itself as the Ozarks' best team with a title?
There won't be too much of an argument as to who the best team in the Ozarks would be if Nixa can make a run through the Gold Division. The Eagles are 8-0 to start the year with impressive wins over Bolivar, two over Central, a win over Park Hill and one against Parkview.
Kael Combs has been on an absolute tear to start the year and has been the area's best player. His vision on the court, mixed with the best athleticism out of any player in any sport in the Ozarks, is unmatched.
There are potential tough matchups to keep Nixa from getting there with Parkview on its side of the bracket — which the Eagles only beat by two recently. On the opposite side, Logan-Rogersville is up there as one of the area's best teams, and the likes of Strafford and Greenwood can't be counted out either.
A run through the Blue and Gold would end some arguments in Nixa's favor if it was to come out on top. Well, at least until it hosts Kickapoo on Jan. 24 and maybe plays it again in its loaded Class 6 district.
Top players to watch
Blue Division
Kyle Pock, Bolivar
Ahlante Askew, Republic
Brenley Hagewood, Republic
Cohen George, Ozark
Jacob Lafferty, Sparta
Aaron Poage, Camdenton
Cole Griesemer, Hillcrest
Amarre Clark, Hillcrest
Brock Mooneyham, Ash Grove
Brady Nicholson, Ash Grove
Gold Division
Kael Combs, Nixa
Josh Peters, Nixa
Curry Sutherland, Logan-Rogersville
Brody McNiel, Logan-Rogersville
AK Rael, Strafford
Cody Voysey, Strafford
Elias Govan, Parkview
Kevin Parker, Parkview
Jaxon Rowden, Fair Grove
Nick Burri, Greenwood
Collin Clark, Greenwood
Zack Mings, Marshfield
Potential matchups that would be worth the price of admission
Top Blue Division first-round games
No. 7 Hillcrest vs. Spokane — The Hornets have been a little banged up to begin the year. Could a struggling Spokane team take advantage?
Top Gold Division first-round games
No. 8 Marshfield vs. West Plains — The Zizzers were right on the border of getting a seed. A first-round matchup with the eight-seed will show if they should've been worthy.
No. 7 Lebanon vs. Willard — The Tigers probably aren't as bad as their record is. Can that turn into a first-round upset?
Potential Blue Division games
Bolivar vs. Ozark (semifinals) — Ozark has had some struggles to begin the year with a young team. The Tigers still seem to always find themselves competing for a title. Bolivar would be no easy task. It would be a rematch of last year's Gold Division championship.
Republic vs. Hartville (semifinals) — Republic has been as good as anyone in the Ozarks to start the year. Hartville makes you play a different game, however. A tough semifinal could be in store here.
Bolivar vs. Republic (championship) — These two played an awesome game recently with Republic coming out on top. No one would complain if we saw these two again.
Potential Gold Division games
Greenwood vs. Strafford (quarterfinals) — These two are in the same district and have played some great games in recent years.
Nixa vs. Parkview (semifinals) — The Eagles barely topped the Vikings earlier this year. Parkview has gotten better in recent weeks and could put up a better challenge.
Nixa vs. Logan-Rogersville (championship) — These have been two of the best teams in the area to start the year. This potential matchup might be the best one of the entire tournament.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Guide to the high school basketball 2022 Blue and Gold Tournament
