Current season, competition or edition: 2025 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament | |
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| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Sport | College basketball |
| Founded | 1982; 44 years ago (1982) |
| Division | Division II |
| No. of teams | 64 |
| Country |  United States Canada |
| Most recent champion | Grand Valley State (2nd) |
| Most titles | Cal Poly Pomona (5) North Dakota State (5) |
| Broadcaster | CBS Sports Network |
| Official website | NCAA.com |
TheNCAA Division II women's basketball tournament (officially styled as "Championship" instead of "Tournament") is an annual tournament to determine theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division II women's college basketball national champion.[1]
Basketball was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA andAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) sought for sole governance of women's collegiate athletics. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championships; however, after a year of dual women's championships at the national level, the AIAW disbanded.
The 2020 Elite Eight was due to be held at theBirmingham CrossPlex inBirmingham, AL before the NCAA called off the tournament due to theCOVID-19 outbreak.[2]
The field was reduced to 48 in 2021 and returned to the normal 64 in 2022.
Grand Valley State are the defending national champions, winning their second national title in 2025.
A total of 64 bids are normally available for each tournament: 23 automatic bids (awarded to the champion of each Division II all-sports conference) and 41 at-large bids. Due toCOVID-19 issues, the 2020 tournament was canceled, and the 2021 tournament was reduced to 48 teams when nine all-sports conferences chose not to compete in women's basketball in 2020–21.
The bids are allocated evenly among the eight NCAA-designated regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast, and West), each of which contains either two or three of the 23 Division II conferences that sponsor women's basketball. Each region normally consists of two or three automatic qualifiers (the teams who won their respective conference tournaments) and five or six at-large bids (awarded regardless of conference affiliation).
– 5 championships,
– 4 championships,
– 3 championships
– 2 championships,
– 1 championship| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly Pomona | 5 | 1982, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002 |
| Ashland | 3 | 2013, 2017, 2023 |
| Lubbock Christian | 3 | 2016, 2019, 2021 |
| Delta State | 3 | 1989, 1990, 1992 |
| Grand Valley State | 2 | 2006, 2025 |
| Minnesota State | 2 | 2009, 2024 |
| Central Missouri | 2 | 1984, 2018 |
| California (PA) | 2 | 2004, 2015 |
| Glenville State | 1 | 2022 |
| Bentley | 1 | 2014 |
| Shaw | 1 | 2012 |
| Clayton State | 1 | 2011 |
| Emporia State | 1 | 2010 |
| Southern Connecticut | 1 | 2007 |
| Washburn | 1 | 2005 |
| Virginia Union | 1 | 1983 |
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State[Note 1] | 5 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
| North Dakota[Note 1] | 3 | 1997, 1998, 1999 |
| Northern Kentucky[Note 1] | 2 | 2000, 2008 |
| South Dakota State[Note 1] | 1 | 2003 |
| Hampton[Note 1] | 1 | 1988 |
| New Haven[Note 1] | 1 | 1987 |
| NCAA | | |
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| Division I |
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| Division II |
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| Division III |
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| Single-division or National Collegiate sports and championships |
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| Litigation | ||
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