Current season, competition or edition: 2025 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament | |
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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| No. of teams | 64 (reduced to 48 for 2021 only) |
| Country | NCAA Division II (USA) |
| Most recent champion | Nova Southeastern (2nd title) (2024) |
| Most titles | Kentucky Wesleyan (8 titles) |
| Broadcasters | CBS (Finals) CBS Sports Network (Semifinals) |
| Official website | NCAA.com |
TheNCAA Division II men's basketball tournament (officially styled by the NCAA as a "Championship" instead of a "Tournament") is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members ofNCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States (plusone school inCanada) that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions grouped inDivision I. The tournament, originally known as theNCAA College Division Basketball Championship, was established in 1957, immediately after the NCAA subdivided its member schools into the University Division (today's Division I) and College Division. It became the Division II championship in 1974, when the NCAA split the College Division into the limited-scholarship Division II and the non-scholarshipDivision III, and added the "Men's" designation in 1982 when the NCAA began sponsoringa Division II women's championship.
Like all other NCAA basketball divisions for men and women, the champion is decided in a single-elimination tournament. The Division II tournament normally involves 64 teams. TheDivision II tournaments for men and women differ in a major respect from those in Divisions I and III. The finals of both Division II tournaments consist of eight teams, instead of the four in the other two divisions. The eight survivors of regional play meet in theElite Eight at a predetermined site.
Nova Southeastern are the reigning 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 men'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), all but one of which contain three of the 23 Division II conferences that sponsor men's basketball. The South Central region contains only two conferences. Each regional tournament involves an appropriate number of automatic qualifiers (teams that won their respective conference tournaments), with the remaining participants entering via at-large bids (which are awarded regardless of conference affiliation).
Schools initalics are, as of the 2025–26 Division II basketball season, no longer members of that specific conference.
Active programs
| School | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 8 | 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001 |
| NW Missouri State | 4 | 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 |
| Virginia Union | 3 | 1980, 1992, 2005 |
| Nova Southeastern | 2 | 2023, 2025 |
| Florida Southern | 1981, 2015 | |
| Central Missouri | 1984, 2014 | |
| Winona State | 2006, 2008 | |
| MSU Denver | 2000, 2002 | |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 2024 |
| Ferris State | 2018 | |
| Augustana (SD) | 2016 | |
| Drury | 2013 | |
| Western Washington | 2012 | |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 2010 | |
| Findlay | 2009 | |
| Barton | 2007 | |
| Northeastern State | 2003 | |
| Fort Hays State | 1996 | |
| District of Columbia | 1982 | |
| Jefferson[a 1] | 1970 | |
| Winston-Salem State | 1967 |
Former programs
| School | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Evansville | 5 | 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1971 |
| Cal State Bakersfield | 3 | 1993, 1994, 1997 |
| North Alabama | 2 | 1979, 1991 |
| Bellarmine | 1 | 2011 |
| Kennesaw State | 2004 | |
| UC Davis | 1998 | |
| Southern Indiana | 1995 | |
| North Carolina Central | 1989 | |
| UMass Lowell[a 2] | 1988 | |
| Sacred Heart | 1986 | |
| Jacksonville State | 1985 | |
| Wright State | 1983 | |
| Cheyney | 1978 | |
| Chattanooga[a 3] | 1977 | |
| Puget Sound | 1976 | |
| Old Dominion | 1975 | |
| Morgan State | 1974 | |
| Roanoke | 1972 | |
| South Dakota State | 1963 | |
| Mount Saint Mary's | 1962 | |
| Wittenberg | 1961 | |
| South Dakota | 1958 | |
| Wheaton (IL) | 1957 |
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1Source:[10]
| School | Championship(s) | Year moved | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 1958 | 2006 | The Summit League |
| Evansville | 1959 • 1960 • 1964 • 1965 • 1971 | 1977 | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Mount St. Mary's | 1962 | 1989 | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
| South Dakota State | 1963 | 2005 | The Summit League |
| Morgan State | 1974 | 1985 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Old Dominion | 1975 | 1976 | Sun Belt Conference |
| Chattanooga | 1977 | 1977 | Southern Conference |
| North Alabama | 1979 • 1991 | 2018 | Atlantic Sun Conference (United Athletic Conference in 2026) |
| Wright State | 1983 | 1988 | Horizon League |
| Jacksonville State | 1985 | 1996 | Conference USA |
| Sacred Heart | 1986 | 1999 | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
| UMass Lowell | 1988 | 2013 | America East Conference |
| North Carolina Central | 1989 | 2008 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Bakersfield | 1993 • 1994 • 1997 | 2007 | Big West Conference |
| Southern Indiana | 1995 | 2022 | Ohio Valley Conference |
| UC Davis | 1998 | 2004 | Big West Conference (Mountain West Conference in 2026) |
| Kennesaw State | 2004 | 2006 | Conference USA |
| Bellarmine | 2011 | 2020 | Atlantic Sun Conference |
Source:[11]
| School | Championship(s) | Year moved | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheaton (IL) | 1957 | 1974 | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin |
| Wittenberg | 1961 | 1974 | North Coast Athletic Conference |
| Roanoke | 1972 | 1976 | Old Dominion Athletic Conference |
| Puget Sound | 1976 | 1996 | Northwest Conference |
CBS Sports holds rights to the semi-final and final rounds of the Division II tournament, with the semi-final games broadcast onCBS Sports Network and the final onCBS (covered as part of theNCAA March Madness package). In 2015, CBS Sports reached a long-term deal to continue broadcasting the Division II men's semi-final on CBS Sports Network through 2024.[12]
| 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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