# 2023 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament

The 2023 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament was the tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of Division III women's college basketball in the United States for the 2022–23 season. It featured 64 teams.
During the 2022–23 academic year, the NCAA organized many events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX, federal legislation outlawing sex discrimination in higher education. As part of this celebration, the NCAA scheduled the women's basketball championship games of all three of its divisions at the site of the 2023 Division I Final Four. Accordingly, the championship game was held on April 1, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The national semifinals were played at Oosting Gymnasium at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut on March 18.
This scheduling also created an unusually long break in the tournament. Normally, the national championship game is played one or two days after the semifinals, but this year's final took place 14 days after the semifinals.

## Tournament schedule and venues
### Regionals

The first and second rounds took place at campus sites from March 3–4, 2023. Teams were sent to one of 16 locations, each hosted by one team from the group of four.
The third and fourth rounds (sectional semifinals and finals) also took place at campus sites from March 10–11, 2023. Teams were sent to the home arena of one of the four teams remaining in their sectional bracket.

### Final Four

The national semifinals and finals were held at predetermined sites: the former at the Oosting Gymnasium at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, on March 18, and the latter at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The national championship was played on April 1, 2023, in Dallas, which was also the host of the 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four.

## Qualifying

A total of sixty-four bids were available for the tournament: Forty-four automatic bids—awarded to the champions of the 44 NCAA-recognized Division III conference tournaments—and 20 at-large bids.
While this is the first season for the newly established Collegiate Conference of the South, its conference tournament champion will not be eligible for an automatic bid until 2024.
This was also the final year that the Colonial States Athletic Conference and United East Conference receive separate bids; the two conferences will merge ahead of the 2023–24 season, consolidating their bids into one, although the name and legacy of the combined conference have not yet been announced. It was also the final year for the New England Collegiate Conference as an all-sports league. After steady losses of membership in recent years, it had only four members in the 2022–23 season. All four would join other conferences for 2023–24 and beyond.

### Automatic bids (44)
## Brackets

Source

### Upper Left

| First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Northampton, MA | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Northampton, MA | | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Northampton, MA | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Northampton, MA |
| Smith | 100 | | | | | | | |
| SUNY Morrisville | 50 | | | | | | | |
| SUNY Morrisville | 50 | Smith | 65 | | | | | |
| Northampton, MA | Northampton, MA | Smith | 65 | | | | | |
| Northampton, MA | Northampton, MA | St. John Fisher | 64 | | | | | |
| Marymount | 72 | St. John Fisher | 64 | | | | | |
| St. John Fisher | 80 | | | | | | | |
| St. John Fisher | 80 | | | Smith | 68 | | | |
| | | | | Mary Washington | 65 | | | |
| Mary Washington | 69 | | | | | Mary Washington | 65 | | | |
| Roger Williams | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Roger Williams | 60 | Mary Washington | 75 | | | | | |
| Center Valley, PA | Center Valley, PA | Mary Washington | 75 | | | | | |
| Center Valley, PA | Center Valley, PA | DeSales | 69 | | | | | |
| DeSales | 78 | DeSales | 69 | | | | | |
| Mitchell | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Mitchell | 60 | | | | | | Smith | 63 |
| | | | | | | | Trinity (CT) | 46 |
| Trinity (CT) | 58 | | | | | | | | Trinity (CT) | 46 |
| Notre Dame (MD) | 43 | | | | | | | |
| Notre Dame (MD) | 43 | Trinity (CT) | 64 | | | | | |
| Hartford, CT | Hartford, CT | Trinity (CT) | 64 | | | | | |
| Hartford, CT | Hartford, CT | SUNY Cortland | 59 | | | | | |
| SUNY Cortland | 62 | SUNY Cortland | 59 | | | | | |
| Saint Vincent | 51 | | | | | | | |
| Saint Vincent | 51 | | | Trinity (CT) | 63 | | | |
| | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 56 | | | |
| Ohio Wesleyan | 68 | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 56 | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 84 | | | | | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 84 | Gustavus Adolphus | 63 | | | | | |
| Whitewater, WI | Whitewater, WI | Gustavus Adolphus | 63 | | | | | |
| Whitewater, WI | Whitewater, WI | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 68 | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | 69 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 68 | | | | | |
| Webster | 50 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom Left

| First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Lexington, KY | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Lexington, KY | | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Lexington, KY | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Lexington, KY |
| Transylvania | 58 | | | | | | | |
| Rhodes | 45 | | | | | | | |
| Rhodes | 45 | Transylvania | 71 | | | | | |
| Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | Transylvania | 71 | | | | | |
| Lexington, KY | Lexington, KY | Millikin | 59 | | | | | |
| Emory | 70 | Millikin | 59 | | | | | |
| Millikin | 76 | | | | | | | |
| Millikin | 76 | | | Transylvania | 67 | | | |
| | | | | Ohio Northern | 43 | | | |
| Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 58 | | | | | Ohio Northern | 43 | | | |
| Washington and Lee | 55 | | | | | | | |
| Washington and Lee | 55 | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 60 | | | | | |
| Ada, OH | Ada, OH | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 60 | | | | | |
| Ada, OH | Ada, OH | Ohio Northern | 71 | | | | | |
| Ohio Northern | 54 | Ohio Northern | 71 | | | | | |
| Berea | 43 | | | | | | | |
| Berea | 43 | | | | | | Transylvania | 79 |
| | | | | | | | NYU | 63 |
| Loras | 68 | | | | | | | | NYU | 63 |
| Knox | 56 | | | | | | | |
| Knox | 56 | Loras | 54 | | | | | |
| Dubuque, IA | Dubuque, IA | Loras | 54 | | | | | |
| Dubuque, IA | Dubuque, IA | Trine | 60 | | | | | |
| Washington St. Louis | 69 | Trine | 60 | | | | | |
| Trine | 79 | | | | | | | |
| Trine | 79 | | | Trine | 49 | | | |
| | | | | NYU | 66 | | | |
| Messiah | 47 | | | | | NYU | 66 | | | |
| Bridgewater State | 43 | | | | | | | |
| Bridgewater State | 43 | Messiah | 39 | | | | | |
| Mechanicsburg, PA | Mechanicsburg, PA | Messiah | 39 | | | | | |
| Mechanicsburg, PA | Mechanicsburg, PA | NYU | 62 | | | | | |
| NYU | 71 | NYU | 62 | | | | | |
| Greensboro | 54 | | | | | | | |

### Upper Right

| First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Medford, MA | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Medford, MA | | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Medford, MA | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Medford, MA |
| Christopher Newport | 89 | | | | | | | |
| Brooklyn | 52 | | | | | | | |
| Brooklyn | 52 | Christopher Newport | 65 | | | | | |
| Newport News, VA | Newport News, VA | Christopher Newport | 65 | | | | | |
| Newport News, VA | Newport News, VA | Elizabethtown | 55 | | | | | |
| Elizabethtown | 79 | Elizabethtown | 55 | | | | | |
| Stevens Tech | 68 | | | | | | | |
| Stevens Tech | 68 | | | Christopher Newport | 60 | | | |
| | | | | Wartburg | 51 | | | |
| Baldwin Wallace | 43 | | | | | Wartburg | 51 | | | |
| Wartburg | 57 | | | | | | | |
| Wartburg | 57 | Wartburg | 81 | | | | | |
| Holland, MI | Holland, MI | Wartburg | 81 | | | | | |
| Holland, MI | Holland, MI | Hope | 67 | | | | | |
| Hope | 82 | Hope | 67 | | | | | |
| St. Norbert | 61 | | | | | | | |
| St. Norbert | 61 | | | | | | Christopher Newport | 72 |
| | | | | | | | Tufts | 56 |
| Trinity (TX) | 79 | | | | | | | | Tufts | 56 |
| UT Dallas | 62 | | | | | | | |
| UT Dallas | 62 | Trinity (TX) | 88 | | | | | |
| San Antonio, TX | San Antonio, TX | Trinity (TX) | 88 | | | | | |
| San Antonio, TX | San Antonio, TX | Hardin–Simmons | 69 | | | | | |
| Hardin-Simmons | 77 | Hardin–Simmons | 69 | | | | | |
| Redlands | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Redlands | 60 | | | Trinity (TX) | 52 | | | |
| | | | | Tufts | 65 | | | |
| Skidmore | 62 | | | | | Tufts | 65 | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | 59 | | | | | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | 59 | Skidmore | 50 | | | | | |
| Medford, MA | Medford, MA | Skidmore | 50 | | | | | |
| Medford, MA | Medford, MA | Tufts | 59 | | | | | |
| Tufts | 72 | Tufts | 59 | | | | | |
| Merchant Marine | 57 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom Right

| First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | First Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Second Round March 3–4, 2023 Campus sites | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Wellesley, MA | Sectional Semifinals March 10, 2023 Wellesley, MA | | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Wellesley, MA | Sectional Finals March 11, 2023 Wellesley, MA |
| Babson | 69 | | | | | | | |
| Maine Maritime | 44 | | | | | | | |
| Maine Maritime | 44 | Babson | 76 | | | | | |
| Wellesley, MA | Wellesley, MA | Babson | 76 | | | | | |
| Wellesley, MA | Wellesley, MA | SUNY New Paltz | 66 | | | | | |
| Gettysburg | 47 | SUNY New Paltz | 66 | | | | | |
| SUNY New Paltz | 63 | | | | | | | |
| SUNY New Paltz | 63 | | | Babson | 73 | | | |
| | | | | Marietta | 59 | | | |
| Marietta | 61 | | | | | Marietta | 59 | | | |
| Eastern Connecticut State | 57 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Connecticut State | 57 | Marietta | 44 | | | | | |
| Ithaca, NY | Ithaca, NY | Marietta | 44 | | | | | |
| Ithaca, NY | Ithaca, NY | Ithaca | 42 | | | | | |
| Ithaca | 58 | Ithaca | 42 | | | | | |
| La Roche | 42 | | | | | | | |
| La Roche | 42 | | | | | | Babson | 47 |
| | | | | | | | Rhode Island College | 60 |
| Chicago | 63 | | | | | | | | Rhode Island College | 60 |
| Northwestern St. Paul | 48 | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern St. Paul | 48 | Chicago | 56 | | | | | |
| Chicago, IL | Chicago, IL | Chicago | 56 | | | | | |
| Chicago, IL | Chicago, IL | Whitman | 54 | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Eau Claire | 81 | Whitman | 54 | | | | | |
| Whitman | 85 | | | | | | | |
| Whitman | 85 | | | Chicago | 56 | | | |
| | | | | Rhode Island College | 64 | | | |
| Rhode Island College | 67 | | | | | Rhode Island College | 64 | | | |
| Rowan | 59 | | | | | | | |
| Rowan | 59 | Rhode Island College | 62 | | | | | |
| Scranton, PA | Scranton, PA | Rhode Island College | 62 | | | | | |
| Scranton, PA | Scranton, PA | Scranton | 55 | | | | | |
| Scranton | 64 | Scranton | 55 | | | | | |
| Saint Joseph's (ME) | 45 | | | | | | | |

### Final Four

| National semifinal March 18 Hartford, CT | National semifinal March 18 Hartford, CT | National semifinal March 18 Hartford, CT | National championship April 1 Dallas, TX | National championship April 1 Dallas, TX | National championship April 1 Dallas, TX |
| Smith College | Smith College | 65 | | | |
| Transylvania | Transylvania | 76 | | | |
| Transylvania | Transylvania | 76 | Transylvania | Transylvania | 57 |
| | | | Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 52 |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 56 | Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 52 |
| Rhode Island College | Rhode Island College | 51 | | | |

### Sectional hosting controversy

When sectional hosts were announced on March 5, there was some controversy as three of the four hosts were placed in the state of Massachusetts and all four in the Eastern Time Zone. Most of the controversy came when Tufts, with its 21–6 regular season record, was granted hosting rights over 26–1 Trinity (TX), with top seed Christopher Newport unable to host due to the men's sectional being held at CNU the same weekend. Three teams would have to travel via air regardless of where the pod was placed, an unusual occurrence for a Division III sectional. D3sports.com's Pat Coleman observed "[Division III] Texas teams get screwed so often [by the NCAA], in every sport. This was a chance for a makeup call that was sorely missed, and it's an example Texas teams can point to and say, even when the number of flights is equal, we still get screwed." Further analysis by Coleman showed a long-standing NCAA policy to deny sectional hosts in Texas or the larger Region 10 (which also includes the states of Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington). Since the sectional concept was introduced to the men's and women's tournaments in 2000, there had been 84 sectionals in each tournament through the 2023 editions. On the women's side, no Region 10 school had hosted a sectional since 2014, and the previous Region 10 host had done so in 2008, meaning that only one of the past 56 sectionals had been held in Region 10. The perceived snubbing of Region 10 was even greater in the men's tournament; only one sectional had been held in Region 10, with none since 2004.