# NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament

The NCAA 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 of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States (plus one school in Canada) that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions grouped in Division I. The tournament, originally known as the NCAA 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-scholarship Division III, and added the "Men's" designation in 1982 when the NCAA began sponsoring a 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. The Division 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 the Elite Eight at a predetermined site.

## Qualification

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 to COVID-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).

### Conference tournaments

Schools in italics are, as of the 2024–25 Division II basketball season, no longer members of that specific conference.
| Region | Conference | Tournament | Debut | Most Championships | Current Champion (2025) |
| Atlantic | CIAA | Tournament | 1946 | Virginia Union (17) | |
| Atlantic | Mountain East | Tournament | 2014 | West Liberty (4) | Fairmont State (2nd) |
| Atlantic | PSAC | Tournament | 1981 | Cheyney (15) | Gannon (4th) |
| Central | Great American | Tournament | 2012 | Arkansas Tech (3) | Harding (2nd) |
| Central | MIAA | Tournament | 1981 | NW Missouri State (12) | |
| Central | NSIC | Tournament | 2010 | Northern State (SD) (6) | Minnesota State–Moorhead (3rd) |
| East | CACC | Tournament | 2002 | Bloomfield (6) Jefferson (6) | Bridgeport (1st) |
| East | East Coast | Tournament | 1990 | St. Thomas Aquinas (8) | Daemen (1st) |
| East | Northeast-10 | Tournament | 1981 | Saint Anselm (10) | Southern New Hampshire (4th) |
| Midwest | GLIAC | Tournament | 1991 | Findlay (8) | Northern Michigan (3rd) |
| Midwest | GLVC | Tournament | 1981 | Bellarmine (5) Kentucky Wesleyan (5) | Lincoln (MO) (1st) |
| Midwest | G-MAC | Tournament | 2013 | Walsh (4) | Malone (2nd) |
| South | Gulf South | Tournament | 1981 | Alabama–Huntsville (6) Delta State (6) North Alabama (6) | Alabama–Huntsville (6th) |
| South | SIAC | Tournament | 1934 | Florida A&M (12) | Savannah State (3rd) |
| South | Sunshine State | Tournament | 1978 | Florida Southern (25) | Nova Southeastern (4th) |
| South Central | Lone Star | Tournament | 1975 | West Texas A&M (12) | Dallas Baptist (1st) |
| South Central | RMAC | Tournament | 1993 | Metro State (11) | Colorado Mines (3rd) |
| Southeast | Carolinas | Tournament | 1936 | High Point (12) | UNC Pembroke (7th) |
| Southeast | Peach Belt | Tournament | 1992 | Augusta (7) | USC Aiken (5th) |
| Southeast | SAC | Tournament | 1992 | Catawba (9) | Lenoir–Rhyne (5th) |
| West | CCAA | Tournament | 1986 | Cal State Bakersfield (5) UC San Diego (5) | Cal State Dominguez Hills (3rd) |
| West | GNAC | Tournament | 2011 | Seattle Pacific (5) | Seattle Pacific (5th) |
| West | Pacific West | Tournament | 2013 | Point Loma (4) | Point Loma (4th) |
* ↑ Also includes D-II independent Salem
* ↑ Also includes D-II independents UPR Bayamón, UPR Mayagüez, and UPR Río Piedras

## Results

NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship :
| Year | Finals Site | Host Arena | # Teams | Championship Game | Championship Game | Championship Game | Tournament MVP/MOP | Ref |
| Year | Finals Site | Host Arena | # Teams | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Tournament MVP/MOP | Ref |
| 1957 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Wheaton (IL) | 89–65 | Kentucky Wesleyan | Mel Peterson (Wheaton) | |
| 1958 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | South Dakota | 75–53 | St. Michael's | Ed Smallwood (Evansville) | |
| 1959 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Evansville | 83–67 | Southwest Missouri State | Hugh Ahlering (Evansville) | |
| 1960 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Evansville (2) | 90–69 | Chapman | Ed Smallwood (Evansville) | |
| 1961 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Wittenberg | 42–38 | Southeast Missouri State | Don Jacobson (South Dakota State) | |
| 1962 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Mount St. Mary's | 58–57 (OT) | Sacramento State | Ron Rohrer (Sacramento State) | |
| 1963 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | South Dakota State | 44–42 | Wittenberg | Wayne Rasmussen (South Dakota State) | |
| 1964 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Evansville (3) | 72–59 | Akron | Jerry Sloan (Evansville) | |
| 1965 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Evansville (4) | 85–82 (OT) | Southern Illinois | Jerry Sloan (Evansville) | |
| 1966 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 36 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 54–51 | Southern Illinois | Sam Smith (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 1967 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 36 | Winston-Salem State | 77–74 | Southwest Missouri State | Earl Monroe (Winston-Salem State) | |
| 1968 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 36 | Kentucky Wesleyan (2) | 63–52 | Indiana State | Jerry Newsom (Indiana State) | |
| 1969 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Kentucky Wesleyan (3) | 75–71 | Southwest Missouri State | George Tinsley (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 1970 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Philadelphia Textile | 76–65 | Tennessee State | Ted McClain (Tennessee State) | |
| 1971 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Evansville (5) | 97–82 | Old Dominion | Don Buse (Evansville) | |
| 1972 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 36 | Roanoke | 84–72 | Akron | Hal Johnston (Roanoke) | |
| 1973 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 42 | Kentucky Wesleyan (4) | 78–76 | Tennessee State | Mike Williams (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 1974 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 44 | Morgan State | 67–52 | Southwest Missouri State | Marvin Webster (Morgan State) | |
| 1975 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Old Dominion | 76–74 | New Orleans | Wilson Washington (Old Dominion) | |
| 1976 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 32 | Puget Sound | 83–74 | Chattanooga | Curt Peterson (Puget Sound) | |
| 1977 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Chattanooga | 71–62 | Randolph-Macon | Wayne Golden (Chattanooga) | |
| 1978 | Springfield, MO | Hammons Student Center | 32 | Cheyney State | 47–40 | Wisconsin–Green Bay | Andrew Fields (Cheyney) | |
| 1979 | Springfield, MO | Hammons Student Center | 32 | North Alabama | 64–50 | Wisconsin-Green Bay | Perry Oden (North Alabama) | |
| 1980 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Virginia Union | 80–74 | New York Tech | Keith Valentine (Virginia Union) | |
| 1981 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Florida Southern | 73–68 | Mount St. Mary's | John Ebeling (Florida Southern) | |
| 1982 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | District of Columbia | 73–63 | Florida Southern | Michael Britt (District of Columbia) | |
| 1983 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Wright State | 92–73 | District of Columbia | Gary Monroe (Wright State) | |
| 1984 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Central Missouri State | 81–77 | St. Augustine's | Ron Nunnelly (Central Missouri) | |
| 1985 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Jacksonville State | 74–73 | South Dakota State | Mark Tetzlaff (South Dakota State) | |
| 1986 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Sacred Heart | 93–87 | Southeast Missouri State | Roger Younger (Sacred Heart) | |
| 1987 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Kentucky Wesleyan (5) | 92–74 | Gannon | Sam Smith (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 1988 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Lowell | 75–72 | Alaska–Anchorage | Leo Parent (Lowell) | |
| 1989 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | North Carolina Central | 73–46 | Southeast Missouri State | Miles Clarke (North Carolina Central) | |
| 1990 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Kentucky Wesleyan (6) | 93–79 | CSU Bakersfield | Wade Green (CSU Bakersfield) | |
| 1991 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | North Alabama (2) | 79–72 | Bridgeport | Lambert Shell (Bridgeport) | |
| 1992 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | Virginia Union (2) | 100–75 | Bridgeport | Derrick Johnson (Virginia Union) | |
| 1993 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 32 | CSU Bakersfield | 85–72 | Troy State | Tyrone Davis (CSU Bakersfield) | |
| 1994 | Springfield, MA | Springfield Civic Center | 48 | CSU Bakersfield (2) | 92–86 | Southern Indiana | Stan Gouard (Southern Indiana) | |
| 1995 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | Southern Indiana | 71–63 | UC Riverside | William Wilson (UC Riverside) | |
| 1996 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | Fort Hays State | 70–63 | Northern Kentucky | Sherick Simpson (Fort Hays State) | |
| 1997 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | CSU Bakersfield (3) | 57–56 | Northern Kentucky | Kebu Stewart (CSU Bakersfield) | |
| 1998 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | UC Davis | 83–77 | Kentucky Wesleyan | Antonio Garcia (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 1999 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | Kentucky Wesleyan (7) | 75–60 | Metro State | Antonio Garcia (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 2000 | Louisville, KY | Commonwealth Convention Center | 48 | Metro State | 97–79 | Kentucky Wesleyan | DeMarcos Anzures (Metro State) | |
| 2001 | Bakersfield, CA | Rabobank Arena | 48 | Kentucky Wesleyan (8) | 72–63 | Washburn | Lorio Duncan (Kentucky Wesleyan) | |
| 2002 | Evansville, IN | Roberts Municipal Stadium | 48 | Metro State (2) | 80–72 | Kentucky Wesleyan | Patrick Mutombo (Metro State) | |
| 2003 | Lakeland, FL | Lakeland Center | 64 | Northeastern State | 75–64 | Kentucky Wesleyan | Darnell Hinson (Northeastern State) | |
| 2004 | Bakersfield, CA | Rabobank Arena | 64 | Kennesaw State | 84–59 | Southern Indiana | Terrence Hill (Kennesaw State) | |
| 2005 | Grand Forks, ND | Ralph Engelstad Arena | 64 | Virginia Union (3) | 63–58 | Bryant | Antwan Walton (Virginia Union) | |
| 2006 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Winona State | 73–61 | Virginia Union | John Smith (Winona State) | |
| 2007 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Barton | 77–75 | Winona State | Anthony Atkinson (Barton) | |
| 2008 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Winona State (2) | 87–76 | Augusta State | Jonte Flowers (Winona State) | |
| 2009 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Findlay | 56–53 (OT) | Cal Poly Pomona | Josh Bostic (Findlay) | |
| 2010 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Cal Poly Pomona | 65–53 | Indiana (PA) | Austin Swift (Cal Poly Pomona) | |
| 2011 | Springfield, MA | MassMutual Center | 64 | Bellarmine | 71–68 | BYU–Hawaii | Jet Chang (BYU–Hawaii) | |
| 2012 | Highland Heights, KY | The Bank of Kentucky Center | 64 | Western Washington | 72–65 | Montevallo | D. J. Rivera (Montevallo) | |
| 2013 | Atlanta, GA | Philips Arena | 64 | Drury | 74–73 | Metro State | Alex Hall (Drury) | |
| 2014 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Central Missouri (2) | 84–77 | West Liberty | Daylen Robinson (Central Missouri) | |
| 2015 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Florida Southern (2) | 77–62 | Indiana (PA) | Kevin Capers (Florida Southern) | |
| 2016 | Frisco, TX | Dr Pepper Arena | 64 | Augustana (SD) | 90–81 | Lincoln Memorial | Alex Richter (Augustana (SD)) | |
| 2017 | Sioux Falls, SD | Sanford Pentagon | 64 | Northwest Missouri State | 71–61 | Fairmont State | Justin Pitts (Northwest Missouri State) | |
| 2018 | Sioux Falls, SD | Sanford Pentagon | 64 | Ferris State | 71–69 | Northern State | Zach Hankins (Ferris State) | |
| 2019 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Northwest Missouri State (2) | 64–58 | Point Loma | Trevor Hudgins (Northwest Missouri State) | |
| 2020 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena | 64 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | | |
| 2021 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 48 | Northwest Missouri State (3) | 80–54 | West Texas A&M | Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State) | |
| 2022 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Northwest Missouri State (4) | 67–58 | Augusta | Trevor Hudgins (Northwest Missouri State) | |
| 2023 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Nova Southeastern | 111–101 | West Liberty | Will Yoakum & RJ Sunahara (Nova Southeastern) | |
| 2024 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | 64 | Minnesota State | 88–85 | Nova Southeastern | Malik Willingham (Minnesota State) | |
| 2025 | Evansville, IN | Ford Center | | | | | | |
| 2026 | Pittsburgh, PA | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | | | | | | |
* Source:
* ↑ Kentucky Wesleyan subsequently forfeited its 2003 runner-up status after it was revealed they had let two ineligible transfer players play.
* ↑ Philips Arena in Atlanta, now known as State Farm Arena, was the site of the championship game only. The rest of the Elite Eight was played at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.
* ↑ State Farm Arena was scheduled as the site of the championship game only. The Elite Eight quarterfinals and semifinals would have been played at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

## Records and statistics
### Championships by school

| School | Titles | Years |
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 8 | 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001 |
| Evansville | 5 | 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1971 |
| NW Missouri State | 4 | 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 |
| Virginia Union | 3 | 1980, 1992, 2005 |
| Cal State Bakersfield | 3 | 1993, 1994, 1997 |
| Florida Southern | 2 | 1981, 2015 |
| Central Missouri | 2 | 1984, 2014 |
| Winona State | 2 | 2006, 2008 |
| Metropolitan State | 2 | 2000, 2002 |
| North Alabama | 2 | 1979, 1991 |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 2024 |
| Nova Southeastern | 1 | 2023 |
| Ferris State | 1 | 2018 |
| Augustana (SD) | 1 | 2016 |
| Drury | 1 | 2013 |
| Western Washington | 1 | 2012 |
| Bellarmine | 1 | 2011 |
| Cal Poly Pomona | 1 | 2010 |
| Findlay | 1 | 2009 |
| Barton | 1 | 2007 |
| Kennesaw State | 1 | 2004 |
| Northeastern State | 1 | 2003 |
| UC Davis | 1 | 1998 |
| Fort Hays State | 1 | 1996 |
| Southern Indiana | 1 | 1995 |
| North Carolina Central | 1 | 1989 |
| UMass Lowell | 1 | 1988 |
| Sacred Heart | 1 | 1986 |
| Jacksonville State | 1 | 1985 |
| Wright State | 1 | 1983 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1982 |
| Cheyney | 1 | 1978 |
| Chattanooga | 1 | 1977 |
| Puget Sound | 1 | 1976 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 1975 |
| Morgan State | 1 | 1974 |
| Roanoke | 1 | 1972 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 1970 |
| Winston-Salem State | 1 | 1967 |
| South Dakota State | 1 | 1963 |
| Mount Saint Mary's | 1 | 1962 |
| Wittenberg | 1 | 1961 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 1958 |
| Wheaton (IL) | 1 | 1957 |
* ↑ Championship won as Lowell.
* ↑ Championship won as Tennessee–Chattanooga.
* ↑ Championship won as Philadelphia Textile.

### Team appearances
## Former Division II champions now in other classes
### Division I

Source:
| 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 |
| 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 |

### Division III

Source:
| 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 |

## Broadcasting

CBS Sports holds rights to the semi-final and final rounds of the Division II tournament, with the semi-final games broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the final on CBS (covered as part of the NCAA 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.