NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament explained

Current Season:2024 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
Pixels:140px
Sport:Basketball
Founded:1975
Teams:64
Country:NCAA Division III (USA)
Champion:Trine (2024; 1st title)
Most Champs:North Park (5 titles)
Tv:CBS Sports Network
Website:NCAA.com

The NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament (officially styled as "Championship" instead of "Tournament") is a tournament to determine the NCAA Division III national champion. It has been held annually from 1975 to 2019 & since 2022, but not played in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 issues.

From 1996 to 2012 and 2014 to 2018, the NCAA Division III men's basketball championship was held at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. The event had been hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem. From 2017 to 2020 & since 2022, the tournament has been a 64-team single-elimination tournament, with teams advancing from four sectionals to the semifinals and final in Fort Wayne.

For 2013, as part of the celebration of the 75th NCAA Division I tournament, the championship games in both the NCAA Division II and Division III tournaments were played at Philips Arena, now known as State Farm Arena, in Atlanta.[1] From 2014 to 2018, the final game returned to Salem.[2] Currently, the Final Four is held in Fort Wayne, Indiana at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. For 2020 only, the national semifinals were to be played in Fort Wayne, but the championship game was to have returned to Atlanta, with the NCAA choosing to hold the championship games of both Divisions II and III as part of the festivities surrounding the men's Division I Final Four; however, the NCAA decided to abandon the tournament after the second round, 16 teams remaining.[3] The NCAA also canceled the 2021 tournament after a majority of D-III conferences chose not to play due to continued COVID-19 issues. Of teams and conferences that played, D3Hoops' top two ranked teams, No. 1 Randolph-Macon College and No. 2 Trine University, opted to play a self-organised mythical national championship game. Randolph-Macon won, 69-55.[4]

Trine is the defending national champion, beating Hampden–Sydney 69–61 in the 2024 championship.

Qualification

Since 2023–24, a total of 64 bids have been available for each tournament:

Conference tournaments

Schools in italics are, as of the current 2023–24 basketball season, no longer members of that specific conference.

style= colspan=4NCAA Division III men's conference tournaments
ConferenceTournamentMost titlesCurrent champion (2024)
Allegheny MountainLa Roche, Medaille, & Penn State Behrend (6)La Roche (6th)
American RiversTournamentBuena Vista (7)Loras (3rd)
American SouthwestTournamentMississippi College & Texas–Dallas (5)Texas–Dallas (5th)
Atlantic EastTournamentMarymount (2)Marymount (2nd)
CentennialTournamentFranklin & Marshall (8)Swarthmore (4th)
CUNYACTournamentStaten Island (15)Baruch (6th)
Coast to Coast (C2C)TournamentCatholic (7)Christopher Newport (6th)
CCIWTournamentAugustana (6)Elmhurst (3rd)
CCSTournamentMaryville (TN) (2)Maryville (TN) (2nd)
Commonwealth CoastTournamentEndicott (7)Roger Williams (3rd)
Empire 8TournamentSt. John Fisher (8)Utica (2nd)
Great NortheastTournamentAlbertus Magnus (9)Saint Joseph (CT) (3rd)
HeartlandTournamentFranklin & Hanover (6)Anderson (2nd)
LandmarkTournamentScranton (8)Catholic (3rd)
LibertyTournamentSkidmore (5)Hobart (3rd)
Little EastTournamentUMass Dartmouth (12)Keene State (7th)
MASCACTournamentSalem State (18)Worcester State (3rd)
MichiganTournamentHope (15)Hope (15th)
TournamentsScranton (16)Eastern (1st)
MAC FreedomStevens (3rd)
MidwestTournamentRipon (8)Illinois College (3rd)
MinnesotaTournamentSt. Thomas (9)Gustavus Adolphus (4th)
NESCACTournamentAmherst (8)Trinity (2nd)
NEWMACTournamentBabson & MIT (6)Babson (6th)
NJACTournamentStockton (6)TCNJ (2nd)
North AtlanticChampionshipHusson (9)Husson (9th)
NCACTournamentWooster (16th)Wabash (3rd)
NACCTournamentAurora (5)Wisconsin Lutheran (2nd)
NorthwestTournamentWhitworth (16)Whitworth (16th)
OhioTournamentWittenberg (14)John Carroll (6th)
ODACTournamentHampden-Sydney (11)Hampden-Sydney (11th)
PresidentsTournamentBethany (6)Geneva (1st)
SLIACTournamentFontbonne (7)Fontbonne (7th)
SkylineTournamentFarmingdale State (7)Farmingdale State (7th)
SAATournamentBerry (4)Berry (4th)
SCIACTournamentClaremont–Mudd–Scripps (7)Claremont–Mudd–Scripps (7th)
SCACTournamentTrinity (TX) (6)Centenary (LA) (2nd)
SUNYACTournamentBuffalo State (15)New Paltz (1st)
United EastChampionshipMorrisville State (5)Penn State Harrisburg (3rd)
UAANo tournament
UMACTournamentNorthwestern–St. Paul (13)Bethany Lutheran (4rd)
USA SouthTournamentChristopher Newport (15)Mary Baldwin
WIACTournamentWisconsin–Stevens Point (9)Wisconsin–Platteville (4th)

Defunct conferences

style= colspan=5Defunct NCAA Division III men's conference tournaments
ConferenceTournamentFirst yearLast yearMost titles
Colonial StatesTournament19942023Cabrini (13)
NECCTournament20092023Elms and Mitchell (4)

Summary

style= colspan=11NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship
Year Finals SiteChampionship GameSemifinalistsTournament MOP
(University)
Winner ScoreRunner-up
1975Reading, PennsylvaniaLeMoyne–Owen57 - 54Glassboro StateAugustana (IL)
Brockport
Bob Newman
(LeMoyne–Owen)
1976Scranton60 - 57
(OT)
WittenbergAugustana (IL)
Plattsburgh State
Jack Maher
(Scranton)
1977Rock Island, IllinoisWittenberg79 - 66Scranton
Hamline
Rick White
(Wittenberg)
1978North Park69 - 57Albion
Stony Brook
Michael Harper
(North Park)
1979North Park (2)66 - 62SUNY PotsdamFranklin & Marshall
Centre
Michael Harper
(North Park)
1980North Park (3)83 - 76UpsalaWittenberg
Longwood
Michael Thomas
(North Park)
1981Potsdam State67 - 65
(OT)
Augustana (IL)Ursinus
Otterbein
Maxwell Artis
(Augustana–IL)
1982Grand Rapids, MichiganWabash83 - 62Potsdam StateBrooklyn
Stanislaus State
Pete Metzelaars
(Wabash)
1983Scranton (2)64 - 63WittenbergRoanoke
Wisconsin–Whitewater
Bill Bessoir
(Scranton)
1984Wisconsin–Whitewater103 - 86DePauw
Upsala
Andre McKoy
(Wisconsin–Whitewater)
1985North Park (4)72 - 71Potsdam StateNebraska Wesleyan
Widener
Earnest Hubbard
(North Park)
1986Potsdam State (2)76 - 73LeMoyne–OwenNebraska Wesleyan
New Jersey City
Roosevelt Bullock
(Potsdam State)
1987North Park (5)106 - 100Wittenberg
Richard Stockton
Michael Starks
(North Park)
1988Ohio Wesleyan92 - 70ScrantonNebraska Wesleyan
Hartwick
Scott Tedder
(Ohio Wesleyan)
1989Springfield, OhioWisconsin–Whitewater (2)94 - 86Trenton StateSouthern Maine
Centre
Greg Grant
(Trenton State)
1990Rochester43 - 42DePauwWashington College
Calvin
Chris Fite
(Rochester)
1991Wisconsin–Platteville81 - 74Franklin & MarshallOtterbein
Ramapo
Shawn Frison
(Wisconsin–Platteville)
1992Calvin62 - 49 RochesterWisconsin–Platteville
New Jersey City
Steve Honderd
(Calvin)
1993Buffalo, New YorkOhio Northern71 - 68Augustana (IL)Rowan
UMass–Dartmouth
Kirk Anderson
(Augustana–IL)
1994Lebanon Valley66 - 59
(OT)
NYUWittenberg
St. Thomas (MN)
Mike Rhoades/Adam Crawford
(Lebanon Valley/NYU)
1995Wisconsin–Platteville (2)69 - 55Manchester (IN)Rowan
Trinity (CT)
Ernie Peavy
(Wisconsin–Platteville)
1996Salem, VirginiaRowan100 - 93Illinois Wesleyan
Franklin & Marshall
Terrence Stewart
(Rowan)
1997Illinois Wesleyan89 - 86Nebraska WesleyanWilliams
Alvernia
Bryan Crabtree
(Illinois Wesleyan)
1998Wisconsin–Platteville (3)69 - 56HopeWilliams
Wilkes
Ben Hoffmann
(Wisconsin–Platteville)
1999Wisconsin–Platteville (4)76 - 75
(2OT)
Connecticut College
William Paterson
Merrill Brunson
(Wisconsin–Platteville)
2000Calvin (2)79 - 74Wisconsin–Eau ClaireSalem State
Franklin & Marshall
Sherm Carstensen
(Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
2001Catholic76 - 62William PatersonIllinois Wesleyan
Ohio Northern
Pat Maloney
(Catholic)
2002Otterbein102 - 83ElizabethtownCarthage
Rochester
Jeff Gibbs
(Otterbein)
2003Williams67 - 65Gustavus AdolphusWooster
Hampden–Sydney
Benjamin Coffin
(Williams)
2004[5] Wisconsin–Stevens Point84 - 82WilliamsJohn Carroll
Amherst
Nick Bennett
(Wisconsin–Stevens Point)
2005Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2)73 - 49RochesterCalvin
York (PA)
Jason Kalsow
(Wisconsin–Stevens Point)
2006Virginia Wesleyan59 - 56[6] WittenbergIllinois Wesleyan
Amherst
Ton Ton Balenga
(Virginia Wesleyan)
2007Amherst80 - 67[7] Virginia WesleyanWashington–St. Louis
Wooster
Andrew Olson
(Amherst)
2008Washington–St. Louis90 - 68AmherstHope
Ursinus
Troy Ruths
(Washington–St. Louis)
2009Washington–St. Louis (2)61 - 52[8] Richard StocktonGuilford
Franklin & Marshall
Sean Wallis
(Washington–St. Louis)
2010Wisconsin–Stevens Point (3)78 - 73[9] WilliamsGuilford
Randolph–Macon
Matt Moses
(Wisconsin–Stevens Point)
2011St. Thomas (MN)78 - 54[10] WoosterMiddlebury
Williams
Tyler Nicolai
(St. Thomas–MN)
2012Wisconsin–Whitewater (3)63 - 60[11] CabriniIllinois Wesleyan
MIT
Chris Davis
(Wisconsin–Whitewater)
2013Atlanta, GeorgiaAmherst (2)87 - 70[12] Mary Hardin–BaylorSt. Thomas (MN)
North Central (IL)
Allen Williamson
(Amherst)
2014Salem, VirginiaWisconsin–Whitewater (4)75 - 73[13] WilliamsAmherst
Illinois Wesleyan
K. J. Evans
(Wisconsin–Whitewater)
2015Wisconsin–Stevens Point (4)70 - 54Augustana (IL)Babson
Virginia Wesleyan
Austin Ryf
(Wisconsin–Stevens Point)
2016St. Thomas (MN) (2)82 - 76BenedictineChristopher Newport
Amherst
Taylor Montero
(St. Thomas-MN)
2017Babson79 - 78Augustana (IL)Whitman
Williams
Joey Flannery
(Babson)
2018Nebraska Wesleyan78 - 72Wisconsin–OshkoshRamapo
Springfield
Cooper Cook
(Nebraska Wesleyan)
2019Fort Wayne, IndianaWisconsin-Oshkosh96 - 82SwarthmoreChristopher Newport
Wheaton (IL)
Jack Flynn
(Wisconsin–Oshkosh)
2020Atlanta, GeorgiaAbandoned after second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021Fort Wayne, IndianaNot held because insufficient number of Division III schools played a season because of pandemic. A bowl-game style championship was organised by top two teams in D3Sports.com polls Randolph-Macon defeated Trine, 69-55, on campus in Ashland, VA.[14]
2022Randolph-Macon75 - 45ElmhurstMarietta
Wabash
Buzz Anthony
(Randolph-Macon)
2023Christopher Newport74 - 72Mount UnionWisconsin-Whitewater
Swarthmore
Trey Barber
(Christopher Newport)
2024Trine69 - 61Hampden–SydneyGuilford
Trinity (CT)
Cortez Garland
(Trine)
2025
2026
Notes

Locations

Championships, by team

Active programs

Team Titles Years
style=5 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1987
style=4 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015
style=4 1984, 1989, 2012, 2014
style=4 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999
style=2 2007, 2013
style=2 1992, 2000
style=2 1976, 1983
style=2 1981, 1986
style=2 2008, 2009
style=1 2024
style=1 2023
style=1 2022
style=1 2019
style=1 2018
style=1 2017
style=1 2006
style=1 2003
style=1 2002
style=1 2001
style=1 1997
style=1 1996
style=1 1994
style=1 1993
style=1 1990
style=1 1988
style=1 1982
style=1 1977

Former programs

Team Titles Years
style= 2 2011, 2016
style= 1 1975

Programs with at least 20 appearances in the Division III tournament

See also: List of NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament bids by school.

BidsSchoolConferenceFirst BidMost Recent
30HopeMichigan19822024
30WittenbergNorth Coast19752020
29ScrantonLandmark19752023
29WoosterNorth Coast19782020
27Christopher NewportCoast to Coast19862024
26Illinois WesleyanCCIW19842022
25Franklin & MarshallCentennial19752018
25Salem StateMASCAC19802019
25Washington–St. LouisUAA19872024
23CalvinMichigan19802024
22Wisconsin–WhitewaterWisconsin19832023
20AmherstNESCAC19942019
20Maryville (TN)CCS19912019
20Randolph–MaconOld Dominion19902024
20WilliamsNESCAC19942024

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Success paves way for 75th celebration . NCAA . May 10, 2012 . May 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120521072156/http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-05-10/success-paves-way-75th-celebration . May 21, 2012 . dead .
  2. Web site: Preliminary round sites announced for 2014, 2015 NCAA tournaments. December 16, 2012. NCAA. January 24, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130511053951/http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-11-12/preliminary-round-sites-announced-2014-2015-ncaa-tournaments. May 11, 2013. dead.
  3. Combined championships for NCAA basketball planned . NCAA . April 24, 2019 . April 25, 2019.
  4. Web site: EDITORIAL: Randolph-Macon wins mythical national title . Fredricksburg.com . (Fredricksburg) Free Lance-Star . FLS.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20041011001056/http://sports-att.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1764480 Kalsow comes through for Pointers - Men's College Basketball - ESPN
  6. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2374630 Balenga leads Virginia Wesleyan to title - Men's College Basketball - ESPN
  7. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2802655 Amherst notches first D-III basketball championship - Men's College Basketball - ESPN
  8. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=4004100 Washington University repeats as Division-III champion - ESPN
  9. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=5013151 Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers rally to beat Williams College for DIII title - ESPN
  10. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6237233 St. Thomas pounds Wooster for NCAA Division III men's title - ESPN
  11. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7704190 Wisconsin-Whitewater wins D-III men's hoops crown - ESPN
  12. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/willy-stuff-helps-amherst-to-division-iii-national-title/2013/04/07/595e54de-9fc8-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html 'Willy stuff' helps Amherst to Division III national title
  13. Web site: It's a family tradition at Whitewater; KJ Evans earns MOP, follows in uncle's footsteps . NCAA. NCAA.com. April 10, 2014.
  14. Web site: Randolph-Macon runs out to win in showdown . D3Sports.com . Presto Sports . 2021-09-26 . Presto.
  15. Web site: Division III Men's Basketball Championship . NCAA. NCAA.org. March 4, 2023.