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NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
Tournament to determine the NCAA Division III national champion
Summary
Tournament to determine the NCAA Division III national champion
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| current_season | 2025 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament |
| logo | NCAA logo.svg |
| pixels | 140px |
| sport | Basketball |
| founded | |
| teams | 64 |
| country | NCAA Division III (USA) |
| champion | Trinity (CT) (2025; 1st title) |
| most_champs | North Park (5 titles) |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| 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. From 2014 to 2018, the final game returned to Salem. 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. 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.
Trinity (CT) is the defending national champion, beating NYU 64–60 in the 2025 championship.
Qualification
Since 2024–25, a total of 64 bids have been available for each tournament:
- 43 automatic bids, awarded to the champions of all Division III conferences.
- 21 at-large bids.
Conference tournaments
Schools in italics are, as of the upcoming 2025–26 basketball season, no longer members of that specific conference.
| National Collegiate Athletic Association | color=white}} colspan=4 | NCAA Division III men's conference tournaments | Conference | Tournament | Most titles | Current champion (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Mountain | Tournament | La Roche (6) | ||||
| Medaille (6) | ||||||
| Penn State Behrend (6) | Pitt–Bradford (3rd) | |||||
| American Rivers | Tournament | Buena Vista (7) | Central (4th) | |||
| American Southwest | Tournament | Mississippi College (5) | ||||
| Texas–Dallas (5) | Hardin–Simmons (3rd) | |||||
| Atlantic East | Tournament | Marymount (2) | ||||
| Neumann (2) | Neumann (2nd) | |||||
| Centennial | Tournament | Franklin & Marshall (9) | Franklin & Marshall (9th) | |||
| CUNYAC | Tournament | Staten Island (15) | John Jay (2nd) | |||
| Coast to Coast (C2C) | Tournament | Catholic (7) | Mary Washington (3rd) | |||
| CCIW | Tournament | Augustana (6) | Illinois Wesleyan (2nd) | |||
| CCS | Tournament | Maryville (TN) (2) | Huntingdon (1st) | |||
| CNE | Tournament | Endicott (7) | Western New England (1st) | |||
| Empire 8 | Tournament | St. John Fisher (8) | Utica (2nd) | |||
| Great Northeast | Tournament | Albertus Magnus (9) | St. Joseph's (ME) (2nd) | |||
| Heartland | Tournament | Franklin (7) | Franklin (7th) | |||
| Landmark | Tournament | Scranton (8) | Drew (2nd) | |||
| Liberty | Tournament | Skidmore (5) | Ithaca (2nd) | |||
| Little East | Tournament | UMass Dartmouth (12) | Keene State (8th) | |||
| MASCAC | Tournament | Salem State (18) | Westfield State (4th) | |||
| Michigan | Tournament | Hope (15) | Calvin (13th) | |||
| MAC Commonwealth | Tournaments | Scranton (16) | York (PA) (1st) | |||
| MAC Freedom | Delaware Valley (4th) | |||||
| Midwest | Tournament | Ripon (8) | Grinnell (3rd) | |||
| Minnesota | Tournament | St. Thomas (9) | Saint John's (5th) | |||
| NESCAC | Tournament | Amherst (8) | Trinity (3rd) | |||
| NEWMAC | Tournament | Babson & MIT (6) | Clark (5th) | |||
| NJAC | Tournament | Stockton (6) | Montclair State (2nd) | |||
| North Atlantic | Championship | Husson (10) | Husson (10th) | |||
| NCAC | Tournament | Wooster (16th) | Denison (2nd) | |||
| NACC | Tournament | Aurora (5) | Wisconsin Lutheran (3rd) | |||
| Northwest | Tournament | Whitworth (16) | Lewis & Clark (5th) | |||
| Ohio | Tournament | Wittenberg (14) | John Carroll (7th) | |||
| ODAC | Tournament | Hampden-Sydney (11) | Guilford (5th) | |||
| Presidents | Tournament | Bethany (6) | Chatham (3rd) | |||
| SLIAC | Tournament | Fontbonne (7) | Greenville (3rd) | |||
| Skyline | Tournament | Farmingdale State (7) | Yeshiva (4th) | |||
| SAA | Tournament | Berry (5) | Berry (5th) | |||
| SCIAC | Tournament | Claremont–Mudd–Scripps (8) | Claremont–Mudd–Scripps (8th) | |||
| SCAC | Tournament | Trinity (TX) (6) | St. Thomas (TX) (3rd) | |||
| SUNYAC | Tournament | Buffalo State (15) | Cortland (4th) | |||
| United East | Championship | Morrisville State (5) | Bryn Athyn (1st) | |||
| UAA | No tournament | |||||
| UMAC | Tournament | Northwestern–St. Paul (13) | Bethany Lutheran (5rd) | |||
| USA South | Tournament | Christopher Newport (15) | Pfeiffer (1st) | |||
| WIAC | Tournament | Wisconsin–Stevens Point (9) | Wisconsin–Platteville (5th) |
Defunct conferences
| National Collegiate Athletic Association | color=white}} colspan=5 | Defunct NCAA Division III men's conference tournaments | Conference | Tournament | First year | Last year | Most titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial States | Tournament | 1994 | 2023 | Cabrini (13) | |||
| NECC | Tournament | 2009 | 2023 | Elms and Mitchell (4) |
Summary
| National Collegiate Athletic Association | color=white}} colspan=11 | NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship | Year | Finals Site | Championship Game | Semifinalists | Tournament MOP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (University) | Winner | Score | Runner-up | |||||
| 1975 | Reading, Pennsylvania | LeMoyne-Owen | 57-54 | Glassboro State | Augustana (IL) | |||
| Brockport | Bob Newman | |||||||
| (LeMoyne-Owen) | ||||||||
| 1976 | Scranton | 60-57 | ||||||
| (OT) | Wittenberg | Augustana (IL) | ||||||
| Plattsburgh State | Jack Maher | |||||||
| (Scranton) | ||||||||
| 1977 | Rock Island, Illinois | Wittenberg | 79-66 | Oneonta State | Scranton | |||
| Hamline | Rick White | |||||||
| (Wittenberg) | ||||||||
| 1978 | North Park | 69-57 | Widener | Albion | ||||
| Stony Brook | Michael Harper | |||||||
| (North Park) | ||||||||
| 1979 | North Park (2) | 66-62 | SUNY Potsdam | Franklin & Marshall | ||||
| Centre | Michael Harper | |||||||
| (North Park) | ||||||||
| 1980 | North Park (3) | 83-76 | Upsala | Wittenberg | ||||
| Longwood | Michael Thomas | |||||||
| (North Park) | ||||||||
| 1981 | Potsdam State | 67-65 | ||||||
| (OT) | Augustana (IL) | Ursinus | ||||||
| Otterbein | Maxwell Artis | |||||||
| (Augustana (IL)) | ||||||||
| 1982 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Wabash | 83-62 | Potsdam State | Brooklyn | |||
| Stanislaus State | Pete Metzelaars | |||||||
| (Wabash) | ||||||||
| 1983 | Scranton (2) | 64-63 | Wittenberg | Roanoke | ||||
| Wisconsin-Whitewater | Bill Bessoir | |||||||
| (Scranton) | ||||||||
| 1984 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 103-86 | Clark (MA) | DePauw | ||||
| Upsala | Andre McKoy | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Whitewater) | ||||||||
| 1985 | North Park (4) | 72-71 | Potsdam State | Nebraska Wesleyan | ||||
| Widener | Earnest Hubbard | |||||||
| (North Park) | ||||||||
| 1986 | Potsdam State (2) | 76-73 | LeMoyne-Owen | Nebraska Wesleyan | ||||
| New Jersey City | Roosevelt Bullock | |||||||
| (Potsdam State) | ||||||||
| 1987 | North Park (5) | 106-100 | Clark (MA) | Wittenberg | ||||
| Richard Stockton | Michael Starks | |||||||
| (North Park) | ||||||||
| 1988 | Ohio Wesleyan | 92-70 | Scranton | Nebraska Wesleyan | ||||
| Hartwick | Scott Tedder | |||||||
| (Ohio Wesleyan) | ||||||||
| 1989 | Springfield, Ohio | Wisconsin-Whitewater (2) | 94-86 | Trenton State | Southern Maine | |||
| Centre | Greg Grant | |||||||
| (Trenton State) | ||||||||
| 1990 | Rochester | 43-42 | DePauw | Washington College | ||||
| Calvin | Chris Fite | |||||||
| (Rochester) | ||||||||
| 1991 | Wisconsin-Platteville | 81-74 | Franklin & Marshall | Otterbein | ||||
| Ramapo | Shawn Frison | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Platteville) | ||||||||
| 1992 | Calvin | 62–49 | Rochester | Wisconsin-Platteville | ||||
| New Jersey City | Steve Honderd | |||||||
| (Calvin) | ||||||||
| 1993 | Buffalo, New York | Ohio Northern | 71–68 | Augustana (IL) | Rowan | |||
| UMass-Dartmouth | Kirk Anderson | |||||||
| (Augustana (IL)) | ||||||||
| 1994 | Lebanon Valley | 66–59 | ||||||
| (OT) | NYU | Wittenberg | ||||||
| St. Thomas (MN) | Mike Rhoades/Adam Crawford | |||||||
| (Lebanon Valley/NYU) | ||||||||
| 1995 | Wisconsin-Platteville (2) | 69-55 | Manchester (IN) | Rowan | ||||
| Trinity (CT) | Ernie Peavy | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Platteville) | ||||||||
| 1996 | Salem, Virginia | Rowan | 100–93 | Hope | Illinois Wesleyan | |||
| Franklin & Marshall | Terrence Stewart | |||||||
| (Rowan) | ||||||||
| 1997 | Illinois Wesleyan | 89–86 | Nebraska Wesleyan | Williams | ||||
| Alvernia | Bryan Crabtree | |||||||
| (Illinois Wesleyan) | ||||||||
| 1998 | Wisconsin-Platteville (3) | 69-56 | Hope | Williams | ||||
| Wilkes | Ben Hoffmann | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Platteville) | ||||||||
| 1999 | Wisconsin-Platteville (4) | 76-75 | ||||||
| (2OT) | Hampden-Sydney | Connecticut College | ||||||
| William Paterson | Merrill Brunson | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Platteville) | ||||||||
| 2000 | Calvin (2) | 79–74 | Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Salem State | ||||
| Franklin & Marshall | Sherm Carstensen | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Eau Claire) | ||||||||
| 2001 | Catholic | 76–62 | William Paterson | Illinois Wesleyan | ||||
| Ohio Northern | Pat Maloney | |||||||
| (Catholic) | ||||||||
| 2002 | Otterbein | 102–83 | Elizabethtown | Carthage | ||||
| Rochester | Jeff Gibbs | |||||||
| (Otterbein) | ||||||||
| 2003 | Williams | 67–65 | Gustavus Adolphus | Wooster | ||||
| Hampden-Sydney | Benjamin Coffin | |||||||
| (Williams) | ||||||||
| 2004 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 84–82 | Williams | John Carroll | ||||
| Amherst | Nick Bennett | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) | ||||||||
| 2005 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2) | 73–49 | Rochester | Calvin | ||||
| York (PA) | Jason Kalsow | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) | ||||||||
| 2006 | Virginia Wesleyan | 59-56 | Wittenberg | Illinois Wesleyan | ||||
| Amherst | Ton Ton Balenga | |||||||
| (Virginia Wesleyan) | ||||||||
| 2007 | Amherst | 80-67 | Virginia Wesleyan | Washington-St. Louis | ||||
| Wooster | Andrew Olson | |||||||
| (Amherst) | ||||||||
| 2008 | Washington-St. Louis | 90–68 | Amherst | Hope | ||||
| Ursinus | Troy Ruths | |||||||
| (Washington-St. Louis) | ||||||||
| 2009 | Washington-St. Louis (2) | 61-52 | Richard Stockton | Guilford | ||||
| Franklin & Marshall | Sean Wallis | |||||||
| (Washington-St. Louis) | ||||||||
| 2010 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3) | 78-73 | Williams | Guilford | ||||
| Randolph-Macon | Matt Moses | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) | ||||||||
| 2011 | St. Thomas (MN) | 78-54 | Wooster | Middlebury | ||||
| Williams | Tyler Nicolai | |||||||
| (St. Thomas (MN)) | ||||||||
| 2012 | Wisconsin-Whitewater (3) | 63-60 | Cabrini | Illinois Wesleyan | ||||
| MIT | Chris Davis | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Whitewater) | ||||||||
| 2013 | Atlanta, Georgia | Amherst (2) | 87-70 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | St. Thomas (MN) | |||
| North Central (IL) | Allen Williamson | |||||||
| (Amherst) | ||||||||
| 2014 | Salem, Virginia | Wisconsin-Whitewater (4) | 75-73 | Williams | Amherst | |||
| Illinois Wesleyan | K.J. Evans | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Whitewater) | ||||||||
| 2015 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point (4) | 70–54 | Augustana (IL) | Babson | ||||
| Virginia Wesleyan | Austin Ryf | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) | ||||||||
| 2016 | St. Thomas (MN) (2) | 82–76 | Benedictine | Christopher Newport | ||||
| Amherst | Taylor Montero | |||||||
| (St. Thomas (MN)) | ||||||||
| 2017 | Babson | 79–78 | Augustana (IL) | Whitman | ||||
| Williams | Joey Flannery | |||||||
| (Babson) | ||||||||
| 2018 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 78–72 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Ramapo | ||||
| Springfield | Cooper Cook | |||||||
| (Nebraska Wesleyan) | ||||||||
| 2019 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 96–82 | Swarthmore | Christopher Newport | |||
| Wheaton (IL) | Jack Flynn | |||||||
| (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) | ||||||||
| 2020 | Atlanta, Georgia | Abandoned after second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Not 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. | ||||||
| 2022 | Randolph-Macon | 75–45 | Elmhurst | Marietta | ||||
| Wabash | Buzz Anthony | |||||||
| (Randolph-Macon) | ||||||||
| 2023 | Christopher Newport | 74–72 | Mount Union | Wisconsin-Whitewater | ||||
| Swarthmore | Trey Barber | |||||||
| (Christopher Newport) | ||||||||
| 2024 | Trine | 69–61 | Hampden-Sydney | Guilford | ||||
| Trinity (CT) | Cortez Garland | |||||||
| (Trine) | ||||||||
| 2025 | Trinity (CT) | 64–60 | NYU | Wesleyan (CT) | ||||
| Washington-St. Louis | Henry Vetter | |||||||
| (Trinity (CT)) | ||||||||
| 2026 | Indianapolis, Indiana | |||||||
| 2027 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |||||||
| 2028 |
- Source: ;Notes
Locations
- Reading, Pennsylvania 1975–1976
- Rock Island, Illinois 1977–1981
- Grand Rapids, Michigan 1982–1988
- Springfield, Ohio 1989–1992
- Buffalo, New York 1993–1995
- Salem, Virginia 1996-2018 (semifinals only in 2013)
- Atlanta 2013 (championship game only)
- Fort Wayne, Indiana 2019, 2022–2026 (semifinals only in 2026)
- Indianapolis 2026 (championship game only)
- Pittsburgh 2027–2028
Championships, by team
Active programs
| Team | Titles | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Park Vikings}} | **** | 5 | 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1987 |
| Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers}} | **** | 4 | 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015 |
| Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks}} | **** | 1984, 1989, 2012, 2014 | |
| Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers}} | [](wisconsin-platteville-pioneers) | 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999 | |
| Amherst Mammoths}} | [](amherst-mammoths) | 2 | 2007, 2013 |
| Calvin Knights}} | **** | 1992, 2000 | |
| Scranton Royals}} | [](scranton-royals) | 1976, 1983 | |
| Potsdam Bears}} | [](potsdam-bears) | 1981, 1986 | |
| Washington University Bears}} | [](washington-university-bears) | 2008, 2009 | |
| Trinity Bantams}} | **** | 1 | 2025 |
| Trine Thunder}} | **** | 2024 | |
| Christopher Newport Captains}} | [](christopher-newport-captains) | 2023 | |
| Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets}} | **** | 2022 | |
| Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans}} | **** | 2019 | |
| Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves}} | [](nebraska-wesleyan-prairie-wolves) | 2018 | |
| Babson Beavers}} | [](babson-beavers) | 2017 | |
| Virginia Wesleyan Blue Marlins}} | [](virginia-wesleyan-marlins) | 2006 | |
| Williams Ephs}} | **** | 2003 | |
| Otterbein Cardinals}} | [](otterbein-cardinals) | 2002 | |
| Catholic University Cardinals}} | [](catholic-university-cardinals) | 2001 | |
| Illinois Wesleyan Titans}} | [](illinois-wesleyan-titans) | 1997 | |
| Rowan Profs}} | **** | 1996 | |
| Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen}} | **** | 1994 | |
| Ohio Northern Polar Bears}} | [](ohio-northern-polar-bears) | 1993 | |
| Rochester Yellowjackets}} | **** | 1990 | |
| Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops}} | [](ohio-wesleyan-battling-bishops) | 1988 | |
| Wabash Little Giants}} | [](wabash-little-giants) | 1982 | |
| Wittenberg Tigers}} | [](wittenberg-tigers) | 1977 |
Former programs
| Team | Titles | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies}} | [](st-thomas-minnesota-tommies-men-s-basketball) | 2 | 2011, 2016 |
| LeMoyne-Owen Magicians}} | [](lemoyne-owen-magicians) | 1 | 1975 |
Programs with at least 20 appearances in the Division III tournament
- List below only includes teams that are currently in Division III.
| Bids | School | Conference | First Bid | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Hope | Michigan | 1982 | 2024 |
| 30 | Wittenberg | North Coast | 1975 | 2020 |
| 29 | Scranton | Landmark | 1975 | 2023 |
| 29 | Wooster | North Coast | 1978 | 2020 |
| 27 | Christopher Newport | Coast to Coast | 1986 | 2024 |
| 26 | Illinois Wesleyan | CCIW | 1984 | 2022 |
| 25 | Franklin & Marshall | Centennial | 1975 | 2018 |
| 25 | Salem State | MASCAC | 1980 | 2019 |
| 25 | Washington–St. Louis | UAA | 1987 | 2024 |
| 23 | Calvin | Michigan | 1980 | 2024 |
| 22 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin | 1983 | 2023 |
| 20 | Amherst | NESCAC | 1994 | 2019 |
| 20 | Maryville (TN) | CCS | 1991 | 2019 |
| 20 | Randolph–Macon | Old Dominion | 1990 | 2024 |
| 20 | Williams | NESCAC | 1994 | 2024 |
Notes
References
References
- (May 10, 2012). "Success paves way for 75th celebration". NCAA.
- (April 24, 2019). "Combined championships for NCAA basketball planned". NCAA.
- "EDITORIAL: Randolph-Macon wins mythical national title". (Fredricksburg) Free Lance-Star.
- [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]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2374630 Balenga leads Virginia Wesleyan to title - Men's College Basketball - ESPN]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2802655 Amherst notches first D-III basketball championship - Men's College Basketball - ESPN]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=4004100 Washington University repeats as Division-III champion - ESPN]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=5013151 Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers rally to beat Williams College for DIII title - ESPN]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6237233 St. Thomas pounds Wooster for NCAA Division III men's title - ESPN]
- [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7704190 Wisconsin-Whitewater wins D-III men's hoops crown - ESPN]
- [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]
- "It's a family tradition at Whitewater; KJ Evans earns MOP, follows in uncle's footsteps". NCAA.com.
- "Randolph-Macon runs out to win in showdown". Presto Sports.
- "Division III Men's Basketball Championship". NCAA.org.
Wikipedia Source
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