Officially, the 2025 NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Championship has begun! On Sunday, March 9 at 11 p.m. ET, the Selection Show kicked off the tournament and was broadcast live on NCAA.com.
The 64-team field for this year’s tournament includes 23 automatic qualifiers. Teams compete in regional matches to determine who will advance to the Elite Eight. The top eight teams will move on to the Men’s Elite Eight, which will take place from March 25–29 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
2025 NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Championship Bracket-
Schedule-
*All times listed in Eastern Standard Time
- Quarterfinals | Tuesday, March 25 (Live on ESPN+)
- No. 3 DBU vs. No. 6 Lake Superior St., 1 p.m.
- No. 2 West Liberty vs. No. 7 Cal. St. Dom. Hills, 3:30 p.m.
- No. 1 Nova Southeastern vs. No. 8 Assumption, 7 p.m.
- No. 4 Washburn vs. No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne, 9:30 p.m.
- Semifinals | Thursday, March 27
- Live on ESPN+
- National championship | Saturday, March 29
- Live on CBS
History –
The Minnesota State Mavericks are the defending champions, having defeated Nova Southeastern in the previous year’s championship game to win the 2024 NCAA Division II title.
The tournament has seen amazing upsets, dominant runs, and outstanding performances during the last ten years. A list of the DII men’s basketball winners and runners-up over the past ten years is provided below, emphasizing the programs that have had a significant impact on the game.
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Minnesota State (35-2) | Matt Margenthaler | 88-85 | Nova Southeastern | Evansville, Ind. |
| 2023 | Nova Southeastern (36-0) | Jim Crutchfield | 111-101 | West Liberty | Evansville, Ind. |
| 2022 | Northwest Missouri State (34-5) | Ben McCollum | 67-58 | Augusta | Evansville, Ind. |
| 2021 | Northwest Missouri State (28-2) |
Ben McCollum | 80-54 | West Texas A&M | Evansville, Ind. |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Northwest Missouri State (38-0) |
Ben McCollum | 64-58 | Point Loma | Evansville, Ind. |
| 2018 | Ferris State (38-1) | Andy Bronkema | 71-69 | Northern State | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 2017 | Northwest Missouri St. (35-1) | Ben McCollum | 71-61 | Fairmont State | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 2016 | Augustana [S.D.] (34-2) | Tom Billeter | 90-81 | Lincoln Memorial | Frisco, Tex. |
| 2015 | Florida Southern (36-1) | Linc Darner | 77-62 | Indiana (Pa.) | Evansville, Ind. |
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