It might only be October, but it’s always good to know what’s on the horizon, so you can start planning your paid time off, Spring Break travel, elective surgeries, family reunions, etc.
And, for many sports fans, there’s nothing more important than college basketball during the month of March. Some might even say it can be madness.
The journey to the 2027 championship for teams at the NCAA Division III level will begin in less than a month, and things will conclude March 20 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the women and Pittsburgh for the men.
Between the first week of November and the trophy hoisting in March, FloCollege will have continued coverage of the top preseason tournaments, key games for teams around the country and some exhilarating postseason play.
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- When Is The 2027 NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament?
The Division III Women’s Basketball Championship and Division III Men’s Basketball Championship are the premier tournaments in Division III basketball, with each giving 64 teams the chance to win it all.
The field for each single-elimination tournament includes 43 automatic bids for conference champions and 21 at-large selections determined by the NCAA Power Index.
Competition will take place over the first three weekends of March, with both tournaments concluding March 20 in Cedar Rapids and Pittsburgh, respectively.
Here’s a look at the general schedule for both tournaments:
2027 NCAA Division III Basketball Championship Schedules
Women
- Bracket selection announcements will take place March 1.
- Round 1 and Round 2 will be March 5-6 at 32 campus sites.
- Sectional action will be held March 12-13 at four campus sites.
- The national semifinals will be played March 18 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
- The 2027 Division III championship game will be played at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse on March 20 at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Men
- Bracket selection announcements will take place March 1.
- Round 1 and Round 2 will be March 5-6 at 32 campus sites.
- Sectional action will be held March 12-13 at four campus sites.
- The national semifinals will be played March 18 at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
- The 2027 Division III championship game will be played March 20 at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
How Many Teams Participate In The Division III Basketball Championship Events Now?
The number of participating teams for the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship has changed many times over the years.
The inaugural edition in 1975 had 30 teams. There were 28 in 1976, and then it went back to 30.
In 1980, there were 32 teams. In 1989, it expanded to 40. Finally, in 1995, the field ballooned to 64 teams split into four sectionals, but the change only lasted three years, before it was changed to 48.
The number slowly increased again, until the full 64-team bracket returned in 2017.
The NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship needed just one year to double in size, as 32 teams participated in 1983. That number remained steady, though regional brackets were introduced in 1989. In 1994, 40 teams played. Then 64 in 1995.
Denison & Mary Washington Are The Reigning Division III National Champions
The last four teams standing in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship were Denison, NYU, Scranton and Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Denison went on to claim its first national title with a 55-41 victory over Scranton at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia.
On the men’s side, it was Christopher Newport, Emory, Mary Washington and Trinity College (CT) at the national semifinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with Mary Washington topping Emory 75-73 for the trophy in Indianapolis.
2026 Division III Basketball Championship Brackets
Here’s a look at how things unfolded in 2026:
When Was The First NCAA Division III Basketball Championship?
The first NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship was held in 1975 and included 30 teams split into eight regions.
The first NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship was held in 1982 and featured 16 teams.
Learn More About Division III Athletics
- Do Division II And Division III Basketball Players Get Scholarships?
- How Do The NCAA Division III Basketball Playoffs Work?
How To Watch College Basketball On FloSports
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NYU vs. Carnegie Mellon Women's Basketball Full Replay | 2026 UAA Basketball
Watch the full replay of this 2026 showdown between NYU and Carnegie Mellon.
The Violets won the game 69-58 and claimed their 82nd consecutive victory, the longest in the history of NCAA Division III women’s basketball.
NYU won the Division III national title in 2024 and 2025, going 31-0 during each run.
In 2026, rolled through the playoff bracket but fell to Scranton in the semifinals, 60-52.
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