There’s a lot of college basketball to be played before fans are filling out their championship brackets in March, and we only have about 10 more days to wait before the 2026-2027 season officially tips off.

For those whose loyalty lies with NCAA Division II, the date to circle on the calendar is Nov. 9. 

That’s when the regular season gets underway for the second tier of collegiate hoops, and we’ll then be treated to four months of showcases and tournaments, nonconference showdowns, top-10 matchups, in-conference battles and more.

Even better news for the Division II faithful, is that FloCollege and the FloSports app will be one of the premier places to find countless contests and can’t-miss moments throughout the campaign.

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FloCollege will be the best place to find complete coverage – games, replays, highlights, analysis, predictions, features, interviews – from the East Coast Conference, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Gulf South Conference, Northeast 10, South Atlantic Conference and more, as well as some great stuff from the Division III level and Division I content through the Coastal Athletic Association. 

To see what’s ahead from the world of FloCollege and FloHoops, check out the complete schedule here.

As we look ahead to the new season, we’ve compiled a short list of Division II games you won’t want to miss early in the schedule – even if they’re not being broadcast by FloSports.

That said, the first big thing on everyone’s radar might be the 2026 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, set for Nov. 7-8 in Lakeland, Florida. 

This year marks a decade of action at the Hall of Fame Classic, which was held for the first time in 2016. The event returns to the Jenkins Fieldhouse on the campus of Florida Southern and will feature 10 teams for the fifth consecutive year. 

The field this season will feature six of the last eight teams standing in the 2026 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, including national champion Gannon and runner-up Lander.

Gannon finished last season 34-3 overall and 19-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

The Golden Knights claimed the Division II national title with an 84-61 victory over Lander.

The team’s first test in the new season will come against a Central Missouri team that was 24-10 last year and saw its season come to an end in the second round of the Division II tournament. 

Here’s the schedule for the 2026 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic:

Saturday, Nov. 7

• 11 a.m. – Central Missouri vs. Gannon
• 1:15 p.m. – Oklahoma Baptist vs. Cal State East Bay
• 3:30 p.m. – Lander vs. Black Hills State
• 5:45 p.m. – Florida Southern vs. West Liberty
• 8 p.m. – Washburn vs. Point Loma Nazarene

Sunday, Nov. 8

• 11 a.m. – Oklahoma Baptist vs. Lander
• 1:15 p.m. – Cal State East Bay vs. Central Missouri
• 3:30 p.m. – Gannon vs. Point Loma Nazarene
• 5:45 p.m. – Florida Southern vs. Black Hills State
• 8 p.m. – Washburn vs. West Liberty

What Other Games And Teams Are Worth Watching Early In The New Season?

There will be so many huge games during the 2026-2027 season. It’s hard to choose just a handful, but here we go:

Cal State East Bay vs. Oklahoma Baptist, Nov. 7 at 11:15 a.m. Eastern

These two teams also will be competing in the Hall of Fame Classic in Florida.

Cal State East Bay was the only National Association of Basketball Coaches top-25 team last year to complete a perfect regular season (30-0), but it was Oklahoma Baptist that put an end to the Pioneers’ winning streak at 33 games with a 78-55 victory in the national quarterfinals. 

Now, CSEB will have a chance to open the new campaign with a little bit of redemption. 

Will the Pioneers do it, or will the Bison play spoiler again?

Daemen vs. Gannon, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern

The reigning national champ, Gannon, will head from sunny Florida to Amherst, New York, for the East Region Challenge Presented by WNY Knee & Orthopedic Surgery PC, and the weekend will include a meeting with another talented 2026 quarterfinalist, Daemen. 

Daemen got a chance to host the NCAA Division II Championship East Regional last year, and it worked out for the Wildcats, who rolled through the bracket, before seeing their season come to an end against Lander as two of the last eight teams in contention. 

Florida Tech at Nova Southeastern, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern

The Nova Southeastern Sharks won two of the last four Division II national titles, 2023 and 2025, while falling to Minnesota State in the 2024 final.

The 2023 championship came at the end of a perfect season for the Sharks – 36-0 – and that was just one of five consecutive 31-win seasons for the squad (2021-2022 through 2025-2026).

There’s no reason to expect the Sharks won’t be a team to watch again this year, and shortly after kicking off their season at the SSC-GSC Crossover in Alabama on Nov. 13-14, they’ll dive right into Sunshine State Conference play with games against Florida Tech (Nov. 18) and Florida Southern (Nov. 21).

Nova Southeastern only lost one conference game last season (Palm Beach Atlantic), one the year before (Palm Beach Atlantic) and two during the 2023-2024 campaign (Florida Southern and Florida Tech).

The Sharks have claimed the last five regular-season titles in the SSC and won the last five conference tournaments.

This early-season conference matchup will be a nice gauge for what we can expect in the SSC and Division II this year.

Grand Valley State at Northwood, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Grand Valley State earned the No. 3 seed for the 2026 GLIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament and cruised through the bracket with wins over Wayne State (81-67), Michigan Tech (82-70) and Northern Michigan in the final (67-57), while redshirt junior guard David Wilkerson was named the event’s most valuable player.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, their run at a national title ended quickly, while Michigan Tech was able to get revenge. The two met in the second round of the Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, and the Huskies prevailed 69-67.

Unlike the SSC above, teams in the GLIAC won’t start conference play for over a month.

That gives the Lakers some time to get things in order before the quest for another GLIAC trophy begins, but there will be tests a long the way. 

The first opportunity FloCollege subscribers will have to see GVSU in action will be Nov. 9, when the Lakers visit former GLIAC rival Northwood. 

In their all-time series, Grand Valley State owns a 75-24 advantage, including their last four meetings, though they haven’t played each other since 2022.

Are the Lakers going to find GLIAC success on the hardwood again this season? How about without the 6-foot-4 Wilkerson, who has transitioned to student manager for the upcoming season?

Tune in to FloCollege to watch all their home and conferences games during the 2026-2027 season!

Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern

How do we classify this one as early? Early in January? Early in the new year? Early in the GLIAC slate?

No matter how you spin it, it’s going to be a good game between the reigning GLIAC co-champions from the 2025-2026 regular season. It’s not the first game of conference play for either team, but it could be an important piece in the 2026-2027 title race between the only regular-season champions over the previous three seasons.

They tied at the top of the conference standings last year at 16-4, with NMU earning the top seed for the GLIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament after they split their two meetings during the campaign. 

Northern Michigan advanced to the tournament final, before losing to champion Grand Valley State. Michigan Tech lost to GVSU in the semifinals. 

All three qualified for the Division II national tournament. NMU and GVSU both went 1-1 and went home. Michigan Tech got redemption against GVSU with a second-round win and made it to the quarterfinals, before losing to eventual national champion Gannon (75-49). 

What else is cool about the Wildcats and Huskies throwing down? It’s the incredible history between the two teams that spans 231 games. In the series, Northern Michigan owns a 141-90 advantage, and they’ve combined for nearly 29,000 points in those contests. 

Over the last two seasons, they’re each 2-2 against one another. 

Who Makes The Division II Basketball Tournament?

Once again, 64 teams will participate in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

That includes 23 automatic qualifiers (conference champions/representatives) and 41 at-large bids based on regional rankings, overall records, strength of schedule and head-to-head results.

From the quarterfinals to the title tilt, the 2027 Division II Men’s Basketball Championship will unfold at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

The quarterfinals will take place March 23, the semifinals will be March 25 and the champion will be determined March 27.

Who Won The 2026 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship?

Gannon won the 2026 NCAA Division II Men’s Championship with an 84-61 victory over Lander University at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It was the first title for Gannon and first title game for Lander. 

The other semifinalists were Oklahoma Baptist (lost to Gannon, 98-80) and Nova Southeastern (lost to Lander, 91-81).

Final 2025-2026 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Rankings 

National Association of Basketball Coaches Rankings (as of March 10, 2026)

1. Nova Southeastern, Fla. (27-1) – 392 – Prev. 1
2. Cal State East Bay (30-0) – 385 – Prev. 2
3. Washburn, Kan. (31-1) – 375 – Prev. 3
4. Daemen, N.Y. (30-1) – 352 – Prev. 4
5. Anderson, S.C. (29-2) – 331 – Prev. 7
6. Gannon, Pa. (28-3) – 313 – Prev. 5
7. West Liberty, W. Va. (27-4) – 298 – Prev. 9
8. Oklahoma Baptist (27-3) – 269 – Prev. 6
9. Walsh, Ohio (27-3) – 232 – Prev. 14
10. Black Hills State, S.D. (27-4) – 225 – Prev. 13
11. Palm Beach Atlantic, Fla. (26-5) – 221 – Prev. 12
12. Fairmont State, W. Va. (26-5) – 214 – Prev. 10
13. Eastern New Mexico (26-5) – 207 – Prev. 11
14. Lubbock Christian, Texas (27-5) – 200 – Prev. 8
15. DBU, Texas (27-6) – 179 – Prev. 20
16. Michigan Tech (26-6) – 139 – Prev. 15
17. West Alabama (26-5) – 126 – Prev. 16
18. Saint Martin's, Wash. (25-5) – 116 – Prev. 21
19. Point Loma, Calif. (25-5) – 114 – Prev. 22
20. Northern Michigan (27-6) – 95 – Prev. 17
21. Felician, N.J. (27-3) – 93 – Prev. 23
22. Grand Valley State, Mich. (25-6) – 75 – Prev. T25
23. Lander, S.C. (25-5) – 62 – Prev. T25
24. Rockhurst, Mo. (23-6) – 59 – Prev. 18
25. St. Cloud State, Minn. (25-6) – 55 – Prev. 19

Others receiving votes: Saint Anselm (N.H.) 22, Virginia Union 16, William Jewell (Mo.) 9, St. Edward’s (Texas) 7, Central Missouri 6, Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 4, California (Pa.) 3, Catawba (N.C.) 2, Fayetteville State (N.C.) 2, Florida Southern 1, Missouri Western 1.

Dropped out: Virginia Union (24).

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