Every part of the college basketball season offers a different type of excitement, from the preseason nerves to kickoff and holiday tournaments to nonconference battles to the long fight for conference titles to the postseason brackets that turn every March into something magical.

The NCAA Division II action gets going this weekend, and we’ve put together a long list of noteworthy nonconference matchups for men and women that are certain to keep you entertained until things really start to heat up when the calendar turns to 2027.

All season, FloCollege and the FloSports app will be among the premier places to find countless contests and can’t-miss moments.

• Subscribe To FloCollege To Watch College Sports Live And On-Demand
• When Is The 2027 NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament?
• 5 Midwest D2/D3 Basketball Teams To Watch During The 2026-2027 Season
• 10 Division II Men’s Basketball Teams Ready To Crash The Preseason Top 25

FloCollege will be the best place to find complete coverage – games, replays, highlights, analysis, predictions, features, interviews – from across the divisions and conferences. 

But, as much as we’d like to cover everything, even if we don’t have it live, we’ve got our eyes on it, and we’re prepared to discuss it all in detail as the season unfolds.

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

As you settle in for the start of the new campaign, we want to offer some recommendations for nonconference Division II basketball games you don’t want to miss. 

It’s built around last year’s top performers, national contenders, anticipated rematches, elite events and more, and it's all part of the college hoops experience that begins with early-season tournaments, cross-conference clashes and many intriguing matchups and leads into conference play, conference tournaments and, of course, all of the madness that March brings.

What Are Some Top Nonconference Division II Men’s Basketball Games This Year?

All Times Eastern

It certainly helps keep things in order when the talented teams you want to watch all end up in the same place. That’s pretty common early in the season.

Saturday, Nov. 7 

*2026 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic (Lakeland, Florida)

• 11 a.m. – Central Missouri vs. Gannon (Gannon is the reigning Division II national champion)
• 1:15 p.m. – Cal State East Bay vs. Oklahoma Baptist in a rematch from last year’s national quarterfinals, where Oklahoma Baptist ended Cal State East Bay’s 33-game winning streak with a 78-55 victory.

Sunday, Nov. 8

*2026 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic (Lakeland, Florida)

• 11 a.m. – Oklahoma Baptist vs. Lander (Lander was the national runner-up last season)
• 8 p.m. – Washburn vs. West Liberty (No. 1 and No. 8 on the FloCollege D2 Men’s Basketball Preseason Rankings)

More From Around The Country

Friday, Oct. 30

• 9:15 p.m. – No. 23 Grand Valley State vs. Harding at the Midwest Tip-Off Challenge in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It’s two Division II football powerhouses transitioning to the hardwood for this season-opening showdown.

Monday, Nov. 9

• 7 p.m. – Daemen at Saint Anselm in rematch of the 2026 Division II East Region Championship, which Daemen won 94-73.
   
• 7:30 p.m. – Morehouse College at Anderson: Anderson was the only South Atlantic Conference team to land in the National Association of Basketball Coaches preseason rankings (No. 18), though the Trojans still have something to prove to the voters of the FloCollege poll.
  
  Morehouse is coming off a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and an appearance in the 2026 Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. The Tigers have been tabbed to win the SIAC crown again this year.

Saturday, Nov. 14

• 3 p.m. – Gannon at Daemen, featuring the defending national champs against one of the strongest teams in the east. A solid early test for both squads.
  
  
• 4 p.m. – Part of the JustAGame Crossover, this is battle between Michigan Tech and Missouri-St. Louis features strong teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Great Lakes Valley Conference, respectively.

Saturday, Dec. 19

• 4 p.m. – Nova Southeastern at West Liberty: Nova Southeastern won the Division II crown in 2023 and 2025 and was the runner-up in 2024.
  
  The Sharks are the five-time defending Sunshine State Conference regular-season and tournament champions, while West Liberty has been tabbed as the favorite to win the Mountain East title this year for the sixth consecutive time.

FloCollege D2 Men’s Basketball Preseason Rankings

1. Washburn 
2. Nova Southeastern 
3. Gannon 
4. Lander 
5. Daemen 
6. Dallas Baptist 
7. Black Hills State 
8. West Liberty 
9. Walsh 
10. Cal State East Bay 
11. St. Cloud State 
12. West Alabama 
13. Minnesota State 
14. Michigan Tech 
15. Eastern New Mexico 
16. Saint Michael’s 
17. CSU Pueblo 
18. Palm Beach Atlantic 
19. Western New Mexico 
20. Jefferson 
21. Point Loma 
22. Alabama Huntsville 
23. Grand Valley State 
24. Cal Poly Pomona 
25. Columbus State 

Received Votes: Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma Baptist, Saint Martin’s, William Jewell, Central Missouri, Fairmont State, Rogers State, Florida Southern, Colorado School of Mines, Saint Anselm.

What Are Some Top Nonconference Division II Women’s Basketball Games This Year?

Friday, Oct. 30

• 10 a.m. – Grand Valley State and Minnesota State Mankato get their season’s underway at the Midwest Tip-Off Challenge in Wisconsin.
  
  GVSU is the reigning Division II national champion and the No. 1 team in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25. Minnesota State Mankato comes in at No. 7. 

Sunday, Nov. 1

• 2:30 p.m. – Northern Michigan vs. Minnesota State Mankato: This GLIAC-North Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup between two programs with NCAA Championship ambitions also is part of the Midwest Tip-Off Challenge.

Monday, Nov. 9

• 7:30 p.m. – Nova Southeastern at Texas Woman's: A likely top-25 team visits Texas to meet the No. 6-ranked team in the country, a program with championship pedigree and the national runner-up in 2024. 

Friday, Nov. 13

• 7 p.m. – Colorado School of Mines at Texas Woman’s: The second game of a seven-game homestand for the Pioneers and a challenge for two teams from the South Central Region. 

Sunday, Nov. 15

• 2 p.m. – West Texas A&M at Colorado Mesa: The No. 20 team in the preseason WBCA poll and a top contender in the Lone Star Conference faces No. 2 Colorado Mesa during the South Central Regional Challenge in Colorado.
  
  
• 3:30 p.m. – Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Lander Women's at the PBC/SAC Challenge in Aiken, South Carolina. It’s a cross-conference clash between two teams with regional ambitions and hopes of making it to the national spotlight.

Tuesday, Nov. 24

• 1:30 p.m. – No. 9 Lenoir-Rhyne hosts North Georgia in a final nonconference game before a six-game stretch of SAC contests. NG has been selected to finished second in the Peach Belt Conference this year behind Augusta. 

Friday, Nov. 27

• 11 a.m. – Alabama-Hunstville at Nova Southeastern: No. 3 Alabama-Huntsville heads south to face Nova Southeastern, an annual threat in the SSC. This definitely is a solid measuring stick in the Southeast.
  
  
• 2 p.m. – Colorado Mesa vs. Gannon: No. 2 Colorado Mesa goes on the road for the D2 Jackpot Classic in Las Vegas and will take on No. 12 Gannon. This could be one of the best games of the month, straight from the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Sunday, Nov. 29

• 2 p.m. – Indiana (Pa.) at Ashland: Last year’s Division II runner-up and the preseason No. 4 team visits No. 18 Ashland, a perennial power in the Midwest. 

WBCA NCAA Division II Women’s Preseason Basketball Rankings 

National Association of Basketball Coaches Rankings (as of Oct. 27, 2026)

1. Grand Valley State (36-1) – 575 – Prev. 1
2. Colorado Mesa (37-2) – 510 – Prev. 3
3. Alabama-Huntsville (32-6) – 465 – Prev. 4
4. Indiana (Pa.) (31-4) – 453 – Prev. 2
5. Cal Poly Pomona (29-5) – 451 – Prev. 5
6. Texas Woman’s (31-2) – 432 – Prev. 6
7. Minnesota State Mankato (29-3) – 430 – Prev. 11
8. Winston-Salem State (28-4) – 411 – Prev. 9
9. Lenoir-Rhyne (26-6) – 329 – Prev. 18
10. Holy Family (30-5) – 279 – Prev. 7
11. Bentley (23-5) – 274 – Prev. 17
12. Gannon (29-5) – 265 – Prev. 8
13. Carson-Newman (24-11) – 262 – Prev. 15
14. Central Missouri (26-7) – 211 – Prev. RV
15. Concordia-St. Paul (26-7) – 178 – Prev. 22
16. Daemen (26-4) – 178 – Prev. 10
17. Glenville State (24-7) – 159 – Prev. NR
18. Ashland (14-13) – 157 – Prev. NR
19. Tampa (19-11) – 153 – Prev. NR
20. West Texas A&M (28-5) – 152 – Prev. 13
21. Western Washington (25-8) – 148 – Prev. RV
22. Minnesota Duluth (23-9) – 85 – Prev. 12
23. Columbus State (25-5) – 82 – Prev. 23
24. Texas-Tyler (22-11) – 81 – Prev. NR
25. Missouri-St. Louis (25-6) – 79 – Prev. RV

Dropped out: No. 14 Nova Southeastern (28-5);No. 16 Fort Hays State (25-6); No. 19 Lincoln Memorial (26-5); No. 20 Coker (26-7); No. 21 Northwood (28-6); No. 24 Ferris State (26-7); No. 25 Central Washington (25-7).

Others receiving votes: Miles (25-6) 76; Fort Hays State (25-6) 74; Nova Southeastern (28-5) 71; Central Washington (25-7) 57; Northwood (28-6) 54; Embry-Riddle (22-7) 44; Ferris State (26-7) 36; Lincoln Memorial (26-5) 35; Lubbock Christian (23-8) 35; Fayetteville State (21-6) 34; Harding (24-7) 33; Coker (26-7) 22; Edward Waters (23-6) 22; Missouri Southern State (20-10) 13; Fairmont State (21-9) 10; Lane (22-6) 9; Vanguard U. (25-6) 9; Augusta (21-10) 8; Southern Connecticut State (20-10) 4; Benedict (19-9) 4.

Who Makes The Division II Basketball Tournament?

Once again, 64 teams will participate in the NCAA Division II Basketball Championships.

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.

On the women’s side, the quarterfinals through the title game of the 2027 Division II Women’s Basketball Championship also will be played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Arena. 

The quarterfinals will take place March 22, the semifinals will be March 24 and the champion will be determined March 26.

Who Won The 2026 NCAA Division II Basketball Championships?

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).

For the women, Grand Valley State successfully defended its title at the NCAA Division II Women’s Championship with a 72-49 victory over Indiana (Pa.).

The Lakers, led by Mike Williams, won the 2025 championship by defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills, 70-58.

The other semifinalists in 2026 were the University of Alabama Huntsville, which lost to GVSU 61-39, and Colorado Mesa, which lost to Indiana 75-70.

Dallas Baptist University Basketball Wins Back-To-Back LSC Championship Titles

With an electric 3-point shot at the final buzzer by Trevor Frank, the DBU men’s basketball won its second-consecutive Lone Star Conference Men’s Basketball Championship title.

It was a 76-74 victory over Eastern New Mexico. 

Archived Footage On FloCollege

Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions

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