2020 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The 2020 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college basketball in the United States. Featuring sixty-four teams, it began on March 6, 2020, following the 2019–20 season, and was to conclude with the championship game on April 5, 2020.

The national quarterfinal and semifinal rounds were to be held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the site of the 2019 tournament finals, while the championship game was to be played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, coinciding with the Division I Final Four.

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins University announced that it had chosen not to admit spectators to the first and second-round games hosted there. On March 12, the NCAA announced that the remaining games of the tournament were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sixteen teams had advanced to the third round at the time the tournament was called off.

The ex aequo list of the 16 teams remaining when the tournament was abandoned were Swarthmore, Hobart, Christopher Newport, Washington–St. Louis, North Central (IL), Randolph–Macon, Yeshiva, Mount Union, Wittenberg, Pomona–Pitzer, Elmhurst. St. Thomas (MN), St. John's (MN), Whitworth, SUNY-Brockport, and Tufts.

Of those 16 teams, Swarthmore College (608 points) was the highest remaining team of the 16 in the final poll, a de facto mythical national championship.

Qualifying teams

Automatic bids (43) The following 43 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid (except for the UAA, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).

Automatic bidsConferenceTeamRecord (Conf.)AppearanceLast bidAllegheny MountainLa Roche21–6 (19–1)3rd2018American RiversNebraska Wesleyan24–3 (15–1)17th2019American SouthwestLeTourneau23–5 (13–3)2nd2018CapitalYork (PA)22–5 (9–1)7th2019CentennialJohns Hopkins24–3 (16–2)12th2018CUNYACBrooklyn13–15 (7–7)5th2016CCIWElmhurst23–5 (11–5)6th2016Colonial StatesCairn18–9 (11–3)1stNeverCommonwealth CoastNichols20–8 (12–4)4th2019Empire 8St. John Fisher19–8 (12–2)17th2017Great NortheastSt. Joseph (CT)26–2 (11–0)1stNeverHeartlandTransylvania19–8 (13–5)10th2013LandmarkSusquehanna20–7 (11–3)8th2017LibertyIthaca23–5 (15–3)11th2013Little EastWestern Connecticut20–7 (12–4)13th2012MAC CommonwealthLycoming20–8 (10–6)8th2017MAC FreedomStevens23–4 (12–2)3rd2013MASCACWestfield State20–7 (10–2)4th2015MichiganAdrian17–11 (8–6)1stNeverMidwestRipon20–7 (14–4)14th2017MinnesotaSt. John's (MN)25–2 (19–1)11th2019NECCNew England College21–6 (10–2)2nd2018NESCACTufts21–6 (8–2)6th2017NEWMACCoast Guard14–13 (6–8)4th2008New JerseyTCNJ19–8 (14–4)7th1998North AtlanticSUNY Canton16–11 (10–4)1stNeverNorth CoastWooster21–7 (12–6)29th2019NEACPenn State Harrisburg20–7 (14–2)1stNeverNorthern AthleticsConcordia (WI)19–9 (15–5)4th2015NorthwestWhitman20–7 (13–3)5th2019OhioMount Union25–3 (17–1)3rd2015Old DominionRandolph–Macon26–2 (15–1)17th2019Presidents'Grove City20–8 (13–3)6th2010SkylineYeshiva27–1 (16–0)2nd2018SouthernCentre24–4 (11–3)17th2014SCIACPomona–Pitzer22–5 (13–3)13th2019SCACCentenary (LA)18–9 (13–5)1stNeverSLIACWebster19–8 (16–2)5th2014SUNYACSUNY Brockport24–3 (17–1)12th2018UAAEmory21–4 (11–3)9th2019Upper MidwestBethany Lutheran21–6 (14–2)2nd2018USA SouthMethodist18–10 (11–6)6th2005WisconsinUW–Oshkosh19–8 (11–3)10th2019

At-large bids (21)

The following 21 teams were awarded qualification for the tournament field by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee. The committee evaluated teams on the basis of their win–loss percentage, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, results against common opponents, and results against teams included in the NCAA's final regional rankings. By rule, one bid is reserved for teams in Pool B if there are enough teams that qualify for it. Pool B is for teams that are either independents or whose conference does not yet qualify for an automatic bid.

At-large bidsConferenceTeamRecord (Conf.)AppearanceLast bidPoolNEWMACBabson20–6 (10–4)10th2017CNorthern AthleticsBenedictine (IL)20–6 (16–4)9th2017CCapitalChristopher Newport21–6 (9–1)24th2019CNESCACColby24–3 (8–2)4th1997CLibertyHobart21–5 (15–3)5th2014COhioMarietta21–6 (14–4)9th2019CNESCACMiddlebury20–5 (6–4)11th2019CCCIWNorth Central (IL)21–5 (14–2)12th2019CLibertyRPI23–4 (17–1)6th2009CNEWMACSpringfield22–4 (11–1)10th2018CMidwestSt. Norbert23–4 (17–1)9th2016CMinnesotaSt. Thomas (MN)24–3 (19–1)20th2019CCentennialSwarthmore26–1 (18–0)4th2019CAmerican SouthwestTexas–Dallas21–6 (14–2)7th2019CWisconsinUW–Eau Claire19–9 (8–6)3rd2001CWisconsinUW–Platteville22–4 (12–2)13th2019CUAAWashington–St. Louis20–5 (11–3)22nd2018CAtlantic EastWesley18–9 (10–2)5th2014BNorthwestWhitworth21–6 (14–2)14th2018CNorth CoastWittenberg26–2 (17–1)30th2019CNEWMACWPI20–7 (10–3)13th2016C

Tournament bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

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Final Four Those rounds were cancelled.

Final Poll Results The D3Sports poll results after the tournament was abandoned.

+ D3 Sports Poll Results - Final Poll Pos Team W-L Pts1 Swarthmore (18)28-1 608 2 St. John's (1) 27-2 5893 Randolph-Macon (2)28-25674St. Thomas (1) 26-3 5465Mount Union (3) 27-3 5456North Central (Ill.) 23-5 4557Wittenberg 28-2 452 8Yeshiva 29-1 4159Washington U. 22-5 40910Elmhurst 25-5 36511Brockport 26-3 33112UW-Platteville 23-5 32513Johns Hopkins 24-4 27714 Nebraska Wesleyan 25-4 26115Tufts 23-6 24716Pomona-Pitzer 24-5 23017Christopher Newport 23-6 22318Emory 22-5 20919 Whitworth23-6 17520 Hobart 23-5 17221Colby 24-4 14222Springfield 23-5 12123UW-Oshkosh 20-9 8724 St. Joseph (Conn.) 26-3 7925 Middlebury 21-6 77

See also 2020 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 2020 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 2020 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 2020 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament

References