2016 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The 2016 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 62 teams to determine the men's collegiate basketball national champion of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The tournament took place during March 2016, with the national semifinal and championship rounds taking place at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

St. Thomas (MN) defeated Benedictine (IL), 82–76, to win their second Division III national championship.

Qualifying teams

Automatic bids (43)

The following 43 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2016 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 MountainPitt–Greensburg19–9 (13–5)1stNeverAmerican SouthwestHardin–Simmons18–10 (8–6)1stNeverCapitalChristopher Newport26–1 (18–0)20th2013CentennialFranklin & Marshall22–5 (15–3)24th2012CUNYACBrooklyn22–6 (11–5)4th2010CCIWAugustana (IL)26–1 (13–1)15th2015Colonial StatesGwynedd Mercy21–6 (17–1)5th2011Commonwealth CoastEndicott18–10 (12–6)7th2015Empire 8Hartwick19–8 (12–4)8th2014Great NortheastJohnson & Wales (RI)26–2 (17–1)3rd2011HeartlandMount St. Joseph18–9 (13–5)1stNeverIowaCentral (IA)19–9 (7–7)11th2014LandmarkCatholic22–5 (13–3)14th2015LibertySkidmore18–8 (11–5)4th2015Little EastKeene State18–10 (8–6)4th2015MAC CommonwealthLycoming19–9 (8–8)6th2010MAC FreedomDelaware Valley20–7 (9–5)3rd2013MASCACFitchburg State18–9 (9–3)2nd2013MichiganAlma21–6 (12–2)1stNeverMidwestSt. Norbert26–2 (18–0)8th2015MinnesotaSt. Olaf18–9 (14–6)3rd2015NECCSouthern Vermont24–3 (16–0)2nd2003NESCACMiddlebury17–10 (6–4)7th2013NEWMACBabson21–5 (13–1)8th2015New JerseyStockton21–6 (14–4)16th2015North AtlanticHusson21–6 (15–3)5th2014North CoastDenison17–11 (9–9)2nd1997NEACLancaster Bible27–0 (18–0)1stNeverNorthern AthleticsBenedictine (IL)27–0 (20–0)7th2011NorthwestWhitworth26–1 (15–1)11th2015OhioJohn Carroll25–3 (15–3)14th2015Old DominionLynchburg22–6 (12–4)3rd1979Presidents'Saint Vincent22–6 (15–3)4th2015SkylineOld Westbury19–8 (16–4)2nd2004SouthernBirmingham–Southern22–6 (14–0)2nd2012SCIACChapman20–6 (12–4)4th2014SCACTexas Lutheran21–6 (11–3)2nd2015SLIACWestminster (MO)12–15 (10–8)4th2012SUNYACSUNY Cortland20–7 (12–6)6th2013UAAEmory18–7 (11–3)5th2015Upper MidwestNorthwestern–St. Paul22–5 (12–4)6th2015USA SouthCovenant18–9 (10–4)1stNeverWisconsinUW–Oshkosh18–9 (9–5)6th2003

At-large bids (19)

The following 19 teams were awarded qualification for the 2016 NCAA 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.

At-large bidsConferenceTeamRecord (Conf.)AppearanceLast bidNESCACAmherst22–5 (8–2)18th2015CCIWElmhurst21–6 (10–4)5th2015MichiganHope23–3 (13–1)25th2014USA SouthLaGrange20–9 (9–5)3rd2015OhioMarietta25–3 (17–1)5th2015CCIWNorth Central (IL)19–7 (12–2)8th2013UAANYU20–5 (9–5)10th2012North CoastOhio Wesleyan23–4 (15–3)7th2015SUNYACOswego State20–8 (11–7)4th2015SUNYACPlattsburgh State21–5 (16–2)9th2014MinnesotaSt. Thomas (MN)24–3 (18–2)17th2015CapitalSalisbury21–6 (13–5)7th2015LandmarkScranton19–7 (11–5)27th2015LandmarkSusquehanna23–4 (13–3)6th1994NESCACTrinity (CT)19–7 (9–1)9th2015NESCACTufts20–6 (7–3)4th2006NorthwestWhitman22–4 (14–2)1stNeverNorth CoastWooster21–7 (15–3)25th2015NEWMACWPI20–6 (10–4)12th2015

Tournament bracket

Top-left - Lisle, Illinois

Bottom-left - Medford, Massachusetts

Top-right - Rock Island, Illinois

* – Denotes overtime period

Bottom-right - Oswego, New York

* – Denotes overtime period

Final Four - Salem, Virginia

Bracket: Records Book:

All-Tournament Team Taylor Montero - St. Thomas (MN) (Most Outstanding Player) Ryan Saarela - St. Thomas (MN) Grant Schafer - St. Thomas (MN) Luke Johnson - Benedictine Connor Green - Amherst

See also 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 2016 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament

References