The 2025 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, the culmination of the 2024–25 NCAA Division III men's basketball season.
The tournament again featured sixty-four teams, with teams placed into one of four sixteen-team regionals. The first four rounds were played on campus sites while the national and semifinal championship rounds were held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana from March 20–22, 2025.
Trinity (CT) won their first national championship, defeating NYU 64–60. Trinity were the seventh consecutive first-time national champion, a streak dating back to Babson in 2017. Four teams made their NCAA Division III tournament debut: Bryn Athyn, Drew, Huntingdon, and Pfeiffer.
Tournament schedule and venues
First and second rounds
First and second round games were played at campus sites on March 7 and March 8.
On the basis of team strength and geography, these locations were chosen to host first and second round games in the 2025 tournament:
Silloway Gymnasium, Middletown, Connecticut (Host: Wesleyan University) Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, Massachusetts (Host: Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Woodruff Physical Education Center, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Emory University) Bradley Center, Mahwah, New Jersey (Host: Ramapo College) Ray Oosting Gymnasium, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: Trinity College) Panzer Athletic Center, Montclair, New Jersey (Host: Montclair State University) Mayser Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Host: Franklin & Marshall College) Freeman Center, Newport News, Virginia (Host: Christopher Newport University) Wolf Gymnasium, York, Pennsylvania (Host: York College of Pennsylvania) Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center, Houston, Texas (Host: University of St. Thomas) Cousens Gymnasium, Medford, Massachusetts (Host: Tufts University) Kirby Field House, Hampden Sydney, Virginia (Host: Hampden–Sydney College) Williams Fieldhouse, Platteville, Wisconsin (Host: University of Wisconsin–Platteville) Washington University Field House, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Washington University in St. Louis) Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, Wisconsin (Host: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse) Ratner Athletics Center, Chicago, Illinois (Host: University of Chicago)
Third and fourth rounds
Third and fourth round games were played at campus sites on March 14 and March 15.
At the conclusion of the second round, the NCAA announced the following locations would host third and fourth round games.
Silloway Gymnasium, Middletown, Connecticut (Host: Wesleyan University) Ray Oosting Gymnasium, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: Trinity College) John A. Paulson Center, New York, New York (Host: New York University) Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, Wisconsin (Host: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse)
National Semifinals and Championship
The National Semifinals and Championship were played on March 20 and March 22.
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Host: Manchester University)
Fort Wayne hosted the Final Four for the fifth time, having previously hosted in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Fort Wayne was also scheduled to host the Final Four in 2020 and 2021, before those editions of the tournament were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Qualifying teams A total of sixty-four bids were available for the tournament: 43 automatic bids—awarded to the champions of the forty-three NCAA-recognized Division III conference tournaments—and 21 at-large bids.
There will be a net increase of one automatic bid this year, due to the Collegiate Conference of the South getting an automatic bid.
Automatic bids (43) The following 43 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2025 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 MountainPittsburgh–Bradford23–3 (14–2)3rd2003American RiversCentral (IA)17–11 (9–7)12th2016American SouthwestHardin–Simmons18–9 (8–0)3rd2017Atlantic EastNeumann20–7 (9–3)4th2022CentennialFranklin & Marshall21–6 (11–2)26th2018CUNYACJohn Jay19–8 (11–3)2nd2008Coast to CoastMary Washington13–14 (3–2)4th2023CCIWIllinois Wesleyan22–5 (12–4)27th2022CCSHuntingdon22–6 (8–4)1stNeverCNEWestern New England21–6 (15–3)4th2001Empire 8Utica21–7 (12–4)4th2024Great NortheastSt. Joseph's (ME)24–4 (14–1)3rd2009HeartlandFranklin21–7 (14–4)7th2022LandmarkDrew24–3 (18–0)1stNeverLibertyIthaca18–9 (13–5)12th2020Little EastKeene State22–5 (14–2)10th2024MAC CommonwealthYork (PA)21–6 (12–2)8th2020MAC FreedomDelaware Valley15–12 (8–6)4th2016MASCACWestfield State21–6 (9–3)6th2022MichiganCalvin21–6 (14–0)24th2024MidwestGrinnell20–7 (11–5)3rd2001MinnesotaSt. John's (MN)24–3 (15–1)13th2022NESCACTrinity (CT)24–3 (8–2)11th2024NEWMACClark (MA)18–9 (12–4)17th2010New JerseyMontclair State21–6 (14–4)8th2023North AtlanticHusson21–7 (12–1)10th2024North CoastDenison24–3 (14–2)3rd2016Northern AthleticsSt. Norbert22–6 (15–3)11th2023NorthwestLewis & Clark15–12 (9–7)4th2002OhioJohn Carroll22–5 (15–3)18th2024Old DominionGuilford22–6 (12–4)8th2024Presidents'Chatham23–4 (18–2)3rd2023SkylineYeshiva18–10 (12–4)4th2022SouthernBerry19–8 (10–2)4th2024SCIACClaremont–Mudd–Scripps20–7 (12–4)16th2024SCACSt. Thomas (TX)25–2 (15–1)3rd2024SLIACGreenville20–7 (16–2)2nd2018SUNYACSUNY Cortland17–11 (13–5)7th2016United EastBryn Athyn20–8 (15–1)1stNeverUAANYU24–1 (13–1)13th2024Upper MidwestBethany Lutheran14–13 (9–5)5th2024USA SouthPfeiffer18–7 (12–2)1stNeverWisconsinUW–Platteville25–2 (13–1)16th2024
At-large bids (21)
The following 21 teams were awarded qualification for the tournament field by the NCAA's NPI rankings, a computer ranking system that evaluates teams' winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away bonus, quality wins, and overtime results.
At-large bidsConferenceTeamRecord (Conf.)AppearanceLast bidSCIACCal Lutheran22–5 (14–2)7th2024CCIWCarthage21–6 (14–2)5th2010LandmarkCatholic22–5 (16–2)16th2024UAAChicago18–7 (9–5)7th2008Coast to CoastChristopher Newport22–5 (5–0)28th2024UAAEmory20–5 (10–4)12th2023CentennialGettysburg20–7 (10–3)6th2009NESCACHamilton20–6 (7–3)13th2023Old DominionHampden–Sydney21–5 (14–2)17th2024New JerseyRamapo20–7 (13–5)10th2019Old DominionRandolph–Macon23–4 (15–1)21st2024SCIACRedlands22–4 (14–2)4th2013Old DominionRoanoke23–5 (14–2)14th2001New JerseyStockton19–8 (13–5)20th2024New JerseyTCNJ20–7 (12–6)9th2024NESCACTufts21–5 (8–2)9th2024WisconsinUW–La Crosse22–5 (12–2)4th2022UAAWashington–St. Louis19–6 (9–5)26th2024NESCACWesleyan (CT)26–1 (10–0)5th2022Northern AthleticsWisconsin Lutheran25–3 (16–2)3rd2024NEWMACWPI24–3 (15–1)15th2022
Tournament bracket Top-left - Middletown, Connecticut
Bottom-left - Hartford, Connecticut
Top-right - New York, New York
Bottom-right - La Crosse, Wisconsin
Final Four
Record by conference ConferenceRecordWin %R64R32S16E8F4CGNCNESCAC11–34322211UAA12–4433321–Wisconsin4–22211–––Landmark3–22111–––SCIAC3–33111–––Old Dominion5–4432––––American Southwest2–1111––––CNE2–1111––––Coast to Coast3–2221––––Northern Athletics3–2221––––CCIW2–2211––––NEWMAC2–2211––––New Jersey2–442–––––Allegheny Mountain1–111–––––Heartland1–111–––––Liberty1–111–––––Little East1–111–––––MAC Commonwealth1–111–––––Minnesota1–111–––––SAA1–111–––––SCAC1–111–––––Centennial1–221–––––
The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively. The American Rivers, Atlantic East, CUNYAC, CCS, Empire 8, Great Northeast, MAC Freedom, MASCAC, Michigan, Midwest, North Atlantic, North Coast, Northwest, Ohio, Presidents', Skyline, SLIAC, SUNYAC, United East, Upper Midwest, and USA South each had one representative, eliminated in the Round of 64 with a record of 0–1.
See also 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 2025 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 2025 NAIA men's basketball tournament 2025 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
References