The 2026 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 2025–26 NCAA Division III men's basketball season.
The tournament again featured 64 teams, with teams placed into one of four 16-team regionals. The first three rounds were played on campus sites, followed by the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana from March 19–21, 2026. The national championship game was played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 5, 2026, as part of a joint championship weekend alongside the Division II and NIT championships, the first such arrangement since 2020.
Mary Washington won their first national championship, defeating Emory 75–73 on a buzzer-beater from Colin Mitchell. Mary Washington were the eighth consecutive first-time national champion, a streak dating back to Babson in 2017. Three teams made their NCAA Division III tournament debut: Belhaven, Keuka, and Mississippi University for Women.
Tournament schedule and venues
First and second rounds
First- and second-round games were played at campus sites on March 6 and March 7.
On the basis of team strength and geography, these locations were chosen to host first- and second-round games in the 2026 tournament:
Ray Oosting Gymnasium, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: Trinity College) Woodsboro Bank Arena, Frederick, Maryland (Host: Hood College) Silloway Gymnasium, Middletown, Connecticut (Host: Wesleyan University) Cousens Gymnasium, Medford, Massachusetts (Host: Tufts University) Ron Rosner Arena, Fredericksburg, Virginia (Host: University of Mary Washington) Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, Wisconsin (Host: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse) Ratner Athletics Center, Chicago, Illinois (Host: University of Chicago) Gus Young Court, St. Peter, Minnesota (Host: Gustavus Adolphus College) Woodruff Physical Education Center, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Emory University) Panzer Athletic Center, Montclair, New Jersey (Host: Montclair State University) MacDonald Gymnasium, Beverly, Massachusetts (Host: Endicott College) Shirk Center, Bloomington, Illinois (Host: Illinois Wesleyan University) Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center, Houston, Texas (Host: University of St. Thomas) Washington University Field House, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Washington University in St. Louis) Crenshaw Gymnasium, Ashland, Virginia (Host: Randolph–Macon College) Freeman Center, Newport News, Virginia (Host: Christopher Newport University)
Qualifying teams A total of sixty-four bids will be 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.
Automatic bids (43) The following 43 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2026 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 MountainPenn State Behrend20–7 (14–2)9th2019American RiversLoras20–8 (12–4)5th2024American SouthwestMary Hardin–Baylor20–7 (5–1)9th2023Atlantic EastNeumann19–9 (8–6)5th2025CentennialGettysburg18–9 (11–2)7th2025CUNYACLehman21–6 (14–0)2nd2004Coast to CoastMary Washington24–3 (5–1)5th2025CCIWIllinois Wesleyan23–4 (13–3)28th2025CCSBelhaven16–12 (7–5)1stNeverCNEEndicott26–1 (16–0)9th2017Empire 8Keuka15–13 (9–7)1stNeverGreat NortheastSt. Joseph's (ME)20–8 (12–0)4th2025HeartlandTransylvania20–8 (14–4)11th2020LandmarkSusquehanna16–12 (9–9)10th2022LibertyVassar20–8 (13–5)2nd2022Little EastWestern Connecticut21–6 (12–4)14th2020MAC CommonwealthHood24–3 (13–1)4th2024MAC FreedomStevens18–9 (10–4)6th2024MASCACWorcester State15–12 (11–3)5th2024MichiganHope18–9 (11–3)31st2024MidwestGrinnell22–3 (15–1)4th2025MinnesotaGustavus Adolphus25–2 (15–1)15th2024NESCACTrinity (CT)25–2 (8–2)12th2025NEWMACBabson21–6 (13–3)14th2024New JerseyTCNJ21–6 (14–4)10th2025North AtlanticMaine–Farmington22–5 (17–1)2nd2010North CoastJohn Carroll22–6 (11–5)19th2025Northern AthleticsAurora23–5 (15–3)12th2019NorthwestWhitworth22–5 (14–2)18th2024OhioHeidelberg16–12 (7–9)5th2022Old DominionRoanoke22–6 (12–4)15th2025Presidents'Washington & Jefferson22–6 (12–4)4th2022SkylineYeshiva20–8 (16–0)5th2025SouthernRhodes23–4 (12–2)5th2017SCIACRedlands23–4 (13–3)5th2025SCACSt. Thomas (TX)26–1 (16–0)4th2025SLIACMUW17–10 (11–5)1stNeverSUNYACSUNY Cortland23–4 (17–1)8th2025United EastPenn State Harrisburg18–10 (10–3)4th2024UAAEmory22–3 (12–2)13th2025Upper MidwestBethany Lutheran16–11 (7–5)6th2025USA SouthNorth Carolina Wesleyan21–6 (11–3)7th2023WisconsinUW–La Crosse22–6 (9–5)5th2025
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 bidNESCACAmherst18–7 (7–3)21st2019NESCACBates18–8 (5–5)2nd2015LandmarkCatholic19–7 (15–3)17th2025UAAChicago21–4 (11–3)8th2025Coast to CoastChristopher Newport21–5 (4–1)29th2025SCIACClaremont–Mudd–Scripps22–4 (13–3)17th2025CentennialFranklin & Marshall22–5 (10–3)27th2025CentennialJohns Hopkins20–7 (10–3)15th2023New JerseyMontclair State25–2 (17–1)9th2025OhioMount Union23–3 (14–2)6th2023UAANYU17–8 (8–6)14th2025OhioOtterbein22–5 (13–3)14th2002Old DominionRandolph–Macon25–3 (14–2)22nd2025SouthernTrinity (TX)21–6 (12–2)13th2024NESCACTufts20–5 (8–2)10th2025WisconsinUW–Platteville18–9 (9–5)17th2025WisconsinUW–Stevens Point19–7 (9–5)16th2018WisconsinUW–Whitewater20–7 (10–4)23rd2023UAAWashington–St. Louis18–7 (8–6)27th2025NESCACWesleyan (CT)21–6 (9–1)6th2025NEWMACWPI21–5 (14–2)16th2025
Tournament bracket Top-left
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Final Four
See also 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 2026 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 2026 NAIA men's basketball tournament 2026 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
Footnotes
References