The 2026 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States, the culmination of the 2025–26 NCAA Division II men's basketball season.
The tournament featured 64 teams, with teams placed into one of eight geographically oriented, eight-team regionals. The first three rounds were played on campus sites. The quarterfinals and semifinals were held at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, and the national championship game was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 5.
Goldey–Beacom, Lake Erie, Western New Mexico, and Young Harris participated in the tournament for the first time.
Qualifying A total of 64 bids are available for the tournament: 23 automatic bids (awarded to the champions of the twenty-three Division II conferences) and 41 at-large bids.
The bids are allocated evenly among the eight NCAA-designated regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast, and West), each of which contains either two or three of the 23 Division II conferences that sponsor men's basketball. Each region consists of two or three automatic qualifiers (the teams that won their respective conference tournaments) and either five or six at-large bids, awarded regardless of conference affiliation.
Automatic bids (23) Automatic bids Region (Bids) Conference School Record (Conf.) AppearanceLast bidAtlantic (3)CIAAFayetteville State23–6 (14–2)5th2025Mountain EastWest Liberty27–4 (18–2)18th2025PSACCalifornia (PA)22–8 (16–4)16th2024Central (3)Great AmericanHarding24–7 (17–5)8th2025MIAAWashburn31–1 (18–1)18th2025Northern SunMinnesota–Duluth21–11 (14–9)9th2024East (3)CACCFelician27–3 (19–1)3rd2022East CoastDaemen30–1 (16–0)6th2025Northeast–10Saint Anselm23–7 (14–4)26th2023Midwest (3)GLIACGrand Valley State25–6 (15–5)12th2019GLVCWilliam Jewell22–9 (15–5)2nd2024Great MidwestWalsh27–3 (17–3)5th2024South (3)Gulf SouthWest Florida25–8 (15–7)2nd2018SIACMorehouse22–9 (19–5)8th2018Sunshine StateNova Southeastern27–1 (19–1)7th2025South Central (2)Lone StarDallas Baptist27–6 (18–2)10th2025RMACBlack Hills State27–4 (17–3)3rd2023Southeast (3)CarolinasYoung Harris22–8 (16–4)1stNeverPeach BeltLander25–5 (17–3)8th2024South AtlanticAnderson (SC)29–2 (20–2)5th2014West (3)CCAACal State East Bay30–0 (22–0)6th1988Great NorthwestSaint Martin's25–5 (15–3)4th2023PacWestPoint Loma25–5 (18–4)8th2025
At-large bids (41) At-large bids Region (Bids) Conference School Record (Conf.) Appearance Last bidAtlantic (5)Mountain EastCharleston (WV)19–9 (14–6)10th2024Mountain EastFairmont State26–5 (12–4)16th2025PSACGannon28–3 (19–1)28th2025PSACIndiana (PA)22–7 (15–5)20th2023CIAAVirginia Union24–5 (17–3)31st2023Central (5)MIAACentral Missouri23–9 (14–5)23rd2015MIAAMissouri Western21–11 (12–7)12th2021Great AmericanOklahoma Baptist26–2 (20–2)3rd2021MIAARogers State21–10 (13–6)2nd2020Northern SunSt. Cloud State25–6 (20–2)16th2019East (5)Northeast–10Adelphi18–11 (10–8)19th2025Northeast–10Assumption17–12 (11–7)29th2025Northeast–10Bentley19–9 (12–6)21st2023CACCGoldey–Beacom21–10 (13–7)1stNeverNortheast–10Saint Michael's18–13 (10–8)14th2024Midwest (5)Great MidwestAshland20–10 (13–7)12th2023Great MidwestLake Erie23–8 (15–5)1stNeverGLIACMichigan Tech26–6 (16–4)13th2025GLIACNorthern Michigan27–6 (16–4)12th2025GLVCRockhurst23–6 (17–3)4th2009South (5)Gulf SouthAlabama–Huntsville21–9 (15–7)18th2025Sunshine StateFlorida Southern25–8 (14–6)35th2025Gulf SouthMontevallo20–10 (15–7)13th2025Sunshine StatePalm Beach Atlantic26–5 (16–4)2nd2020Gulf SouthWest Alabama26–5 (19–3)8th2023South Central (6)RMACColorado Mesa21–10 (15–5)12th2024Lone StarEastern New Mexico26–5 (17–3)4th2024Lone StarLubbock Christian27–5 (17–3)8th2025Lone StarSt. Edward's24–8 (13–7)7th2025Lone StarSt. Mary's (TX)21–9 (13–7)11th2025Lone StarWestern New Mexico22–7 (15–5)1stNeverSoutheast (5)South AtlanticCatawba23–8 (16–6)15th2025Peach BeltColumbus State22–8 (15–5)16th2025South AtlanticLenoir–Rhyne24–8 (17–5)10th2025South AtlanticLincoln Memorial19–11 (14–8)15th2025Peach BeltNorth Georgia21–6 (14–6)3rd2024West (5)Great NorthwestAlaska Anchorage21–10 (12–6)17th2024CCAACal Poly Humboldt17–14 (13–9)15th2016CCAACal State Dominguez Hills21–8 (17–5)8th2025Pacific WestHawaii Pacific18–11 (13–9)3rd2017Great NorthwestNorthwest Nazarene18–10 (12–6)4th2025
Bracket Regional play will take place on March 14-15 and 17, except for the West Region, who will play one day earlier for all rounds.
Atlantic regional Site: Erie, Pennsylvania (Gannon)
* – Denotes overtime period
Central regional Site: Topeka, Kansas (Washburn)
East regional Site: Amherst, New York (Daemen)
Midwest regional Site: North Canton, Ohio (Walsh)
South regional Site: Davie, Florida (Nova Southeastern)
South Central regional Site: Dallas, Texas (Dallas Baptist)
Southeast regional Site: Anderson, South Carolina (Anderson (SC))
West regional Site: Hayward, California (Cal State East Bay)
Elite Eight Sites: UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Elite Eight and Final Four, hosted by PennWest Clarion) and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (National championship)
See also 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 2026 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament 2026 NAIA men's basketball tournament 2026 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
References