NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament

The NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament (officially styled as "Championship" instead of "Tournament") is an annual tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II women's college basketball national champion. Basketball was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA and Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) sought for sole governance of women's collegiate athletics. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championships; however, after a year of dual women's championships at the national level, the AIAW disbanded.

NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
SportBasketball
Founded1982
No. of teams64
CountryNCAA Division II (U.S.)
Most recent
champion(s)
Minnesota State (2nd)
TV partner(s)CBS Sports Network
Official websiteNCAA.com

The 2020 Elite Eight was due to be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, AL before the NCAA called off the tournament due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[1]

The field was reduced to 48 in 2021 and returned to the normal 64 in 2022.

Minnesota State are the defending national champions.

Qualification

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A total of 64 bids are normally available for each tournament: 23 automatic bids (awarded to the champion of each Division II all-sports conference) and 41 at-large bids. Due to COVID-19 issues, the 2020 tournament was canceled, and the 2021 tournament was reduced to 48 teams when nine all-sports conferences chose not to compete in women's basketball in 2020–21.

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 women's basketball. Each region normally consists of two or three automatic qualifiers (the teams who won their respective conference tournaments) and five or six at-large bids (awarded regardless of conference affiliation).

Conference tournaments

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Region Conference Tournament Debut Most titles Current champion (2024)
Atlantic[a] CIAA Tournament 1975 Shaw (11) Fayetteville State (5th)
Mountain East Tournament 2014 Glenville State (5) Fairmont State (1st)
PSAC Tournament 1980 California (PA) (7) Gannon (4th)
Central Great American Tournament 2012 Southwestern Oklahoma State (4) Henderson State (1st)
MIAA Tournament 1983 Emporia State and Washburn (9) Pittsburg State (1st)
NSIC Tournament 2000 Minnesota–Duluth (8) Minnesota State (1st)
East CACC Tournament 2002 Holy Family (7) Jefferson (5th)
East Coast Tournament 1991 Saint Rose (7) Daemen (4th)
Northeast-10 Tournament 1982 Bentley (23) Bentley (23rd)
Midwest GLIAC Tournament 1991 Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech (8) Grand Valley State (4th)
GLVC Tournament 1998 Drury (10) Lewis (4th)
G-MAC Tournament 2013 Ashland (3) Ashland (3rd)
South[b] Gulf South Tournament 1983 Delta State (16) West Georgia (3rd)
SIAC Tournament 1979 Fort Valley State (11) Miles (1st)
Sunshine State Tournament 1982 Florida Southern (12) Eckerd (3rd)
South Central Lone Star Tournament 1983 West Texas A&M (16) Texas Woman's (2nd)
RMAC Tournament 1985 CSU Pueblo and Nebraska–Kearney (6) Regis (4th)
Southeast Carolinas Tournament 1996 Anderson (SC) and Belmont Abbey (6) UNC Pembroke (2nd)
Peach Belt Tournament 1992 Three teams (6) Georgia Southwestern (2nd)
SAC Tournament 1991 Wingate Bulldogs (10) Wingate (10th)
West CCAA Tournament 1986 Cal Poly Pomona (11) Cal State San Marcos (2nd)
GNAC Tournament 2011 Alaska Anchorage (6) Western Washington (4th)
Pacific West Tournament 2013 Azusa Pacific and Hawaii Pacific (4) Azusa Pacific (4th)

Results

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NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship
Year Site
(Host Team)
Championship Third Place Match / Semifinalists
Champion Score Runner-up Third place Score Fourth place
1982
Details
Springfield, MA (Springfield Civic Center) Cal Poly Pomona 93–74 Tuskegee Mount St. Mary's 73–62 Oakland
1983
Details
Virginia Union 73–60 Cal Poly Pomona Southern Connecticut State
Central Missouri State
1984
Details
Central Missouri State 80–73 Virginia Union Dayton
Valdosta State
1985
Details
Cal Poly Pomona (2) 80–69 Central Missouri State Hampton
Mercer
1986
Details
Cal Poly Pomona (3) 70–63 North Dakota State Delta State
Philadelphia Textile
1987
Details
New Haven 77–75 Cal Poly Pomona Northern Kentucky
Pitt Johnstown
1988
Details
Fargo, ND
(Bison Sports Arena)
Hampton 65–48 West Texas State Delta State
North Dakota State
1989
Details
Cleveland, MS
(Walter Sillers Coliseum)
Delta State 88–58 Cal Poly Pomona Bentley 83–81 Central Missouri State
1990
Details
Pomona, CA
(Kellogg Gymnasium)
Delta State (2) 77–43 Bentley Cal Poly Pomona 87–68 Oakland
1991
Details
Cape Girardeau, MO
(Show Me Center)
North Dakota State 81–74 Southeast Missouri State Bentley 60–58 Norfolk State
1992
Details
Fargo, ND
(Bison Sports Arena)
Delta State (3) 65–63 North Dakota State Portland State 72–69 Bentley
1993
Details
Waltham, MA
(Dana Athletic Center)
North Dakota State (2) 95–63 Delta State Michigan Tech 74–60 Bentley
1994
Details
Fargo, ND
(Bison Sports Arena)
North Dakota State (3) 89–56 Cal State San Bernardino North Alabama 79–75 Bellarmine
1995
Details
North Dakota State (4) 98–85 Portland State Missouri Western State 76–66 Stonehill
1996
Details
North Dakota State (5) 104–78 Shippensburg Abilene Christian 83–65 Delta State
1997
Details
Grand Forks, ND
(Hyslop Sports Center)
North Dakota 94–78 Southern Indiana UC Davis 76–61 Bentley
1998
Details
Pine Bluff, AR
(H.O. Clemmons Arena)
North Dakota (2) 92–76 Emporia State Francis Marion
Northern Michigan
1999
Details
North Dakota (3) 80–63 Arkansas Tech Emporia State
Northern Kentucky
2000
Details
Northern Kentucky 71–62 (OT) North Dakota State Columbus State
Western Washington
2001
Details
Rochester, MN
(Mayo Civic Center)
Cal Poly Pomona (4) 87–80 (OT) North Dakota Shippensburg
Columbus State
2002
Details
Cal Poly Pomona (5) 74–62 Southeastern Oklahoma Glenville State
South Dakota State
2003
Details
St. Joseph, MO
(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
South Dakota State 65–50 Northern Kentucky Bentley
California (PA)
2004
Details
California (PA) 75–72 Drury Henderson State
Merrimack
2005
Details
Hot Springs, AR
(Summit Arena)
Washburn 70–53 Seattle Pacific Central Arkansas
Merrimack
2006
Details
Grand Valley State 58–52 American International Chico State
St. Cloud State
2007
Details
Kearney, NE
(Health and Sports Center)
Southern Connecticut State 61–45 Florida Gulf Coast Clayton State
UC San Diego
2008
Details
Northern Kentucky (2) 63–58 South Dakota Alaska Anchorage
Delta State
2009
Details
San Antonio, TX
(Bill Greehey Arena)
Minnesota State 103–94 Franklin Pierce Alaska Anchorage
Delta State
2010
Details
St. Joseph, MO
(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
Emporia State 65–53 Fort Lewis Franklin Pierce
Gannon
2011
Details
Clayton State 69–50 Michigan Tech Shaw
Northwest Missouri State
2012
Details
San Antonio, TX
(Bill Greehey Arena)
Shaw 88–82 (OT) Ashland Bentley
Rollins
2013
Details
Ashland 71–56 Dowling Augustana (SD)
Western Washington
2014
Details
Erie, PA
(Erie Insurance Arena)
Bentley 73–65 West Texas A&M Cal Poly Pomona
Nova Southeastern
2015
Details
Sioux Falls, SD
(Sanford Pentagon)
California (PA) (2) 86–69 California Baptist Emporia State
Limestone
2016
Details
Indianapolis, IN
(Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
Lubbock Christian 78–73 Alaska Anchorage Bentley
Grand Valley State
2017
Details
Columbus, OH
(Alumni Hall)
Ashland (2) 93–77 Virginia Union California Baptist
Harding
2018
Details
Sioux Falls, SD
(Sanford Pentagon)
Central Missouri (2) 66–52[2] Ashland Indiana (PA)
Union (TN)
2019
Details
Columbus, OH
(Alumni Hall)
Lubbock Christian (2) 95–85 (2OT) Southwestern Oklahoma Drury
Indiana (PA)
2020
Details
Birmingham, AL
(Birmingham CrossPlex)
Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic
2021
Details
Columbus, OH
(Alumni Hall)
Lubbock Christian (3) 69–59 Drury Central Missouri
Lander
2022
Details
Birmingham, AL
(Birmingham CrossPlex)
Glenville State 85–72 Western Washington Grand Valley State
North Georgia
2023
Details
Dallas, TX
(American Airlines Center)[a]
Ashland (3) 78–67 Minnesota–Duluth Catawba
Glenville State
2024
Details
St. Joseph, MO
(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
Minnesota State (2) 89–73 Texas Woman's Cal State San Marcos
Ferris State
2025 Pittsburgh, PA
(UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)
2026
  1. ^ Only the final game was held in Dallas. The remainder of the Elite Eight was held at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Champions

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Cal Poly Pomona
NDSU
Delta State
Lubbock Christian
UND
Ashland
Central Missouri
California
NKU
Minnesota State
Bentley
Clayton State
Emporia State
Glenville State
Grand Valley State
HU
New Haven
Shaw
SDSU
SCSU
VUU
Washburn
Schools that have won the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship
  5,   4,   3,   2,   1

Active programs

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Team Titles Years
Cal Poly Pomona 5 1982, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002
Ashland 3 2013, 2017, 2023
Lubbock Christian 3 2016, 2019, 2021
Delta State 3 1989, 1990, 1992
Minnesota State 2 2009, 2024
Central Missouri 2 1984, 2018
California (PA) 2 2004, 2015
Glenville State 1 2022
Bentley 1 2014
Shaw 1 2012
Clayton State 1 2011
Emporia State 1 2010
Southern Connecticut 1 2007
Grand Valley State 1 2006
Washburn 1 2005
New Haven 1 1987
Virginia Union 1 1983

Former programs

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Team Titles Years
North Dakota State[Note 1] 5 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
North Dakota[Note 1] 3 1997, 1998, 1999
Northern Kentucky[Note 1] 2 2000, 2008
South Dakota State[Note 1] 1 2003
Hampton[Note 1] 1 1988

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e As of 2023–24, this school is a current member of NCAA Division I.

References

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  1. ^ "Championship Central". National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  2. ^ "Central Missouri stuns Ashland to win NCAA Div. II Championship". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
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