The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions grouped in Division I. The tournament, originally known as the NCAA College Division Basketball Championship, was established in 1957, immediately after the NCAA subdivided its member schools into the University Division and College Division. It became the Division II championship in 1974, when the NCAA split the College Division into the limited-scholarship Division II and the non-scholarship Division III, and added the "Men's" designation in 1982 when the NCAA began sponsoring a Division II women's championship.
The NCAA Division II women's basketball 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.
The 1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 at the San Diego Sports Arena, now known as Pechanga Arena San Diego, in San Diego, California. A total of 36 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This was the first 32-team tournament.
The 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the RCA Dome. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1958 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's basketball in the NCAA College Division, predecessor to today's NCAA Divisions II and III, as a culmination of the 1957–58 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by the University of South Dakota, and Ed Smallwood of the University of Evansville was named the Most Outstanding Player.
The 1967 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 36 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1966–67 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by Winston-Salem State University and Winston-Salem's Earl Monroe was the Most Outstanding Player.
The 1968 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 36 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1967–68 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by Kentucky Wesleyan College, with Indiana State's Jerry Newsom named Most Outstanding Player. Uniquely, Indiana State has finished as the National Runner-up in the NAIA Tournaments, the (1979) NCAA Division I Tournament, and the 1968 NCAA Division II Tournament.
The 1974 NCAA Division II basketball tournament involved 44 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1973–74 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by Morgan State University and Morgan State's Marvin Webster was the Most Outstanding Player.
The 1975 NCAA Division II basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1974–75 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by Old Dominion University and Old Dominion's Wilson Washington was the Most Outstanding Player.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats men's basketball team represents Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, in the NCAA Division II men's basketball competition. The team is currently coached by Ben McCollum, who has been at the helm since 2009. The Bearcats currently compete, and are one of two founding members remaining, of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The basketball team plays its home games in the Bearcat Arena on campus.
The 1979 NCAA Division II basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1978–79 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by the University of North Alabama and North Alabama's Perry Oden was the Most Outstanding Player.
The 1985 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1984–85 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by Jacksonville State University and South Dakota State's Mark Tetzlaff was the Most Outstanding Player.
The 2011 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 2010–11 basketball season. The winner was Bellarmine; the tournament's Most Outstanding Player was Jet Chang of runner-up BYU–Hawaii, the first player from a losing team to earn that honor in the Division II tournament since 1998.
The 2014 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 64 teams that was played to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 2013–14 basketball season.
The 1993 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1992-93 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by California State University, Bakersfield and Cal State Bakersfield's Tyrone Davis was the Most Outstanding Player.
The 2016 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division II women's college basketball national champion. It began on March 10, 2016, and concluded with the championship game on April 4, 2016.
The 2019 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the 63rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States. Featuring sixty-four teams, it began on March 16 and concluded with the championship game on March 30.
The 2020 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was to be the annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States. With a field of sixty-four teams, it was supposed to begin on March 16 and conclude with the championship game on April 5.
The 2021 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was an annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States. The championship games were held March 24–27, 2021 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, without fans.
The 2023 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the single-elimination tournament to determine the annual national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States.
