What To Know About The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Sweet 16

We’re down to 16 teams in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, and there’s more fun ahead this weekend. Here’s what to know.

Mar 12, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro

What To Know About The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Sweet 16

It’s March, and madness is right around the corner.

For now, we’re just enjoying some moderate chaos at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, where the field already has been whittled down from 64 hopeful teams to 16 talented contenders.

The third round of this year’s tournament will take place March 13-14 at locations across the country, and the eight remaining teams will pack their bags for Fort Wayne, Indiana, the host city for the national quarterfinals and semifinals.

The single-elimination 2026 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship began March 6 with 43 automatic qualifiers and 21 at-large selections determined by the NCAA Power Index.

The Division III men’s champion will be determined April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of an unprecedented college basketball extravaganza that will run from April 2-6.

The stretch also will include the title games of the Division II Men’s Basketball Championship, 2026 NIT and the conclusion of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on April 6 as the grand finale, marking the first time in history all four champions are crowned in the same city.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever and one of three Indy-area facilities that will be part of this year’s college basketball postseason.

As you settle in for another three weeks of top-tier basketball action, here are some things to know about the Division III Men’s Basketball Championship and the 2026 season:

Indiana Is The Hub Of College Basketball In 2026

The quarterfinals and semifinals of the Division III Men’s Basketball Championship will be held March 19-21 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

The semifinals of the 2026 NIT will be played April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University.

The Final Four, the formal name for the Division I national semifinals, will head to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, and take place April 4.

Connecticut’s Trinity College Is The Reigning Division III National Champion

The Trinity College Bantams defeated NYU to win the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.

The 64-60 win was the first title for Trinity and ended with a 14-5 Bantams run to secure the victory.

Trinity is looking to become the first team in almost two decades – Washington-St. Louis did it in 2009 – to successfully defend a Division III men’s basketball title.

The Bantams opened this year’s event with a 74-63 win over Keuka and topped Babson in the second round, 71-61.

Trinity now will visit Hood College of Frederick, Maryland, in this week’s third round. They’ll get underway March 14 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

To see all of the results from the first and second round of this year’s tournament, click here.

2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule

National quarterfinals and semifinals will be played March 19-21 in Fort Wayne.
The Division III men’s championship game will be played April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

2026 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Bracket

Here’s a look at how it all started and where it’s heading:

All roads lead to Indy... 🏆

The #d3mhoops bracket is HERE!

👉https://t.co/t7DaBsWt5N #WhyD3 pic.twitter.com/no2z4hzhq6
— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) March 2, 2026

How To Watch The 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments

Competition at the 2026 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship can be watched on the NCAA’s Championships Pass on NCAA.com.

The NIT semifinals April 2 will air on ESPN (first game) and ESPN2 (second game), at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. EDT, respectively.

The trio of championship contests from Gainbridge Fieldhouse on April 5 will be broadcast as follows (all times Eastern):

Division II national championship game, 1 p.m. on CBS
Division III title game, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+
NIT final, 8 p.m. on ESPN2

The Final Four games April 4 will be broadcast on TBS in partnership with CBS Sports at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern. The championship game will air on TBS on April 6 at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

If you’re going to be in Indiana and want to catch the action in person, tickets to the NIT semifinals and championship game, the Division II and III championship games and all rounds of the NCAA Tournament (Division I) can be purchased by visiting this page.

How Many Teams Participate In The Division III Basketball Championship Events Now?

The number of participating teams for the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship has changed many times over the years.

The inaugural edition in 1975 had 30 teams. There were 28 in 1976, and then it went back to 30.

In 1980, there were 32 teams. In 1989, it expanded to 40. Finally, in 1995, the field ballooned to 64 teams split into four sectionals, but the change only lasted three years, before it was changed to 48.

The number slowly increased again, until the full 64-team bracket returned in 2017.

The NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship needed just one year to double in size, as 32 teams participated in 1983. That number remained steady, though regional brackets were introduced in 1989. In 1994, 40 teams played. Then 64 in 1995.

When Was The First NCAA Division III Basketball Championship?

The first NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship was held in 1975 and included 30 teams split into eight regions.

The first NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship was held in 1982 and featured 16 teams.

Learn More About Division III Athletics

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