The NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament (officially called as "Championship" instead of "Tournament") is an annual tournament to help determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II women's college basketball national champion.
Basketball was originally one of the 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 2020 Elite Eight was scheduled to be played at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, AL before the NCAA called off the tournament because of the COVID-19 outbreak during that tim.
The field was reduced to 48 schools in 2021 due COVID but it returned to the full normal 64 teams the following year in 2022.
Grand Valley State is now the defending national champions, winning their third national title in 2026.
Qualification
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
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style= | Region
! style= | Conference
! style= |Tournament
! style= |Debut
! style= |Most titles
! style= |Current champion (2026)
|-
|rowspan="3"| Atlantic
| CIAA
| Tournament
| 1975
| Shaw (11)
| Winston-Salem State (1st)
|-
|Mountain East
| Tournament
| 2014
| Glenville State (5)
| Charleston (WV) (3rd)
|-
|PSAC
| Tournament
| 1980
| California (PA) (7)<br />Indiana (PA) (7)
| Indiana (PA) (7th)
|-
|rowspan="3"| Central
| Great American
| Tournament
| 2012
| Southwestern Oklahoma State (4)
| Northwestern Oklahoma State (1st)
|-
| MIAA
| Tournament
| 1983
| Washburn (10)
| Washburn (10th)
|-
|NSIC
| Tournament
| 2000
| Minnesota–Duluth (8)
| Concordia St. Paul (6th)
|-
|rowspan="3"| East
| CACC
| Tournament
| 2002
| Holy Family (8)
| Felician (1st)
|-
| East Coast
| Tournament
| 1991
| Saint Rose (6)<br />Daemen (6)
| Daemen (6th)
|-
| Northeast-10
| Tournament
| 1982
| Bentley (24)
| Southern Connecticut (3rd)
|-
|rowspan="3"| Midwest
| GLIAC
| Tournament
| 1991
| Northern Michigan (8)<br /> Michigan Tech (8)
| Grand Valley State (6th)
|-
| GLVC
| Tournament
| 1998
| Drury (10)
| Maryville (2nd)
|-
| G-MAC
| Tournament
| 2013
| Ashland (4)
| Northwood (1st)
|-
|rowspan="3"| South
| Gulf South
| Tournament
| 1983
| Delta State (16)
| Union (TN) (8th)
|-
| SIAC
| Tournament
| 1979
| Fort Valley State (11)
| Miles (3rd)
|-
| Sunshine State
| Tournament
| 1982
| Florida Southern (12)
| Nova Southeastern (4th)
|-
|rowspan="2"| South Central
| Lone Star
| Tournament
| 1983
| West Texas A&M (16)
| Texas Woman's (4th)
|-
| RMAC
| Tournament
| 1985
| Colorado Mesa (6)<br />CSU Pueblo (6)<br />Nebraska–Kearney (6)
| Colorado Mesa (6th)
|-
|rowspan="3"| Southeast || Carolinas
| Tournament
| 1996
| Belmont Abbey (7)
| Lees–McRae (1st)
|-
|Peach Belt
| Tournament
| 1992
| Columbus State (5)<br />Lander (5)<br />Georgia College (5)<br />North Georgia (5)
| Augusta (3rd)
|-
|SAC
| Tournament
| 1991
| Wingate Bulldogs (10)
| Coker (1st)
|-
|rowspan="3"| West
| CCAA
| Tournament
| 1986
| Cal Poly Pomona (11)
| Cal State Los Angeles (1st)
|-
|GNAC
| Tournament
| 2011
| Alaska Anchorage (7)
| Montana State Billings (2nd)
|-
|Pacific West
| Tournament
| 2013
| Azusa Pacific and Hawaii Pacific (4)
| Vanguard (1st)
|}
Results
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%; text-align: center;"
|-
! style= colspan=11|NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship
|-
! rowspan="2" |Year
! rowspan="2" |Site<br /><small>(Host Team)</small>
! rowspan="51"|
! colspan=3|Championship
! rowspan="40"|
! colspan=3|Third Place Match / Semifinalists
|-
!Champion
!Score
!Runner-up
!Third place
!Score
!Fourth place
|-
| 1982<br />Details
| rowspan=6|Springfield, MA (Springfield Civic Center)
| Cal Poly Pomona
| 93–74
| Tuskegee
| Mount St. Mary's
| 73–62
| Oakland
|-
| 1983<br />Details
| Virginia Union
| 73–60
| Cal Poly Pomona
| colspan=3 | Southern Connecticut State<br />Central Missouri State
|-
| 1984<br />Details
| Central Missouri State
| 80–73
| Virginia Union
| colspan=3 | Dayton<br />Valdosta State
|-
| 1985<br />Details
| Cal Poly Pomona (2)
| 80–69
| Central Missouri State
| colspan=3 | Hampton<br />Mercer
|-
| 1986<br />Details
| Cal Poly Pomona (3)
| 70–63
| North Dakota State
| colspan=3 | Delta State<br />Philadelphia Textile
|-
| 1987<br />Details
| New Haven
| 77–75
| Cal Poly Pomona
| colspan=3 | Northern Kentucky<br />Pitt Johnstown
|-
| 1988<br />Details
| Fargo, ND<br />(Bison Sports Arena)
| Hampton
| 65–48
| West Texas State
| colspan=3 | Delta State<br />North Dakota State
|-
| 1989<br />Details
| Cleveland, MS<br />(Walter Sillers Coliseum)
| Delta State
| 88–58
| Cal Poly Pomona
| Bentley
| 83–81
| Central Missouri State
|-
| 1990<br />Details
| Pomona, CA<br />(Kellogg Gymnasium)
| Delta State (2)
| 77–43
| Bentley
| Cal Poly Pomona
| 87–68
| Oakland
|-
| 1991<br />Details
| Cape Girardeau, MO<br />(Show Me Center)
| North Dakota State
| 81–74
| Southeast Missouri State
| Bentley
| 60–58
| Norfolk State
|-
| 1992<br />Details
| Fargo, ND<br />(Bison Sports Arena)
| Delta State (3)
| 65–63
| North Dakota State
| Portland State
| 72–69
| Bentley
|-
| 1993<br />Details
| Waltham, MA<br />(Dana Athletic Center)
| North Dakota State (2)
| 95–63
| Delta State
| Michigan Tech
| 74–60
| Bentley
|-
| 1994<br />Details
| rowspan=3 | Fargo, ND<br />(Bison Sports Arena)
| North Dakota State (3)
| 89–56
| Cal State San Bernardino
| North Alabama
| 79–75
| Bellarmine
|-
| 1995<br />Details
| North Dakota State (4)
| 98–85
| Portland State
| Missouri Western State
| 76–66
| Stonehill
|-
| 1996<br />Details
| North Dakota State (5)
| 104–78
| Shippensburg
| Abilene Christian
| 83–65
| Delta State
|-
| 1997<br />Details
| Grand Forks, ND<br />(Hyslop Sports Center)
| North Dakota
| 94–78
| Southern Indiana
| UC Davis
| 76–61
| Bentley
|-
| 1998<br />Details
| rowspan=3 | Pine Bluff, AR<br />(H.O. Clemmons Arena)
| North Dakota (2)
| 92–76
| Emporia State
| colspan=3 | Francis Marion<br />Northern Michigan
|-
| 1999<br />Details
| North Dakota (3)
| 80–63
| Arkansas Tech
| colspan=3 | Emporia State<br />Northern Kentucky
|-
| 2000<br />Details
| Northern Kentucky
| 71–62 (OT)
| North Dakota State
| colspan=3 | Columbus State<br />Western Washington
|-
| 2001<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | Rochester, MN<br />(Mayo Civic Center)
| Cal Poly Pomona (4)
| 87–80 (OT)
| North Dakota
| colspan=3 | Shippensburg<br />Columbus State
|-
| 2002<br />Details
| Cal Poly Pomona (5)
| 74–62
| Southeastern Oklahoma
| colspan=3 | Glenville State<br />South Dakota State
|-
| 2003<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | St. Joseph, MO<br />(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
| South Dakota State
| 65–50
| Northern Kentucky
| colspan=3 | Bentley<br />California (PA)
|-
| 2004<br />Details
| California (PA)
| 75–72
| Drury
| colspan=3 | Henderson State<br />Merrimack
|-
| 2005<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | Hot Springs, AR<br />(Summit Arena)
| Washburn
| 70–53
| Seattle Pacific
| colspan=3 | Central Arkansas<br />Merrimack
|-
| 2006<br />Details
| Grand Valley State
| 58–52
| American International
| colspan=3 | Chico State<br />St. Cloud State
|-
| 2007<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | Kearney, NE<br />(Health and Sports Center)
| Southern Connecticut State
| 61–45
| Florida Gulf Coast
| colspan=3 | Clayton State<br />UC San Diego
|-
| 2008<br />Details
| Northern Kentucky (2)
| 63–58
| South Dakota
| colspan=3 | Alaska Anchorage<br />Delta State
|-
| 2009<br />Details
| San Antonio, TX<br />(Bill Greehey Arena)
| Minnesota State
| 103–94
| Franklin Pierce
| colspan=3 | Alaska Anchorage<br />Delta State
|-
| 2010<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | St. Joseph, MO<br />(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
| Emporia State
| 65–53
| Fort Lewis
| colspan=3 | Franklin Pierce<br />Gannon
|-
| 2011<br />Details
| Clayton State
| 69–50
| Michigan Tech
| colspan=3 | Shaw<br />Northwest Missouri State
|-
| 2012<br />Details
| rowspan=2 | San Antonio, TX<br />(Bill Greehey Arena)
| Shaw
| 88–82 (OT)
| Ashland
| colspan=3 | Bentley<br />Rollins
|-
| 2013<br />Details
| Ashland
| 71–56
| Dowling
| colspan=3 | Augustana (SD)<br />Western Washington
|-
| 2014<br />Details
| Erie, PA<br />(Erie Insurance Arena)
| Bentley
| 73–65
| West Texas A&M
| colspan=3 | Cal Poly Pomona<br />Nova Southeastern
|-
| 2015<br />Details
| Sioux Falls, SD<br />(Sanford Pentagon)
| California (PA) (2)
| 86–69
| California Baptist
| colspan=3 | Emporia State<br />Limestone
|-
| 2016<br />Details
| Indianapolis, IN<br />(Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
| Lubbock Christian
| 78–73
| Alaska Anchorage
| colspan=3 | Bentley<br />Grand Valley State
|-
| 2017<br />Details
| Columbus, OH<br />(Alumni Hall)
| Ashland (2)
| 93–77
| Virginia Union
| colspan=3 | California Baptist<br />Harding
|-
| 2018<br />Details
| Sioux Falls, SD<br />(Sanford Pentagon)
| Central Missouri (2)
| 66–52
| Ashland
| colspan=3 | Indiana (PA)<br />Union (TN)
|-
| 2019<br />Details
| Columbus, OH<br />(Alumni Hall)
| Lubbock Christian (2)
| 95–85 (2OT)
| Southwestern Oklahoma
| colspan=3 | Drury<br />Indiana (PA)
|-
| 2020<br />Details
| Birmingham, AL<br />(Birmingham CrossPlex)
| colspan=9 | Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic
|-
| 2021<br />Details
| Columbus, OH<br />(Alumni Hall)
|Lubbock Christian (3)
| 69–59
| Drury
! rowspan="6"|
| colspan=3 | Central Missouri<br />Lander
|-
| 2022<br />Details
| Birmingham, AL<br />(Birmingham CrossPlex)
| Glenville State
| 85–72
| Western Washington
| colspan=3 | Grand Valley State<br />North Georgia
|-
| 2023<br />Details
| Dallas, TX<br />(American Airlines Center)
| Ashland (3)
| 78–67
| Minnesota–Duluth
| colspan=3 | Catawba<br />Glenville State
|-
| 2024<br />Details
| St. Joseph, MO<br />(St. Joseph Civic Arena)
| Minnesota State (2)
| 89–73
| Texas Woman's
| colspan=3 | Cal State San Marcos<br />Ferris State
|-
| 2025<br />Details
| rowspan=4 | Pittsburgh, PA<br />(UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)
| Grand Valley State (2)
| 70–58
| Cal State Dominguez Hills
| colspan=3 | Pittsburg State<br />Union (TN)
|-
| 2026<br />Details
| Grand Valley State (3)
| 72–49
| Indiana (PA)
| colspan=3 |Alabama-Huntsville<br />Colorado Mesa
|-
| 2027
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 2028
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|}
Champions
Active programs
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Team !! Titles !! Years
|-
| style=| || 5 || align="left" |1982, 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002
|-
| style=|
| 3 || align="left" |2006, 2025, 2026
|-
| style=|
| 3 || align="left" |2013, 2017, 2023
|-
| style=|
| 3 || align="left" |2016, 2019, 2021
|-
| style=|
| 3 || align="left" | 1989, 1990, 1992
|-
| style=|
| 2 || align="left" |2009, 2024
|-
| style=|
| 2 || align="left" |1984, 2018
|-
| style=|
| 2 || align="left" |2004, 2015
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" | 2022
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" | 2014
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |2012
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |2011
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |2010
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |2007
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |2005
|-
| style=|
| 1 || align="left" |1983
|}
Former programs
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Team !! Titles !! Years
|-
| style=| '
| 5 ||align=left| 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
|-
| style=| '
| 3 ||align=left|1997, 1998, 1999
|-
| style=| '
| 2 ||align=left|2000, 2008
|-
| style=| '
| 1 ||align=left| 2003
|-
| style=| '
| 1 || align="left" |1988
|-
| style=| '
| 1 || align="left" |1987
|}
See also
- NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
- NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
- NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
- NAIA women's basketball championship
Notes
References
External links
- Attendance history (Archived)