The bracket is filled, and 64 teams are set to battle. With defending national champion Minnesota State out of the bracket, the 2025 DII men’s basketball championship will crown a new king of the court. The tournament is set to tip off March 14 across the eight regions, looking to decide a regional champion to advance to Evansville, Indiana for the DII Men’s Elite Eight.
That’s exactly what we’ll do here — take out the old crystal ball and see if we can guess which eight teams make it out of the regional tournaments alive. Survive and advance, as they say — it’s that time of year when that is the only mantra a team needs.
DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL
Here is a region-by-region look at the DII men’s championship bracket. You’ll find a team to beat, a team to watch and a quick breakdown of what could amount to the best first-round game in each region.
Atlantic Region
Team to beat: West Liberty. The Hilltoppers had a bit of a shaky midseason run, losing three times in four games from mid-December to early January. However, those were West Liberty’s only three losses of the regular season. The Hilltoppers were cooking until they ran into a triple-overtime thriller against Fairmont State in the MEC finals. Still, the Hilltoppers offense has gelled and they have made scoring 100 points per game look very easy down the stretch. They ended the regular season with the third-highest scoring offense, and that is an advantage — no one in the Atlantic Region has a scoring defense in the top 50. The depth of scorers is borderline insane, with six players averaging 10.0 points per game or more and freshman guard John Dragas chipping in an additional 9.3 points per game. It is tough to see a region where defenses that are statistically average at best find a way to shut down that much offensive firepower.
Team to watch: Fayetteville State. The odds are not in my favor here. Since I started covering DII men’s basketball in 2015, nary a one CIAA team has made it through the second round. This Broncos team, despite being upset in their own CIAA tournament, looks different. Caleb Simmons is a beast, and the Broncos have shown they can win outside the CIAA, with signature wins against UNC Pembroke, USC Aiken and Augusta, all three of which are in the Southeast portion of the bracket.
First-round matchup fun: No. 2 Gannon vs. No. 7 East Stroudsburg. I saw Gannon opening weekend. It was clearly not the same Gannon team personnel-wise as last year’s record-setting team. You did see they knew how to play the up-tempo style that made Gannon an unstoppable force in the Atlantic. The Golden Knights have won nine in a row, including a repeat of the PSAC championship. The Warriors have a similar style of defense with a lot of intensity. If Gannon can sneak by the Warriors, it could propel it right back to the DII Men’s Elite Eight.
Central Region
Team to beat: MSU Moorhead. This will not be taken well by MIAA fans, and in Washburn’s defense, I get it. The Ichabods have been a top-10 team all season and No. 1 in the Central Region for the past three months. But let’s take a look at what MSU Moorhead has done. The Dragons have won 11 in a row with wins coming against Minot State (twice), Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State (twice). Notice something? They are all in the tournament. They also beat Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth, two teams that were in all three regional rankings and wound up being bumped on the last weekend of the season. The NSIC was loaded — and the Dragons finished the best of the best.
Team to watch: Minot State. This is more of a player to watch. Caleb Van De Griend has been one of the best players in DII men’s basketball all season long and now he and the Beavers get to experience their first-ever tournament bid together. Van De Griend was a permanent fixture on the all-stats team, among DII leaders in points per game (20.7), rebounds (13.1), double doubles (29) and field-goal percentage (70.5). The Beavers go as he goes, and it will be entertaining to see what they can do on the big stage.
First-round matchup fun: No. 3 Winona State vs. No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State. It has been a long time coming for Winona State, back in the tournament for the first time in over a decade. Southwest Minnesota State is back for a second straight year, but both of these teams know each other. Winona State ended the Mustangs’ bid for an NSIC title just over a week ago in the NSIC tournament. Talk about a revenge game.
East Region
Team to beat: Daemen. This is a no-brainer. The Wildcats enter the championship as the only undefeated team in DII. A simple look at their schedule will show you that this team hasn’t even been challenged since the calendar flipped to 2025, minus that wacky overtime win over D’Youville on Feb. 22. The Wildcats have a top-5 scoring defense in DII and Benjamin Bill and Justin Hemphill. There is simply no duo in the East more dangerous than the two of them.
Team to watch: Daemen. No, that isn’t a typo. I simply don’t see a team in the East Region that has a chance against the Wildcats. If anyone could potentially slow them down, it is Pace. The Setters have a stingy scoring defense, and Tray Alexander is as good as it gets running the point. Adelphi also has a tough defense — and shut down Pace just a few weeks prior — but you also have to take into consideration that the NE10 is not somewhere to look for high-scoring affairs: Assumption is the top-scoring offense… and No. 64 overall in DII.
First-round matchup fun: No. 3 Southern New Hampshire vs. No. 6 Assumption. With so much parity in the East, keep your eyes on the Penmen. They are scorching hot, winners of eight in a row, that last win coming via a game-winning, buzzer-beater to win its second-straight NE10 title. During the winning streak, they beat Adelphi, Pace and Assumption — all teams that made the bracket, with the latter being this first-round matchup. If the Penmen stay hot, watch out.
Midwest Region
Team to beat: Lake Superior State. After watching the Lakers up close and personal in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, I predicted on Nov. 5 that they would win the Midwest Region. I truly still think that. I get they aren’t the No. 1 seed, but since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Lakers have had four losses, two by three points and one by five. Most of their wins have come in much larger margins. The point is, that the Lakers are in every ball game they play, and if they can close them out, this team is heading to the DII Men’s Elite Eight.
Team to watch: Lincoln (MO). That’s not a bad GLVC debut for the Blue Tigers, was it? Switching over from the MIAA, Lincoln caught fire in the GLVC tournament and took down Missouri S&T and UMSL in consecutive days to win it all. Now they are back in the bracket for the first time since 1981. What’s not to watch here? This is the definition of a potential Cinderella.
First-round matchup fun: No. 3 Michigan Tech vs. No. 6 Northern Michigan. I think Michigan Tech may get slept on because of its most recent loss. The Huskies were red hot, winners of eight in a row before they ran into the Wildcats. And let’s face it, it was simply the Wildcats’ time as they looked fantastic in the GLIAC tournament, taking down two Power 10 teams on consecutive nights to do it. This is another revenge game in the first round. This is also a part of the bracket where the No. 1 seed rarely has made it out, which means it’s anyone’s ball game.
South Region
Team to beat: Nova Southeastern. That a one-loss team in a year where there are teams with a lot of losses that leads DII in just about every offensive statistic and selection metric like RPI, KPI and strength schedule is not the clear-cut favorite tells you everything you need to know about the South Region. The second-best team in DII men’s basketball is in the same part of the bracket. Unless there’s a major upset, it looks like those two teams will be battling for a spot in DII Men’s Elite Eight; however, the South Region has five top-25 teams, so are there really any upsets abound or are we looking at a region where anything can happen?
All that is to say that no one has the resume that Nova Southeastern has, not only this year, but the past five since head coach Jim Crutchfield took over. Four trips to the DII Men’s Elite Eight in five tournaments, with back-to-back trips to the championship game? Yeah, the Sharks are the team to beat until they are beaten.
Team to watch: Florida Southern. I have been the high man on the Mocs all season — and nothing changes in March. Obviously, Alabama Huntsville is the 1B to Nova Southeastern’s 1A, so you have to watch the Chargers, but Florida Southern has a tandem in Jadin Booth and Alex Steen that can simply take over a ball game. The teams are so good in the South Region that I think it plays out according to the seeding, but I think a Florida Southern/UAH second-round showdown would be fun to watch.
First-round matchup fun: No. 4 Valdosta State vs. No. 5 Lynn. Valdosta State may be the most dangerous in the tournament. The problem for the Blazers is that Lynn may be the most dangerous five seed. Leo Beath is a dangerous player, capable of doubling doubling any night and the Blazers counter with a stud of their own in Carlos Hart. This should be the tightest game in the South in round one.
Southeast Region
Team to beat: Lenoir-Rhyne. Lincoln Memorial is a very good team. The Bears defeated the Railsplitters for a second time this season to win their first SAC title in 22 years. That is momentum — and sometimes momentum supersedes talent this time of year. Luckily for Lenoir-Rhyne, the Bears have the talent to match, with all five starters averaging double digits in scoring.
Team to watch: USC Aiken. By the metrics, the Pacers have been one of the best teams in DII all season long. They have those eight losses, so I think they were overlooked. As they say, numbers don’t lie, and USC Aiken has put them up all season long, culminating in a PBC tournament championship. The Pacers also snuck by their first-round opponent Catawba by a basket earlier this season, so they are familiar — and successful — with their foe.
First-round matchup fun: No. 1 Columbus State vs. No. 8 Carson-Newman. There has been an 8-1 upset in each of the past three tournaments, and if there is the potential for one this year, I think it is here. Carson-Newman has a lot of experienced players who have been together for a bit and can all score. Columbus State is the host seed… for the first time in 22 years, so this is unfamiliar territory. This is more about the Eagles than the Cougars — they won two games against Lenoir-Rhyne this year in shootout fashion, so we know they can go the distance and score 100 if they have to win a ball game. Watching this team, they have simply felt much better than their 21-11 record all season. Perhaps this is when they have been waiting to show it.
South Central Region
Team to beat: DBU. The Patriots have been one of the more consistent and winningest teams in DII this season and deserve to be the team with the largest target on their back. Plus, Colorado School of Mines is a really strong team but has a very tough road to the DII Men’s Elite Eight, having to play an Elite Eight regular in West Texas A&M and likely two Power 10 teams to get there. If DBU gets through Regis (CO) in the first round, the Patriots are undefeated against both of their potential second-round opponents.
Team to watch: West Texas A&M. Since 2018, West Texas A&M has made the DII Men’s Elite Eight four times, so a lot of this is based on history. The Buffs have an unlucky first-round draw in Power 10 Colorado School of Mines, but if head coach Tom Brown can dig up some of that historic March magic, we could see an upset.
First-round matchup fun: No. 3 Lubbock Christian vs. No. 6 St. Mary’s (TX). The Rattlers are back in the tournament for the first time in a decade. The Chaps were one of the hottest teams in DII for most of the second half of the season. Lubbock Christian has wins against Colorado School of Mines, DBU, West Texas A&M and St. Edward’s, but it lost to St. Mary’s in the only meeting between the two this year. There will be high drama in Texas.
West Region
Team to beat: Point Loma. The Sea Lions have lost once in 2025. That’s impressive right there. They also have wins over tournament-bound teams like Florida Southern. Point Loma doesn’t score a lot, but has one of the better scoring defenses in DII, allowing just 67.0 points per game. They are gritty and have tough players in the Paulsen brothers and Luke Haupt. The West should be wild as always, but it feels like it could be the Sea Lions’ year.
Team to watch: Cal State San Bernadino. It feels like when you sleep on the Coyotes, they do their best, so maybe I am jinxing them here. But they are the two-time defending West Region champions — and they weren’t the No. 1 seed either time. They have also reached the national semifinals in each of their past two DII Men’s Elite Eight trips, so they are not just happy to be there. The Coyotes are March-ready and need to be on your radar.
First-round matchup fun: No. 3 Chico State vs. No. 6 Central Washington. What team? WILDCATS! Not only do these teams share a mascot, but their stats are nearly identical: Chico scores 79.4 points and Central Washington scores 79.9 while both allow 73.0 points per game. This has some sort of storyline written all over it and should be fun to see how it plays out.
