The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee announced today the field of 48 teams that will compete in the 2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship. As a result of reduced sponsorship numbers due to COVID-19, the bracket was reduced from its traditional 64-team field.
Sixteen conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 32 teams were selected at large by the committee.
Due to the health and safety protocols surrounding the pandemic, regional sites were awarded to predetermined sites rather than to the top seeded teams in each region. Eight six-team regionals will be played March 12, 13 and 15, with the top two seeds in each region receiving a bye into the semifinals. The sites are as follows:
Atlantic Region – Columbus, Ohio; Ohio Dominican University and Greater Columbus Convention Center, hosts
Central Region – Warrensburg, Missouri; University of Central Missouri, host
East Region – Amherst, New York; Daemen College, host
Midwest Region - Springfield, Missouri; Drury University, host
South Region – Dahlonega, Georgia; University of North Georgia, host
South Central Region – Canyon, Texas; West Texas A&M University, host
Southeast Region – Jefferson City, Tennessee; Carson-Newman University, host
West Region – Grand Junction, Colorado; Colorado Mesa University, host
The winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the 2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Elite Eight, which will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, March 23, 24 and 26. Ohio Dominican University and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission will serve as hosts.
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Conferences that received automatic qualification are as follows:
California Collegiate Athletic Association N/A
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Dominican (New York)
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association N/A
Conference Carolinas Belmont Abbey
East Coast Conference Roberts Wesleyan
Great American Conference Southern Nazarene
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Michigan Tech
Great Lakes Valley Conference Drury
Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tiffin
Great Northwest Athletic Conference N/A
Gulf South Conference Union (Tennessee)
Lone Star Conference Lubbock Christian
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Nebraska-Kearney
Mountain East Conference Charleston (West Virginia)
Northeast-10 Conference N/A
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Minnesota Duluth
Pacific West Conference Hawaii Pacific
Peach Belt Conference North Georgia
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference N/A
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Black Hills State
South Atlantic Conference Tusculum
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference N/A
Sunshine State Conference N/A
Those institutions receiving at-large berths are, in alphabetical order, as follows:
American International
Arkansas Tech
Ashland
Azusa Pacific
Barton
Cameron
Carson-Newman
Catawba
Cedarville
Central Missouri
Concordia (NY)
Daemen
Emporia State
Fort Hays State
Georgian Court
Glenville State
Grand Valley State
Kentucky Wesleyan
Lander
Lee (TN)
Montevallo
Northwood
Southwestern Oklahoma State
St. Cloud State
Texas A&M-Commerce
Truman
Tuskegee
Valdosta State
Walsh
Western Colorado
Westminster (UT)
