The final eight of the DII men's basketball championship are set and ready to head to Evansville, Indiana for three intense days of basketball to determine the next national champion. The field is a blend of fresh faces and old stalwarts, as Nova Southeastern looks to make its third championship game appearance in the last three seasons (as predicted it would one month before the season began right here on sifoeeprocess.com).
DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL
- Follow the tournament here: Schedule, scores and bracket
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- DII men's basketball programs with the most Ƶ DII national championships
Five of my eight projected teams made it through to Evansville, where play resumes on March 25 and comes to the season's conclusion on March 29. You'll be able to stream the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on ESPN+, while the championship will be broadcast on CBS.
The DII Men's Elite Eight, by the numbers
| Stats (per game) | Assumption | CSUDH | DBU | LSSU | LRU | NSU | Washburn | WLU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | 22-9 | 28-5 | 33-4 | 30-6 | 29-5 | 33-1 | 29-3 | 30-4 |
| Points | 81.4 | 77.0 | 85.4 | 79.1 | 87.4 | 102.8 | 87.2 | 100.7 |
| Points allowed | 74.1 | 69.1 | 71.5 | 67.1 | 79.1 | 79.5 | 66.9 | 85.7 |
| Rebounds | 39.5 | 37.8 | 36.9 | 37.8 | 39.5 | 42.5 | 38.2 | 36.8 |
| Assists | 15.4 | 14.3 | 17.1 | 15.6 | 17.4 | 23.9 | 16.5 | 22.4 |
Assumption. For the third year in a row, someone other than the No. 1 seed has advanced to the DII Men's Elite Eight. This year it was the No. 6 Greyhounds to muscle through, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 50 years. Despite the parity in the East Region, the Greyhounds are the lowest seed to make it through since 2006. They are coming in hot — the 22 wins are the most in 16 years — and scored 90-plus points twice in the three-game East regional.
Cal State Dominguez Hills. There is going to be a serious Toros' watch party going on as both the men's and women's teams danced their way to the DII Elite Eight — the only program to do so this year. As mentioned in the DII Women's Elite Eight preview, the Toros are the first team in CCAA history to have the men's and women's programs win six titles: two regular-season championships, two CCAA tournament championships, and two West Region championships. Now the Toros are making their DII Men's Elite Eight debut, taking on a program that is somewhat a regular to the event and two years removed from the national championship game.
DBU. The Patriots entered the season at No. 10 in the Power 10 preseason rankings and never fell out. Here they are, riding an eight-game winning streak in which they have played arguably their best ball of the season. This is the first-ever appearance in the DII Men's Elite Eight for the Patriots, who are matched up against a program (Lake Superior State) also in unfamiliar territory. They are aggressive, leading DII in steals, which could be a disruption to a team trying to find their flow. Ricky Lujan has been a beast all season leading the scoring attack, but this team has a lot of contributors itching to make more history.
Lake Superior State. Humble brag incoming. On Nov. 4, I watched the Lakers play their first basketball game of the season. On Nov. 5, I said, "I’m going to go ahead and say it, right now, on Nov. 5. Lake Superior State is winning the Midwest Region this year." This is a team in uncharted territory with very little history of tournament success (this is just their seventh tournament appearance ever), yet it was without question one day into the season this was the team to beat in a very tricky Midwest Region this year. They have grit and in almost every loss, they were right there ready to win. Tyson Edmondson and Kingsley Perkins are the perfect leaders for this team and the GLIAC defensive player of the year Hunter Soper is instrumental in every victory.
Lenoir-Rhyne. What a year for the Bears. They showed a lot of resilience, beating several nationally and regionally ranked teams and bouncing back against programs like Lincoln Memorial to win their first SAC championship in 22 years. Now they are heading to Evansville as yet another DII Men's Elite Eight newbie in this interesting field. Ziare Wells — the SAC newcomer of the year — is one to watch, but there are five legitimate scoring threats on this roster. Playing a red-hot and angry Washburn team is a tough draw, but could be an evenly matched showdown.
Nova Southeastern. What can we say about this team that hasn't been said? Four-straight DII Men's Elite Eight appearances. They are looking for their third-straight championship game appearance. They lead DII in KPI, RPI, scoring offense, assist-to-turnover ratio and scoring margin. All five starters score 12.1 points or more per game and three of their players are still on the Bevo Francis Award watchlist. This team is stacked and hands down the best team in DII men's basketball for the past four years running.
Washburn. It looked as if the Ichabods were on a historic run, going undefeated through 22 games and reaching No. 1 in the DII Power 10 rankings for the first time ever. Then the road got bumpy, with three stunners of losses, including getting bumped from the MIAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in their first game. The 'Bods took it to hear and absolutely ransacked the Central Region, winning two games by 28 points and the third by 16. Jacob Hanna, Brayden Shorter and Jack Bachelor all found themselves on the Bevo Francis Award watchlist and lead a dangerous offense and the best scoring defense remaining. This team is angry and back in the DII Men's Elite Eight for the first time in 24 years.
West Liberty. West Liberty is back in the DII Men's Elite Eight for the first time since 2023. This is the eighth trip to the quarterfinals, and as usual, this team is cooking offensively. They have broken the century mark eight times in their last 10 games, including the Atlantic Region championship game, to advance to Evansville. The way the bracket is set up, we could see a 2023 rematch of coach vs. apprentice against Nova Southeastern, a game that could easily end with 300 total points on the board.
