HBCU basketball teams well-represented in NCAA Division II Tournament field

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The NCAA Division II women’s and men’s basketball tournament field has been announced, and it features many HBCU teams.

As many as HBCUs have been selected to participate in the national tournament, including three at-large selections.

Here are the HBCU teams that will compete for a Division II national championship.

Women

Fayetteville State: Atlantic Region #7 seed

First Round Matchup: Seton Hill

The Fayetteville State Broncos are back in the Division II tournament, looking to build on their historic run last season.

After claiming their third straight CIAA South division title and finishing the regular season 18-7 overall, the Broncos won their second straight conference tournament title by beating Virginia State 64-56 in the final.

Last season, Fayetteville State had its best tournament run in school history, advancing to the Atlantic Regional Final before being upended by Gannon.

Their redemption run begins with Atlantic Region 2-seed Seton Hill, which set a school single-season record by winning 23 games before losing in the quarterfinal round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament.

Virginia State: Atlantic Region #8 seed

First Round Matchup: Edinboro

For the first time since 2018, the CIAA North division champion Virginia State Trojans are heading to the Division II tournament.

As a result of their regular season finale win over Virginia Union, the Trojans broke a tie that clinched them the Northern division title.

Advancing to the conference championship game, Fayetteville State’s shooting flurry doomed them, and they fell short in the contest.

They will face an Edinboro team in the first round that lost in the PSAC championship game against Kutztown.

Miles: South Region #8 seed

First Round Matchup: Union (TN)

The repeat SIAC champion Miles Golden Bears are also heading back to the NCAA Division II tournament as the South Region’s eight-seed.

Coming off of winning their first conference tournament in school history last season, the Golden Bears geared up for a repeat, finishing the regular season with a 19-6 overall record.

Advancing to the SIAC championship game, Miles completes its mission of winning back-to-back titles when they beat Tuskegee 68-54.

They will face the Gulf South Conference champion Union (TN), who enter the tournament with a 29-3 overall record.

Men

Virginia State: Atlantic Region #3 seed

First Round Matchup: West Chester

The highest-seeded HBCU team in the Division II tournament, the CIAA champion Virginia State Trojans return to compete for a national championship for the first time since 2019.

Virginia State enters the NCAA tournament on an eight-game win streak, having not lost a game since February 5.

This includes winning their first CIAA championship since 2016 to clinch an automatic bid into the national tournament.

They begin their quest for a national championship against six-seed West Chester who were ousted in the quarterfinal round of the PSAC tournament.

Fayetteville State: Atlantic Region #4 seed

First Round Matchup: Fairmont State

Fayetteville State receives an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament despite finishing short of a CIAA championship game appearance.

The Broncos finished the regular season with the best record in the CIAA of 21-7 overall, including a 12-4 conference record.

In the CIAA tournament, the Broncos missed out on the title game, losing to Bluefield State 71-65 in the semifinals.

They will face the Mountain East champion Fairmont State, entering the tournament on a seven-game win streak, in the opening round.

Bluefield State: Atlantic Region #8 seed

First Round Matchup: West Liberty

The Bluefield State Big Blue’s season continues with their historic first-ever appearance in the Division II tournament.

Led by CIAA Player of the Year Jordan Hinds, the Big Blue finished the regular season with a 17-10 overall record, marking their first winning season in nearly two decades.

In the CIAA tournament, they advanced to their first conference championship since 1994 but fell short in a 71-64 loss to Virginia State.

Bluefield State will open against the Atlantic region host West Liberty who lost to Fairmont State in the Mountain East Championship game in triple overtime.

Savannah State: South Region #8 seed

First Round Matchup: Nova Southeastern

For the second time since returning to the SIAC in 2019, the Savannah State Tigers are going to the NCAA tournament.

Savannah State is currently riding an eight-game win streak, punctuated by a dramatic win over Tuskegee in the SIAC championship game.

They open against the Sunshine State Conference champion Nova Southeastern who hold a 30-1 record, including 17 consecutive wins.

Savannah State faced Nova Southeastern in their last Division II tournament appearance in 2022, losing that contest 113-62.

Lincoln (Mo.): Midwest Region #7 seed

First Round Matchup: Lake Superior St. 

The Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers, making their first appearance in the national tournament since 1981, round out the list of HBCU teams in the Division II tournament.

In their first season as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), the Blue Tigers finished the regular season with a 20-8 overall record, including a 12-8 conference record.

Entering the conference tournament as the four-seed, Lincoln beat the number-one seed, Missouri S&T, 87-64 in the semifinals to advance to its first conference championship game since 1987.

There, the Blue Tigers went on to beat Missouri-St. Louis 58-51 to punch their ticket to the DII tournament.

They will meet Lake Superior State in the first round, a team that lost in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) championship game against Northern Michigan.

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