It's not completely unusual for a Division II school to send a team to both the men's and women's basketball Elite Eight sites. Before this season, it had happened three times since 2019, and 13 times overall.
The 2024 Division II tournaments turned this trend up a notch, however. For the first time in Division II history, three schools are sending a team to the men's and women's Elite Eight sites: Ferris State, Gannon and Minnesota State Mankato. The women's Elite Eight starts Monday in St. Joseph, Missouri. The men's Elite Eight begins Tuesday in Evansville, Indiana. Read about the teams and matchups below.
Gannon
Gannon continues to make some history, as it hosted a split regional with both its men's and women's teams receiving the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Regional. Since 2014, when the split-regional model was put into place, this marked only the third time that a school earned the No. 1 seed in a regional for the men's and women's Division II tournaments.
The Gannon men's team continued an amazing turnaround by winning its regional. Last year, the Golden Knights went 3-23. It took some heroics for the Golden Knights (32-2) to reach the program's first Elite Eight since 2009. In the regional title game, Nigel Haughton hit a buzzer beater, capping a 16-point comeback and marking the only time the team led in the game. Gannon men's basketball head coach Jordan Fee now goes back to the Elite Eight for the third straight year. A year ago, he was the associate head coach for a Nova Southeastern team that went on to win the Division II national championship. Now he guides Gannon, which will face Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday, to the Elite Eight in his first season as a head coach.
In the women's bracket, Gannon cruised to its regional title with a 25-point win and will continue as a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight, facing Cal State San Marcos on Monday. It will mark the program's third Elite Eight appearance and its first since 2013. Senior Sam Pirosko continued to lead a balanced Golden Knights team (35-2), earning regional Most Outstanding Player honors. It is the latest in a series of awards for the senior post player, who earlier repeated as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Athlete of the Year and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association Player of the Year. She also was named PSAC tournament MVP after Gannon won the tournament.
Ferris State
Ferris State's women (25-5) head to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history after winning their region as a No. 3 seed. The Bulldogs knocked out top-seeded rival Grand Valley State 49-46 in the regional final. In the Bulldogs' three NCAA tournament wins in their regional, they defeated the champions from each of the three conferences in the Midwest Region: the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Great Midwest Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Ferris State has proven it can beat the best all year, knocking off No. 1-ranked teams in the nation three times this year in Grand Valley State and Ashland (twice), along with the current No. 2-ranked team in Grand Valley State.
The Ferris State men's team upended its regional by knocking off top-seeded host UIndy in the second round, 94-87. The Bulldogs followed that up with a regional final win against Lake Superior State to advance to their first Division II quarterfinals since 2018, which happens to be the last national championship the program won. Ferris State will look to repeat history now, starting with a quarterfinal game against No. 1 seed Minnesota State Mankato on Tuesday.
Minnesota State Mankato
Don't let the Minnesota State Mankato women's seed fool you. As a No. 7 seed in the Central Regional, the Mavericks cruised with wins of 20, 12 and 32 points to earn a spot in the Elite Eight. It marks the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2009, when the Mavericks won the national championship. Minnesota State Mankato (29-5) will enter the Elite Eight as a No. 5 seed and face No. 4 seed Georgia Southwestern on Monday.
Minnesota State Mankato's men (32-2) kept their season alive with a last-second shot from Elijah Hazekamp to beat Northwest Missouri State, 43-42, and advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history. The Mavericks' last appearance was in 2011. They'll boast the No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight.
First timers
Half of the women's Elite Eight teams are making their first appearance. This includes No. 3 seed Ferris State, No. 4 seed Georgia Southwestern, No. 2 seed Texas Woman's University and No. 8 seed Cal State San Marcos.
On the men's side, North Georgia will be making its first appearance in the Elite Eight.
Other men's notes
Nova Southeastern: The defending Division II national champions earned their program's fourth appearance in the Elite Eight, running away with their regional championship, 98-66, and extending their home winning streak to 64 games, dating to February 2020. They'll face No. 7 seed Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday.
Southern New Hampshire: The Penmen finished on a 17-0 run to stun top-seeded Saint Michael's, 73-61, to win the NCAA Division II East Region championship. They head to the Elite Eight for the eighth time in program history and for the first time since 2014-15. They will face defending champion Nova Southeastern on Tuesday.
West Texas A&M: The Buffs return to the Elite Eight for the fifth time and the first since 2021. They did so by outscoring Colorado Mesa 61-41 in the second half of an 88-76 victory in the regional championship game. The Buffs will face North Georgia on Tuesday.
North Georgia: The Nighthawks advanced to their first Elite Eight in a tight win against Peach Belt Conference rival Lander. The two teams entered with a 15-15 record against each other all time, but North Georgia pulled out a 70-67 win to take a one-game advantage. The Nighthawks will face West Texas A&M on Tuesday.
Cal State San Bernardino: The Coyotes are back in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, knocking off Azusa Pacific in the regional championship, 74-67. As the sixth seed in the Elite Eight, they will face Gannon on Tuesday.
Other women's notes
Daemen: The Wildcats captured their second regional title in four seasons with a 69-62 win against Thomas Jefferson University. In its fifth straight NCAA tournament, Daemen made the run to the Elite Eight as a No. 6 seed in the region and captured its eighth straight win in the process. The Wildcats will face Texas Woman's University on Monday.
Tampa: For the second straight season, Tampa is headed to the women's Elite Eight. Tampa won its regional championship game against Nova Southeastern, 63-56, despite a 6-point first quarter. Tampa will take on Ferris State on Monday.
Georgia Southwestern: One of the Elite Eight first-timers, Georgia Southwestern cruised in its regional championship game to a 79-62 win against Carson-Newman. The Hurricanes defeated the No. 1, 2 and 4 seeds en route to the regional championship. They will face Minnesota State Mankato on Monday.
Texas Woman's University: The No. 1 seed in the South Central Region, Texas Woman's University held a 24-10 lead after the first quarter of its regional title game and never looked back in a 65-51 win. The Pioneers will be making their first Elite Eight appearance when they face Daemen on Monday.
Cal State San Marcos: Another team making its first Elite Eight appearance, Cal State San Marcos clinched its spot in the final seconds of its regional championship. Ava Ranson broke a 71-all tie with a pair of free throws in the final seconds to send her team to the Elite Eight, where it will take on Gannon in the quarterfinals.
Streaming info
NCAA Championships Pass will stream 120 Division II men's and women's basketball tournament games (all games from the first round through the quarterfinals) live on ncaa.com. Games will be available on ncaa.com; school sites that stream through Hudl and opt to co-distribute the livestreams; and the NCAA Championships Pass app available for Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google TV.
Prices for viewing (through quarterfinals)
Semifinals and finals viewing
- Women's Semifinals: Wednesday, March 27, on CBS Sports Network (7 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern time).
- Women's Championship: Friday, March 29, on CBS Sports Network (8 p.m. Eastern time).
- Men's Semifinals: Thursday, March 28, on CBS Sports Network (2 and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time).
- Championship: Saturday, March 30, on CBS (3 p.m. Eastern time).
