Third NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Rankings Announced

3/5/2025 4:54:40 PM

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Full Regional Rankings


INDIANAPOLIS - The third edition of the NCAA Division II men's basketball regional rankings were released and the NSIC has seven teams ranked in the central region.  Winona State jumped up three spots to second, Concordia-St. Paul fell a spot to third, MSU Moorhead remained fourth.  Minot State jumped up three spots to fifth, UMD remained sixth and Minnesota State seventh. SMSU dropped five sports to eighth while St. Cloud State dropped out of the final rankings.

The NSIC and the Great American Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 41-team NCAA DII Central Region this year.  The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 15-16, 18.  Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, GAC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots being awarded on an at-large basis.

MSU Moorhead earned the NSIC automatic bid via their NSIC Tournament Championship. 

The NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Show will air on www.NCAA.com on Sunday, March 9 at 10 p.m. (CT). The NCAA Elite Eight will take place on March 25, 27, 29 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. 

CENTRAL REGION
Rank DII Rec  In-Reg LW
1 Washburn 24-2 22-2 1
2 Winona State 20-10 20-10 5
3 Concordia-St.Paul 21-8 21-8 2
4 MSU Moorhead 22-8 22-8 4
5 Minot State 23-8 23-8 8
6 Minnesota Duluth 20-9 20-9 6
7 Minnesota State 19-12 19-10 7
8 Southwest Minnesota State 20-8 20-8 3
9 Southern Nazarene 20-6 20-6 9
10 Ouachita Baptist 18-7 18-7 NR

Dropped out: #10 St. Cloud State
Selection Information  |  Central Region

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 116 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org. 

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