DII men’s basketball programs with the most NCAA DII national championships

Nova Southeastern is officially a dynasty. The Sharks, appearing in their third consecutive national championship game, won their second title in three years and become the 11th DII program to win the DII men’s basketball national championship more than once. It took every last second to defeat the upstart No. 7 Cal State Dominguez Hills 74-73, but the Sharks, behind DII player of the year MJ Iraldi’s game-clinching free throws, won yet again.

2025 RECAP: Shark attack: Nova Southeastern wins second title in three years 

Wheaton (Ill.) won the first DII men’s basketball title in 1957, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan 89-65. Wheaton has never been back to the championship game, but Kentucky Wesleyan has advanced to 12 more title games, winning an unprecedented eight along the way. 

Let’s take a look at the programs with the most national championships in DII basketball.

Kentucky Wesleyan, 8 (1966, 1968-69, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001)

NCAA Photos

The Panthers are the benchmark when it comes to DII men’s basketball. They have lost as many championship games (5) as the next closest has won. Kentucky Wesleyan’s resume is as impressive as any program at any level. The Panthers have made 19 appearances in the Elite Eight, 17 appearances in the national semifinals, and have registered 87 tournament wins along the way. Only UCLA has more national championships in college basketball than the Panthers.

Evansville, 5 (1959-60, 1964-65, 1971)

Evansville Athletics

Not only have the Aces won five titles, but the same head coach also hoisted the trophy every time. No head coach in DII men’s basketball has more titles than Evansville’s Arad McCutchan, and that evidently paid off on his players. Jerry Sloan helped lead the Aces to back-to-back titles in 1964 and ’65 before going on to a storied NBA coaching career himself. The Aces were the first team to go back-to-back in DII history and are one of four DII programs to finish a championship season undefeated. 

Northwest Missouri State, 4 (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)

The current dynasty in DII men’s basketball is Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats have won four of the last five championships, and became the first team to repeat as champions since Cal State Bakersfield in 1994. In 2022, the Bearcats became the first DII men’s basketball team made history as the first to win three in a row. Ben McCollum, a graduated of Northwest Missouri State, has led his alma mater to all of its titles.

 

Cal State Bakersfield, 3 (1993-94, 1997)

Cal State Bakersfield Athletics

A large part of the 1990s belonged to the Roadrunners, making six appearances in the national semifinals and winning three of their four national championship appearances in the decade. Head coach Pat Douglass led them to all three titles, with their 1993, 33-0 season one of the best in DII basketball history. 

Virginia Union, 3 (1980, 1992, 2005)

The school that produced well-known NBA big men Charles Oakley and Ben Wallace also pumped out three national championship teams. The Panthers like to leave their mark across the decades, the only team to win one in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. 

Teams with two

Nova Southeastern is the latest program to join the multi-national championship fraternity. The Sharks won their first-ever DII men’s basketball title in 2023, narrowly missed on a buzzer-beater in 2024, and took No. 2 in a one-point thriller in 2025. Five other teams have won two titles. Florida Southern picked up its second title in 2015, 34 years after winning its first. Central Missouri won its second title in 2014, 30 years after winning its first back in 1984, holding both of its opponents to 77 points. Winona State went to three-straight title games between 2006 and 2008, winning twice. Metro State (now MSU Denver) which played Kentucky Wesleyan in the championship game three times in four years, won in both 2000 and 2002. And lastly, North Alabama won twice, once in 1979 before winning again in 1991.

MORE: These are the highest scoring seasons in DII history

Here is the complete history of the DII men’s basketball championship game. Note that there was no winner in 2020, as the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

year
CHAMPION (RECORD)
COACH
SCORE
RUNNER-UP
SITE

2025
Nova Southeastern (36-1)
Jim Cruthfield
74-73
CSU Dominguez Hills
Evansville, Ind. 

2024 
Minnesota State (35-2)
Matt Margenthaler
88-85
Nova Southeastern
Evansville, Ind. 

2023
Nova Southeastern (36-0)
Jim Crutchfield
111-101
West liberty
Evansville, Ind. 

2022
Northwest Missouri State (35-5
Ben McCollum
67-58
Augusta
Evansville, Ind. 

2021
Northwest Missouri State (28-2)
Ben McCollum
80-54
West Texas A&M
Evansville, Ind.

2019
Northwest Missouri State (38-0)
Ben McCollum
64-58
Point Loma
Evansville, Ind.

2018
Ferris State (38-1)
Andy Bronkema
71-69
Northern State
Sioux Falls, S.D.

2017
Northwest Missouri St. (35-1)
Ben McCollum
71-61
Fairmont State
Sioux Falls, S.D.

2016
Augustana [S.D.] (34-2)
Tom Billeter
90-81
Lincoln Memorial
Frisco, Tex.

2015
Florida Southern (36-1)
Linc Darner
77-62
Indiana (Pa.)
Evansville, Ind.

2014
Central Missouri (30-5)
Kim Anderson
84-77
West Liberty
Evansville, Ind.

2013
Drury (31-4)
Steve Hesser
74-73
Metro State
Atlanta, Ga.

2012
Western Washington (31-5)
Brad Jackson
72-65
Montevallo
Highland Heights, Ky.

2011
Bellarmine (33-2)
Scott Davenport
71-68
BYU-Hawaii
Springfield, Mass.

2010
Cal Poly Pomona (28-6)
Greg Kamansky
65-53
Indiana (Pa.)
Springfield, Mass.

2009
Findlay (36-0)
Ron Niekamp
56-53 (ot)
Cal Poly Pomona
Springfield, Mass.

2008
Winona State (38-1)
Mike Leaf
87-76
Augusta State
Springfield, Mass.

2007
Barton (31-5)
Ron Lievense
77-75
Winona State
Springfield, Mass.

2006
Winona State (32-4)
Mike Leaf
73-61
Virginia Union
Springfield, Mass.

2005
Virginia Union (30-4)
Dave Robbins
63-58
Bryant
Grand Forks, N.D.

2004
Kennesaw State (35-4)
Tony Ingle
84-59
Southern Indiana
Bakersfield, Calif.

2003
Northeastern State (32-3)
Larry Gipson
75-64
**Kentucky Wesleyan
Lakeland, Fla.

2002
Metro State (29-6)
Mike Dunlap
80-72
Kentucky Wesleyan
Evansville, Ind.

2001
Kentucky Wesleyan (31-3)
Ray Harper
72-63
Washburn
Bakersfield, Calif.

2000
Metro State (33-4)
Mike Dunlap
97-79
Kentucky Wesleyan
Louisville, Ky.

1999
Kentucky Wesleyan (35-2)
Ray Harper
75-60
Metro State
Louisville, Ky.

1998
UC Davis (31-2)
Bob Williams
83-77
Kentucky Wesleyan
Louisville, Ky.

1997
Cal State Bakersfield (29-4)
Pat Douglass
57-56
Northern Kentucky
Louisville, Ky.

1996
Fort Hays State (34-0)
Gary Garner
70-63
Northern Kentucky
Louisville, Ky.

1995
Southern Indiana (29-4)
Bruce Pearl
71-63
UC Riverside
Louisville, Ky.

1994
Cal State Bakersfield (27-6)
Pat Douglass
92-86
Southern Indiana
Springfield, Mass.

1993
Cal State Bakersfield (33-0)
Pat Douglass
85-72
Troy
Springfield, Mass.

1992
Virginia Union (30-3)
Dave Robbins
100-75
Bridgeport
Springfield, Mass.

1991
North Alabama (29-4)
Gary Elliot
79-72
Bridgeport
Springfield, Mass.

1990
Kentucky Wesleyan (31-2)
Wayne Chapman
93-79
Cal State Bakersfield
Springfield, Mass.

1989
North Carolina Central (28-4)
Michael Bernard
73-46
Southeast Missouri State
Springfield, Mass.

1988
Massachusetts-Lowell (27-7)
Don Doucette
75-72
Alaska Anchorage
Springfield, Mass.

1987
Kentucky Wesleyan (28-5)
Wayne Chapman
92-74
Gannon
Springfield, Mass.

1986
Sacred Heart (30-4)
Dave Bike
93-87
Southeast Missouri State
Springfield, Mass.

1985
Jacksonville State (31-1)
Bill Jones
74-73
South Dakota State
Springfield, Mass.

1984
Central Missouri (29-3)
Lynn Nance
81-77
Saint Augustine’s
Springfield, Mass.

1983
Wright State (18-4)
Ralph Underhill
92-73
District of Columbia
Springfield, Mass.

1982
District of Columbia (25-5)
Wil Jones
73-63
Florida Southern
Springfield, Mass.

1981
Florida Southern (24-8)
Hal Wissel
73-68
Mount Saint Mary’s
Springfield, Mass.

1980
Virginia Union (26-4)
Dave Robbins
80-74
SUNYIT
Springfield, Mass.

1979
North Alabama (22-9)
Bill Jones
64-50
Green Bay
Springfield, Mo.

1978
Cheyney (26-2)
John Chaney
47-40
Green Bay
Springfield, Mo.

1977
Chattanooga (27-5)
RoShumatete
71-62
Randolph-Macon
Springfield, Mass.

1976
Puget Sound (27-7)
Don Zech
83-74
Chattanooga
Evansville, Ind.

1975
Old Dominion (25-6)
Sonny Allen
76-74
New Orleans
Evansville, Ind.

1974
Morgan State (28-5)
Nathaniel Frazier
67-52
Missouri State
Evansville, Ind.

1973
Kentucky Wesleyan (24-6)
Bob Jones
78-76 (ot)
Tennessee State
Evansville, Ind.

1972
Roanoke (28-4)
Charles Moir
84-72
Akron
Evansville, Ind.

1971
Evansville (22-8)
Arad McCutchan
97-82
Old Dominion
Evansville, Ind.

1970
Philadelphia University (29-2)
Herb Magee
76-65
Tennessee State
Evansville, Ind.

1969
Kentucky Wesleyan (25-5)
Bob Daniels
75-71
Missouri State
Evansville, Ind.

1968
Kentucky Wesleyan (28-3)
Bob Daniels
63-52
Indiana State
Evansville, Ind.

1967
Winston-Salem (30-2)
C.E. Gaines
77-74
Missouri State
Evansville, Ind.

1966
Kentucky Wesleyan (24-6)
Guy Strong
54-51
Southern Illinois
Evansville, Ind.

1965
Evansville (29-0)
Arad McCutchan
85-82 (ot)
Southern Illinois
Evansville, Ind.

1964
Evansville (26-3)
Arad McCutchan
72-59
Akron
Evansville, Ind.

1963
South Dakota State (22-5)
Jim Iverson
44-42
Wittenberg
Evansville, Ind.

1962
Mount Saint Mary’s (24-6)
James Phelan
58-57 (ot)
Sacramento State
Evansville, Ind.

1961
Wittenberg (25-4)
Ray Mears
42-38
Southeast Missouri State
Evansville, Ind.

1960
Evansville (25-4)
Arad McCutchan
90-69
Chapman
Evansville, Ind.

1959
Evansville (21-6)
Arad McCutchan
83-67
Missouri State
Evansville, Ind.

1958
South Dakota (22-5)
Duane Clodfelter
75-53
Saint Michael’s
Evansville, Ind.

1957
Wheaton (Ill.) (28-1)
Lee Pfund
89-65
Kentucky Wesleyan
Evansville, Ind.

 
**Student-Athletes declared ineligible