NCAA DII championship field teams selected

Field of 64 to vie for spot at finals in Highland Heights, Ky.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee announced Sunday the field of 64 teams that will compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.

Twenty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 42 teams were selected at large by the committee.

Seven of the regional tournaments, consisting of eight teams each, will be conducted March 10, 11 and 13 at regional sites. The West regional will be conducted March 9, 10 and 12. The eight regional champions will advance to the quarterfinals in conjunction with the 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s quarterfinals at the Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Ky. The quarterfinals will be conducted March 21, 22 and 24.



Interactive Bracket
Printable Bracket (.pdf)
D-II Rankings

READ MORE AT NCAA.COM

Local Interests

From the HBCU perspective, Winston-Salem State and Benedict College are in as automatic qualifiers for winning the CIAA and SIAC conference titles.  The Shaw University Bears (CIAA) and the University of District of Columbia (overall 22-5, East Coast Conference team) received an at-large berths.   The UDC Firebirds are coached by formal Washington Wizards center/forward, Jeff Ruland, who is in this third season at the school. Ruland, has transformed the Firebirds from a 1-20 team in 2009/10 into a #23 ranked national D-II powerhouse.  UDC hasn't seen this type of success since the Coach Wil Jones, Michael Britt and Earl Jones national championship days in 1982.

Bowie State, on the other hand with its 22-6 record in the powerful CIAA conference, was not selected.

I would love to hear the NCAA explanation on this one, especially in light of the fact that at-large berths were given to St. Leo (18-11), Lewis (17-11), Augustana (SD) (17-10), Adams State (19-8), Columbus State (18-11) and Montana State-Billings (18-11).  In its desire for balanced regional representation, at-large berth teams are being selected by the D-II basketball committee that couldn't carry Bowie State's lunch.  In fact--one word describes them all --CUPCAKES.  None of these teams have a prayer of a chance of winning the national championship or beating the top three CIAA teams. So, why are they in the tournament and not Bowie State?

When will the NCAA stop the hypocrisy of running a rigged championship tournament?  Why is it that the CIAA always get bracketed so that its champion has to play the CIAA at-large team in the second round?  This happened in the women's bracket last season and will happen again this year. 

Enough of this type of foolishness!  We expect better of the NCAA and its time for this organization to be held accountable for the lack of fair treatment to the CIAA, SIAC, MEAC and SWAC.

(beepbeep)