Both women's and men's HBCU basketball teams are preparing for deep runs in the 2024 NCAA Division II Tournament. Three women's teams made the Division II bracket, while four men's teams made their bracket. Both tournaments kick off their first rounds on March 15 and 16.
SIAC and CIAA champions Miles College and Fayetteville State will appear in the women's tournament, along with West Virginia State. Miles and West Virginia State both earned #8 seeds, while Fayetteville State made their way up to a #3 seed.
West Virginia State is coming off another successful season after making the NCAA Division II Tournament last year. The Yellow Jackets finished 21-10 and 14-6 in the MEC. Leading up to the MEC tournament, they won nine of their last 10 games and nearly went all the way. They defeated Notre Dame College (OH) and Concord University on their way to the championship but fell short to Fairmont State, 81-67. West Virginia State will match up against #1 seed Gannon University on March 15 at 2:30 p.m.
After winning their first SIAC championship in school history, the #8 seed Miles Lady Bears earn a tournament berth against #1 seed Valdosta State. The Lady Bears razed the SIAC this season, going 14-1 in conference play. Their only SIAC loss was against Kentucky State, but they corrected that loss in the conference championship. Miles plays Valdosta State on March 15 at 4:00 p.m.
The Fayetteville State Lady Broncos are the highest-seeded HBCU team between both tournaments. They earned this prestigious ranking by losing just two games all season. The Lady Broncos went undefeated at home and lost just once in the CIAA. After losing to Johnson C. Smith on Jan. 20, Fayetteville State refused to lose again. They won 13 straight games, including their CIAA tournament wins over Bluefield State, Virginia State, and Elizabeth City State. The Lady Broncos match up against #6 seed Indiana (PA) on March 15 at 7:30 p.m.
West Virginia State is the only HBCU to have both their women's and men's teams represented in the NCAA Division II Tournaments. The Yellow Jackets enter the tournament as an #8 seed following a successful 20-9 season. After a somewhat rocky start to the year, West Virginia State's men's team won nine games in a row in January and February.
They rotated between wins and losses down the stretch of the season, but they pulled off an 85-80 win against Fairmont State in the first round of the MEC tournament. Unfortunately, he Yellow Jackets lost in the next round, 104-85, to the University of Charleston. They'll face off against #1 seed California University of Pennsylvania on March 15 at 5:00 p.m.
The SIAC tournament runner-up Benedict Panthers also received an #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. As is consistent with the other teams on this list, Benedict had an impressive season, winning 23 of their 30 games and going 15-6 in the conference. The Panthers were especially dominant at home, winning all but one of their home games. In their final regular season game, Benedict defeated Clark Atlanta, 93-91.
They rode into the SIAC tournament on a high, scoring 90 and 96 points in wins over LeMoyne-Owen and Tuskegee. In the championship game, the Panthers ran into Clark Atlanta again, but this time, they fell short, losing 78-68. Benedict has their work cut out for them in the NCAA tournament as they match up against #1 Nova Southeastern on March 16 at 5:00 p.m.
The Clark Atlanta Panthers, Benedict's rivals, nearly edged out the SIAC runner-ups in every category. They finished the season with a 25-5 record, going 16-5 in the conference and 12-1 at home. The Panthers were on a 13-game winning streak when they lost to Miles College.
After the loss, they won two more games before coming up short to Benedict in the final game of the year. In the conference tournament, Clark Atlanta barely survived Savannah State, 54-53, before defeating Benedict by 10 to reach the championship round. They then took care of Benedict to win the SIAC championship. Clark Atlanta earned a #6 seed and will play #3 Florida Southern on March 16 at 12:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Lions are the last HBCU team in the NCAA Division II Tournament. They earned an automatic bid for winning the CIAA championship. The Lions went 17-13 on the year, but had a tougher time in the CIAA, going 10-7. After a five-game winning streak at the end of January, the Lions struggled to get into a rhythm for the rest of the season, continually trading off wins and losses. T
hey righted the ship in the CIAA tournament, handily defeating Elizabeth City State in the opening round. They defeated Claflin, 58-52, before eking out a close championship victory against Fayetteville State. Despite winning the CIAA, Lincoln received an #8 seed, matching up against #1 Gannon on March 15 at 5:00 p.m.
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