The NCAA announced the Division II playoff bracket on Sunday, with Kutztown (Pa.), Valdosta State (Ga.), Ferris State (Mich.) and Colorado State-Pueblo earning top seeds among their respective regions.
The 24-team tournament begins Saturday and concludes Saturday, Dec. 21 with a title game set for McKinney ISD Stadium in suburban Dallas and for broadcast on ESPN2. The field will be re-seeded after the quarterfinal round on Dec. 7, which will determine home field for the semifinal round on Dec. 14.
Kutztown earned a 1-seed by posting an 11-0 regular season, while Valdosta State went 10-0, and Ferris State and CSU-Pueblo went 10-1 apiece.
Ferris State won back-to-back Division II national championships in 2021-22, Valdosta State won the most recent of its four national championships in 2018, and CSU-Pueblo won the crown in 2014. Kutztown made its deepest run in school history last fall, falling to Colorado School of Mines in the semfinals.
Reigning national champion Harding (Ark.) will begin its title defense on the road, opening at Pittsburg State after losing to Ouachita Baptist on Halloween. Ouachita Baptist, champions of the Great American Conference, will also open on the road, visiting Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association champion Central Oklahoma.
Colorado School of Mines, runners-up from a year ago and ranked No. 24 entering Saturday, did not make the field after an 8-3 regular season. Ashland (Va.), Bemidji State (Minn.), Central Washington, Minnesota State, and Virginia Union were the only 3-loss teams to reach the postseason.
See the full bracket below.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.