INDIANAPOLIS — As March Madness gets set to tip off in NCAA Division I basketball, several Indiana teams are already on the road to a championship among the smaller schools.
Trine University won the NCAA Division III men's national championship last weekend, defeating Hampden-Sydney 69-61.
Three Indiana women's colleges stormed their way to the Round of 16 in the NAIA tournament this weekend.
(NOTE: The video in the player above is from a February 2024 story on the Marian University women's basketball team.)
Marian University, the top-ranked team in the nation at 27-1, defeated Florida National University and Stephens College in the first two rounds. The Knights will face the University of Jamestown, the No. 12 seed in the Naismith Quadrant, Thursday, March 21 at 1 p.m. CT.
Indiana Wesleyan, the top seed in the Cramer Quadrant, routed Fisk University 100-69, then Northwestern College 84-42 to reach the Round of 16. The 25-3 Wildcats, ranked fourth in the nation, will face No. 4 seed Dakota State University at 6 p.m. CT Thursday.
Indiana Tech, the No. 6 seed in the Liston Quadrant and 16th ranked team in the country, will play Briar Cliff University Friday at 8 p.m. The Warriors have beaten St. Thomas University and John Brown University to advance in the tournament.
The Round of 16 and all subsequent rounds of the NAIA women's tournament are being played in Sioux City, Iowa. The national championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. CT.
In the NAIA men's tournament, No. 1 ranked Grace College (32-1) will face Northwestern College in the Round of 16 in Kansas City. The Lancers have defeated Washington Adventist University and Union College (Ky.) so far in the tournament. Tip-off for Thursday's game is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Also in the Round of 16, the No. 2 seed Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats have matched the success of their women's team, surviving a scare from No. 15 seed Columbia College, 105-99 in double overtime, before topping Tennessee Southern 92-81.
The Wildcats will face Arizona Christian Friday at 3 p.m. CT.