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NCAA D1 · D2 · D3 · NAIA

The college
game.

The 2024 NCAA Championship Game — South Carolina over Iowa — pulled 18.9 million viewers, the most-watched women's basketball game ever broadcast. And that's just Division I. Underneath sit three more NCAA tiers plus the NAIA — over 1,300 programs.

364
D1 programs
~313
D2 programs
~440
D3 programs
~189
NAIA programs
NCAA Division I · 2025-26

The top flight.

364 programs across 32 conferences. The SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC together produced 12 of the last 16 Final Four teams.

SEC · 16 teams

The juggernaut.

South Carolina (3 NCAA titles 2017, 22, 24), LSU (2023), Tennessee (8 titles), Oklahoma & Texas added in 2024.

Big Ten · 18 teams

West Coast moved in.

UCLA, USC, Oregon, Washington joined in 2024. Iowa's Clark era just ended; UCLA now leads.

Big 12 · 16 teams

Expanded aggressively.

Added BYU, Utah, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado. Baylor still the anchor (3 titles: 2005, 12, 19).

ACC · 18 teams

Coast-to-coast.

NC State, UNC, Duke, Notre Dame (2 titles), plus Cal + Stanford + SMU added 2024. Louisville, Virginia Tech challenge.

Big East · 11 teams

UConn country.

UConn's 11 NCAA titles dominate any conversation. Creighton, Villanova, Marquette support.

AAC · 14 teams

Midmajor pro pipeline.

North Texas, Memphis, South Florida, UTSA. Produced multiple WNBA picks yearly.

Mountain West · 11 teams

Colorado State, SDSU.

Wyoming's Cowgirls perennial. SDSU & Fresno State regular NCAA Tournament sides.

Pac-12 (rebuilding) · 9+ teams

A new era.

Oregon State & Washington State survived. Gonzaga, San Diego, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, SDSU, Utah State joining 2026.

Missouri Valley · 12 teams

The Mid-Am factory.

Drake, Belmont, Bradley, Indiana State. Missouri State reliable 20-win side.

Conference USA · 12 teams

Louisiana Tech legacy.

La Tech's Lady Techsters won titles 1981 & 1988. Middle Tennessee, WKU, Western Ky. UTEP remain.

Sun Belt · 14 teams

James Madison + expansion.

JMU, Old Dominion, App State. Louisiana & Troy the historical powers.

WAC · 10 teams

Texas-heavy.

Abilene Christian, Tarleton, Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington, Utah Tech, Grand Canyon.

Southland · 10 teams

Louisiana, Texas mix.

McNeese, Lamar, HCU, TAMU-CC, TAMU-Commerce, Nicholls.

SWAC · 12 teams

HBCU D1 league.

Jackson State, Southern, Prairie View, Texas Southern. HBCU All-Star showcase yearly.

MEAC · 8 teams

HBCU East.

Howard, NC A&T, NC Central, Norfolk State, S. Carolina State, Morgan State, Coppin State, Delaware State.

Atlantic 10 · 15 teams

Urban Eastern.

Dayton, VCU, Saint Louis, Richmond, Loyola Chicago, UMass. Historical Final Four runs from UMass, Saint Joseph's.

West Coast · 7+ teams

Gonzaga anchor.

Gonzaga, Portland, San Diego, Saint Mary's, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, LMU, Pacific.

Ivy League · 8 teams

Princeton's run.

Princeton NCAA regular since 2010. Columbia, Harvard competitive. No athletic scholarships.

Patriot · 10 teams

Service academies + NE privates.

American, Army, Bucknell, Navy, Holy Cross. Smart, structured programs.

CAA · 14 teams

Mid-Atlantic staple.

Drexel, Delaware, Towson, Charleston, James Madison (departed), Hampton.

MAAC · 11 teams

Fairfield, Marist.

Fairfield & Marist the historical powers. Quinnipiac recent NCAA Tournament regular.

Horizon · 11 teams

Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin.

Green Bay historical mid-major standout. Cleveland State, Northern Kentucky.

Summit · 9 teams

South Dakota powers.

South Dakota, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Omaha, Kansas City, Denver.

Big Sky · 10 teams

Montana, Idaho, NAU.

Montana's Lady Griz a fixture. Montana State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington.

MAC · 12 teams

Ohio + MI + NY + IL + IN.

Toledo, Kent State, Ball State historical. Buffalo's recent NCAA runs.

ASUN · 14 teams

Southeast mid-major.

Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State (now CUSA), Lipscomb, Queens, Stetson.

Northeast · 10 teams

Small Northeast privates.

Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner, Saint Francis (PA), LIU, CCSU.

Southern · 10 teams

Furman, Mercer, Samford.

Chattanooga the league heavyweight. UNCG, Western Carolina, Wofford, ETSU.

OVC · 10+ teams

Belmont departed.

Tennessee Tech, Morehead State, Eastern Illinois, SIUE. Rebuilding after OVC members jumped conferences.

America East · 9 teams

Maine, UMBC, UAlbany.

Small Northeast publics. Maine & UAlbany routinely play March.

Big South · 9 teams

Carolinas + VA.

High Point, Gardner-Webb, Radford, Winthrop, UNC Asheville.

Big West · 11 teams

California + Hawaii.

Hawaii, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Cal Poly.

Browse all 1,306 programs in the searchable directory →

NCAA Division II · 23 conferences

Scholarships, smaller stages.

~313 D2 programs. The NCAA D2 Elite Eight plays every March in Birmingham (or rotating host). D2 offers partial athletic scholarships and a lower cap on roster size.

Major conferences include the Lone Star (Texas-heavy: Angelo State, West Texas A&M, TAMU-Kingsville, UT Tyler, UT Permian Basin), Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), Northeast-10, Gulf South, MIAA (Central & Western), GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley, CCAA (California), RMAC, NSIC (Upper Midwest), Sunshine State, Peach Belt, SAC, Mountain East, Great American, G-MAC, Conference Carolinas, CACC, PacWest, and East Coast.

Filter directory to D2 →

NCAA Division III · 40+ conferences

Academic-first, still ferocious.

~440 D3 programs. No athletic scholarships — academic aid only. Strong programs: Hope College (MI), NYU, Tufts, Saint Thomas (before the D1 move), Amherst (NESCAC), Wisconsin-Whitewater, Christopher Newport.

Top conferences include NESCAC (Amherst, Middlebury, Williams, Tufts), UAA (NYU, Wash U, Chicago, Emory), Centennial, Liberty League, CCIW, North Coast Athletic Conference, Wisconsin IAC, Empire 8, Old Dominion AC, Northwest Conference, SCIAC, American Rivers Conference, SUNYAC, MASCAC, and MIAC (Minnesota).

Filter directory to D3 →

NAIA · 19 conferences

Different body, same game.

~189 NAIA programs. Full athletic scholarships are allowed; the governing body is separate from the NCAA. National tournament held in Sioux City every March. NAIA has been historically strong at producing WNBA players through transfer pathways.

Key conferences: Sooner Athletic Conference (Oklahoma City, Wayland Baptist, Texas Wesleyan), Mid-South, Crossroads League, GPAC, KCAC, Appalachian AC, Cal Pac, Cascade Collegiate, Frontier, Heart of America, Continental, Gulf Coast (HBCU-heavy), River States, Sun, SSAC, North Star, WHAC.

Filter directory to NAIA →