Divisions in The NCAA

The NCAA is in charge of several college sporting activities. It regulates the sporting activities and puts into place rules and procedures to be followed to promote fairness, avoid corruption, and ensure that the athletes are managed professionally. In basketball, it controls how the game is played, membership of colleges, and coordinating the activities in all divisions across the country.

The Divisions

The NCAA has three divisions in college basketball, namely Division I, Division II, and Division III. The Divisions are classified based on the team’s overall performance, with the best teams playing in the highly ranked Division. Average performances, especially at lower Divisions I and II, mean that the team might remain the same division. It is also possible for teams to downgrade and be relegated into a lower division due to unsatisfactory performances.

• Division I: This is the top tier division in college basketball. It features teams from 354 colleges, which are broken down into 32 Conferences. Each year in Spring, around 64 teams take part in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament or better known as March Madness.
• Division II: As the name suggests, this is the second-highest league in college basketball. This division is made up of 23 Conferences (nine less than those in Division I). Most teams in this division are registered and affiliated with the NCAA. To date, there are about five colleges that are still independent and not registered. Division II also has an annual tournament for both men and women. This tournament is, however, not as big as March Madness, which features most of the big colleges in the United States.
• Division III. This Division is the biggest, in size, amongst the three Divisions with around 400 members. Even though they are this big, they are not allowed to offer scholarships to outstanding athletes. Only Division Division II colleges and I are given this privilege.