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How many division i basketball teams
How Many Division 1 Basketball Teams Are There in the NCAA?
The NCAA basketball season is fast approaching. In fact, teams already began practice on September 28th and the season tips off on November 6th! As a huge hoops fan, I for one cannot wait for the year to begin. While the beginning of the year is always a great chance to see your favorite team finally back in action, it also gives you a chance to see some of the year’s top contenders for a coveted spot in the Final Four.
Obviously, not every team can make the Final Four, let alone the NCAA Tournament. With only 68 slots reserved for the tournament, there will be a lot of upset teams ending their seasons on a low note. The simple fact of the matter is that Division 1 basketball consists of several hundreds of teams all looking for success on different levels. For some, it may be trying to end the season with a winning record, for others the Final Four is there only measure on whether or not they had a productive season.![]()
But exactly how many Division 1 college basketball teams are there? The number is pretty staggering and even I, as a self-proclaimed die-hard fan, was surprised at the total.
Yes, you read that right, 353!
These 353 teams are broken up in 32 total conferences with an average of 11 teams per conference playing to both win their conference regular season championship – an honor given to the team with the best in-conference record at the end of the year – and to try and win their conference tournament championship for a trip to the “Big Dance”, the NCAA Tournament. NCAA basketball has come a long way from their first season in 1924, when there were only 8 conferences total!
Let’s take a brief trip down memory lane, shall we? I want to take a look at the number of conferences at the beginning of each decade to show you the rapid growth of the sport over the years. Keep in mind, the first year of NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball was 1924:
- 1930: 9 conferences
- 1940: 11 conferences
- 1950: 17 conferences
- 1960: 18 conferences
- 1970: 19 conferences
- 1980: 29 conferences
- 1990: 34 conferences
- 2000: 32 conferences
- 2010: 33 conferences
- 2019: 32 conferences
One of the most attractive aspects NCAA Division 1 Basketball that draws in so many fans is that each of the 351 teams has a chance at making the NCAA Tournament at the beginning of each year.
Yeah, they may not win it all but how many other college sports give their teams the right to play, and sometimes beat, some of the best teams in the country for a chance to win it all.
NCAA Division 1 Football gives what they call the Power Conferences (5 conferences total) the opportunity to play for a national title.
While it would be next to impossible to list all 351 schools, I still wanted to give you, the reader, a chance to do some research on this topic. So below is a link to each conference homepage, with a list of all of the conference champions from last season, so you can see all 351 of the teams somewhere in there and each respective conference champion.
- Conference: 2018-19 Conference Tournament Champion
- America East – Vermont Catamounts
- American – Cincinnati Bearcats
- Atlantic 10 – Saint Louis Billikens
- ACC – Duke Blue Devils
- Atlantic Sun – Liberty Flames
- Big South – Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
- Big 12 – Iowa State Cyclones
- Big East – Villanova Wildcats
- Big Sky – Montana Grizzlies
- Big 10 – Michigan State Spartans
- Big West – UC Irvine Anteaters
- Colonial – Northeastern Huskies
- Conference USA – Old Dominion Monarchs
- Horizon League – Northern Kentucky Norse
- Ivy League – Yale Bulldogs
- MAAC – Iona Gaels
- Mid-American – Buffalo Bulls
- MEAC – North Carolina Central Eagles
- Missouri Valley – Bradley Braves
- Mountain West – Utah State Aggies
- Northeast – Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
- Ohio Valley – Murray State Racers
- Pac 12 – Oregon Ducks
- Patriot League – Colgate Raiders
- SEC – Auburn Tigers
- Southern – Wofford Terriers
- Southland – Abilene Christian Wildcats
- Southwestern – Prairie View A&M Panthers
- Summit League – North Dakota State Bison
- Sun Belt – Georgia State Panthers
- West Coast – Saint Mary’s Gaels
- WAC – New Mexico State Aggies
As we mentioned at the beginning of the piece, the only way for a lot of these teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament is to win their conference tournaments.
So while a team like Duke could technically lose their conference tournament, if they still have a good enough year otherwise, the tournament voters can reward them with what is called an “at-large bid” or a spot in the tournament based on the rest of their season resume. This can include different measurable aspects like strength of schedule, key wins, overall wins, etc.
Unfortunately, a team like North Dakota State from the Summit League just isn’t going to have enough opportunity to earn their spot in the tournament through any other way but to win their conference and earn an “automatic bid” which is given to each conference tournament winner prior to the tournament. A lot of teams live by the motto, “win and you’re in”, literally.
If you have a favorite team, what is their likelihood of making it to the NCAA Tournament each year? Are you a part of a tortured college basketball fanbase? Drop a comment below!
List of Division 1 Basketball Colleges
Men’s basketball recruits looking to compete at the highest collegiate level—and have the physical measurables and athletic skills to back it up—should highly consider NCAA Division 1 basketball colleges during their recruiting process.
Student-athletes who compete at D1 basketball schools not only meet highly competitive recruiting guidelines set by these elite schools but are also among the best student-athletes in the nation. Unfortunately, while being a top basketball player on your high school or club team may help you stand out in a crowd, potential recruits should be prepared for the highest level of competition among not only high school athletes, but also current student-athletes competing at junior colleges with basketball programs, as these players are often recruited by four-year D1 basketball schools too. Check out our Nike basketball camp article.
Related Articles
- Check out this article on Duke basketball recruiting.
- How does Illinois basketball recruiting work?
- What are the NCAA Transfer Rules?
- How are NCAA basketball teams organized?
There is an extremely high caliber set for student-athletes who land roster spots on D1 basketball teams.
Getting to the D1 level—and staying there—requires an extremely high level of dedication, passion for the sport and hard work. However, the payoffs of competing at Division 1 basketball colleges is well worth the effort. Top D1 basketball schools are among the most popular in the nation, and many student-athletes—and their non-athletic peers alike—recognize and root for powerhouse Division 1 basketball programs like University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and Duke University. Athletes who have the talent, physical measurables, drive and academics will be rewarded with well-funded athletic facilities, experienced coaches to take their game to the next level and even a chance at a partial or fully funded athletic scholarship offer. Likewise, players at top D1 basketball colleges will have a chance to enjoy national recognition and respect from dedicated fans. Learn more about the basketball recruiting rankings process.
How many colleges are in Division 1 men’s basketball?
Student-athletes looking to compete at the highest collegiate level have plenty of options.
But just how many colleges are in Division 1 men’s basketball? There are currently more than 350 Division 1 basketball colleges in the nation—these 351 NCAA D1 basketball colleges are comprised of the most elite basketball players, and potential recruits should be prepared to work hard on and off the court to land a roster spot at one of these Division 1 basketball programs.
When narrowing down your target list, it’s important to consider several factors. First and foremost, student-athletes who have their sights set on attending one of these D1 basketball schools should explore a complete list of D1 basketball colleges, be prepared to meet or exceed competitive recruiting guidelines, and stay up to date on D1 basketball rankings. For a complete list of Division 1 basketball colleges, including their location and corresponding athletic conference, look at our catalog of Division 1 basketball rankings and D1 basketball schools list below. Is there an AAU boys basketball team near me?
Men’s D1 basketball rankings
Several organizations offer NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball rankings, including the NCAA, USA Today Sports and the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
Here are the top D1 basketball schools, according to the NCSA Power Rankings:
- Stanford University
- University of Florida
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA
- University of Michigan
- Princeton University
- University of California – Berkeley
- Georgia Tech
- Harvard University
- Florida State University
While the NCSA Power Rankings offer a good overview of top D1 basketball schools, student-athletes who hope to compete at one of the 350+ Division 1 basketball colleges shouldn’t limit their search to only the most elite Division 1 basketball programs. Instead, they should consider several factors when researching D1 basketball teams, including athletic and academic caliber, school size, location, and cost, as well as their own personal preferences.
Full list of D1 basketball colleges
Alcorn State University
Alcorn State, Mississippi
Public
Southwestern Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
American University
Washington, District Of Columbia
Private
Patriot League
NCAA D1
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Public
Southeastern Conference
NCAA D1
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky
Private
Great Lakes Valley Conference
NCAA D1
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee
Private
Ohio Valley Conference
NCAA D1
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Private
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois
Private
Missouri Valley Conference
NCAA D1
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Private
Ivy League
NCAA D1
Bryant University
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Private
Collegiate Water Polo Association
NCAA D1
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana
Private
Pioneer Football League
NCAA D1
Campbell University
Buies Creek, North Carolina
Private
Pioneer Football League
NCAA D1
Canisius College
Buffalo, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
Public
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Public
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Davidson College
Davidson, North Carolina
Private
Pioneer Football League
NCAA D1
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa
Private
Pioneer Football League
NCAA D1
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Private
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Private
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina
Private
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Connecticut
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina
Private
Southern Conference
NCAA D1
Georgia Tech
Atlanta, Georgia
Public
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington
Private
West Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York
Private
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Howard University
Washington, District Of Columbia
Private
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Iona College
New Rochelle, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Private
Atlantic 10 Conference
NCAA D1
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas
Public
Southland Conference
NCAA D1
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Private
Patriot League
NCAA D1
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia
Private
Atlantic Sun Conference
NCAA D1
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee
Private
Atlantic Sun Conference
NCAA D1
Manhattan College
Riverdale, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Marist College
Poughkeepsie, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Merrimack College
North Andover, Massachusetts
Private
Northeast-10 Conference
NCAA D1
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio
Public
Mid-American Conference
NCAA D1
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, New Jersey
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio
Public
Mid-American Conference
NCAA D1
Penn State
University Park, Pennsylvania
Public
Big Ten Conference
NCAA D1
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Private
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
NCAA D1
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island
Private
Big East Conference
NCAA D1
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Public
Big Ten Conference
NCAA D1
Quinnipiac University
Hamden, Connecticut
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Rutgers University
Piscataway, New Jersey
Private
Big Ten Conference
NCAA D1
Siena College
Loudonville, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
St.
Francis College
Brooklyn Heights, New York
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Stonehill College
Easton, Massachusetts
Private
Norteast Conference (NEC)
NCAA D1
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Private
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Public
American Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
The Citadel
Charleston, South Carolina
Public
Southern Conference
NCAA D1
Towson University
Towson, Maryland
Public
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Troy University
Troy, Alabama
Public
Sun Belt Conference
NCAA D1
Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Private
American Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York
Public
Atlantic Hockey Association (Division I for men's ice hockey)
NCAA D1
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Private
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Public
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, Indiana
Private
Missouri Valley Conference, Pioneer Football League
NCAA D1
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Private
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
Public
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Wagner College
Staten Island, New York
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Private
Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA D1
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
Public
Colonial Athletic Association
NCAA D1
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Public
Big South Conference
NCAA D1
Wofford College
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Private
Southern Conference
NCAA D1
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Private
Ivy League
NCAA D1
interesting, high-quality, inexpensive / MLBL-Moscow / Moscow Basketball Championship among amateur teams
When we developed the project of our dream Moscow championship 5 years ago, we wanted to combine in it all the best that can be in amateur basketball and make it's affordable.
For examples, I had to turn to the experience of other cities and even countries (for example, to the experience of the Kyiv "League of Heroes"), because. in Moscow, everything was at a slightly antediluvian level, 5-6 years behind modern trends: in incomprehensible halls, with constant conflicts within the team, with judges, with officials - with everyone ... At the same time, it was sincerely believed that all the best is the enemy of the good. We did not agree with this, because. if you do not move forward, any project will gradually sink down, and a breakthrough in the field of amateur basketball will never happen - there will simply not be a chance.
Before the advent of MLBL, it was believed that it was impossible to create a tournament in such high-quality conditions in Moscow, but in just 2 months we formed a full-fledged division, in which 12 very interesting and original teams of a good level play, 9 of which have their own sponsors. However, it is important for us not only the fact that the teams with sponsors, who obviously have the best conditions for attracting players (you don’t have to pay for games), supported this project, but the fact that there are teams in the second division based on the principles of player sharing.
Moreover, one of these teams leads the championship! This suggests that the championship is not only well organized, but also accessible.
The “Territory of the ball” was chosen as the base for the tournament — the only hall in Moscow where our huge championship could physically fit. Now it’s even ridiculous to remember how much negativity was said about the “Territory of the Ball” and about us, that “they won’t make it”, “they won’t be able to”, etc. However, both they and we managed and succeeded, fulfilling all our promises by 100%. Now the teams that then believed in MLBL are simply enjoying the game of basketball, but we, in turn, try not to lose face.
Each team of the second division gets the best that is possible for this money: a sports complex in the center of Moscow with parquet and comfortable locker rooms and no access system, basketball on four sites at the same time - an indescribable atmosphere of a basketball event at each round, excellent refereeing (with commissioners who really work with the referees, and are not responsible for paperwork), with a high-quality and well-organized table, with a doctor at all games, who does not have to be looked for in fear of getting 20-0, with free water and excellent Spalding TF1000 balls, with online statistics and a mobile application, with the opportunity to win tickets to CSKA, or just buy them for a penny if you didn’t win (though not for such cool places), with unifying events outside the court, with photos of all matches, with video interviews of the tournament heroes , with “man of the match” magnets (a trifle, but a player is pleased to receive such a fridge magnet!), with the ability to take your fans to the games and seat them in the stands, with the ability to plan your weekends in advance, this is a tournament with a chief referee that is independent of teams, a tournament with an office and a meeting room in the Basketball House, with full-time employees working on the project, who are always ready to carefully and respectfully help resolve the issue of the team, with well-developed and adequate regulations, in which there is not a word about monetary penalties and which allows not to drag teams with terrible measures in order to force them to improve the quality of matches.
For the first time not the team, but the League is responsible for the quality of the tournament. The task of the team and players is simply to arrive at the hall at the right time with a completed technical application. For everything else, there is MLBL. This allows you to unload the heads of club leaders, who can now think more about the sports component than about organizational responsibility.
We have repeatedly voiced all these things before, but no one had the courage to put them into practice.
Another very cool decision was in the hard destruction of the stereotype that amateur clubs should only play together with doubles. This, of course, was another misconception, which was shown by the “Challengers” division. We specifically made a very mobile system that allows you to play with or without farms. This experience was supposed to show the real cost of farming. Will teams cling to them in order to realize the advantages that doubles provide over their disadvantages?
Real experience has shown that many teams deliberately uncoupled the second squads, because.
they did not want to pay for them, transferring some of the players to the general application. Those. it turned out that this was an additional financial burden that fell on the shoulders of one or several people, instead of, for example, doubling the quality of the tournament.
Another experience from the clubs that the farms have kept is also interesting. Only 2 out of 4 clubs used the option of transferring players from one squad to another and vice versa. This suggests that farms are a very controversial thing and it is impossible to unambiguously talk about their benefits. However, there is a third example - the Profit Basket club has already three squads in the championship.
We could also observe that the top second teams of the last MBL season are doing quite well in the confrontation with the best teams of the second division and can even claim prizes in the championship! This makes the tournament very exciting from a sporting point of view.
And, of course, the main advantage of the Contenders division is that it has become an organic link between a very cool project called the Development League and the elite division, creating a system of sports transition for the strongest teams.
By the way, the fact that there is a sports transition does not mean that the new team should start the championship exclusively with the Development League. Any team can always apply to any division! Even a team that has been relegated from the division can try its luck to return back, providing the necessary guarantees and if there are free places or when the division expands. All this makes the system lively and mobile, capable of responding to any changes in the structure of amateur basketball in Moscow.
Is there a new cool club that wants to test themselves before getting into the "Elite"? Welcome to Challengers! Is there a coolest club with championship ambitions? Perhaps then you should immediately try your hand at Elite? Actually, the very name “Challengers” or, as it is fashionable to say in the NBA, “Contenders” means a pool of teams that strive to develop, strive to rise above, compete with the best teams in Moscow, and prove that they can play at this level.
And look at the line-ups - excellent players, against whom it is very difficult on the basketball court.
Look at the tactics of the teams, at the attitude to what is happening on the site, at how timeouts go, listen to their conversations, look at the emotions. All this is very serious.
Now 5 teams out of 12 are going 5-2 (Barrel, Kaspersky Lab, Vega, Megafon, Alvistoun), the seventh club (Profit Basket) has a 4-3 result. Those. The playoff zone is packed so tightly that one win can take a team from 6th to 2nd or from 12th to 8th. When you step on the court, you don't know how the game will end. There are no favorites.
Only one club, Sfera 650, goes undefeated in the Contenders - Moscow basketball beginners with 4 masters of sports. But look at the cost of these results? +5, +3, +5, +9… I.e. half of the matches the team pulled out "on the teeth".
Only Lotus goes without victories, but it is clear that with each match the team is getting angrier and angrier. Nobody should underestimate Lotus either. Otherwise, a very equal and even composition of participants.![]()
More than once there were spins when your team beat the one that beat the one you lost to. A kind of revenge and anticipation of the return match in the next round.
This, of course, is all very cool and a lot of fun. It's nice to come to the "Territory of the Ball" on Saturday, take the key to your locker, go to the site, where your friends are already waiting for you, and where you know everything down to the smallest detail.
At the same time, it is very pleasant to see that there are teams in the Development League that would look worthy in the second division. Plus, there are a number of good teams that have already applied for next year… Apparently, we are waiting for the expansion of the division?
However, no one is going to stop there. We got off to a pretty good start in Moscow in our first year, but we're not even close to the quality we plan to release on a regular basis. The nearest plans include a significant improvement of the site, the creation of a new version of the mobile application with tracking the results of your favorite team, the release of the first version of the application for Android, the opening of a cafe in the Ball Territory, the creation of an automatic infographic generation system and, possibly, personal websites for teams.
We would like to specially thank our partners for their help and support: free water is provided by the Vodovozkin company, the prize for winning the championship is the Youth bar, tickets to CSKA - PBK CSKA, championship T-shirts from Small And Tall , cool judges and secretaries - "Moscow Basketball Federation", hall - "Territory of the Ball", TF1000 balls from the Spalding company. Championship partners are Inanomo and Alvistoun, VTB United League, Russian Basketball Federation. Sports.ru, slamdunk.ru and We Love Basketball write about us.
Stay with us, this is only the beginning of a long journey! We all love basketball!
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