The first set of 2026 NCAA Division II men's basketball regional rankings were revealed on Wednesday (Feb. 18) afternoon, and Ashland University is under consideration in those alphabetical listings.
With three regular-season games to go, the Eagles are 18-7 overall and 12-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Ashland will go to Malone (14-10, 7-9) for its only game of the week on Thursday (Feb. 19) at 7:30 p.m. in nearby Canton, Ohio.
Regional rankings also will be released on Feb. 25 and March 4, and will be released in rank order. The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament selection show will be March 8 at 11 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Ashland men's basketball has played in 14 previous NCAA postseasons (1968-71, 1976-78, 1988, 1990-91, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2023), as well as six previous NAIA playoffs (1960-63, 1965 and 1967).
The Eagles were named the 1968-69 national champions by both the Associated Press and United Press International.
A 64-team tournament (eight teams in each of eight regions), the D-II postseason will begin on March 13, and Ashland's conference and NCAA postseason road looks like this:
- The eight-team 2026 Great Midwest Tournament will be March 3 and 7-8 (site(s) to be determined).
- The eight-team 2026 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament will be March 14-15 and 17 (site to be determined).
- The 2026 NCAA Division II Elite Eight and Final Four will be in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 25 and 27, and the national championship will be in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 5.
In the Midwest Region, automatic qualifiers come from the winners of the Great Midwest, Great Lakes Valley Conference and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The other five teams are chosen as at-large entries. There are 37 teams in the Midwest Region eligible for postseason play – 15 from the GLVC, 12 from the Great Midwest, and 10 from the GLIAC.
2026 NCAA DIVISION II MIDWEST REGION MEN'S BASKETBALL RANKINGS (FIRST RANKINGS ARE ALPHABETICAL)
ASHLAND
Grand Valley State
Lake Erie
McKendree
Michigan Tech
Missouri S&T
Northern Michigan
Rockhurst
Walsh
William Jewell
