Sunday marks the first day of March and that means winter championship season is officially upon us. DII men’s and women’s basketball conference tournaments are slowly starting to tip off and DII wrestling is in super regionals this weekend. Now that it is March, spring sports have also sprung. DII men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball tend to be rolling starts, so now we are in full bloom, and every team is taking the field.
There is a lot to watch the next few weekends, but you simply can’t watch every game or match. Here are just few that pit nationally ranked teams against each other this weekend.
What Wayne’s watching: Feb. 27-March 1
DII wrestling
Super region matches hit the mat this weekend. The first leg of the journey to the 2026 DII wrestling national championship begins this weekend. No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney will be in Golden, Colorado at the Super Region VI matchup, along with other nationally ranked teams No. 15 Adams State, No. 17 Chadron State, No. 21 Colorado Mesa and No. 24 Western Colorado. Findlay hosts Super Region III which is also loaded with nationally ranked talent, including No. 3 Grand Valley State, No. 8 Tiffin, No. 11 Glenville State, No. 16 Ashland and No. 20 West Liberty.
DII men’s lacrosse
Maryville (MO) at Tampa, Feb. 28. The defending national runners-up and No. 2 Spartans host No. 5 Maryville in this battle of men’s lacrosse superpowers. This is the biggest test for the Saints thus far, having jumped out to a 3-0 start by outscoring their opponents 56-12. Wyatt Robertson has scored at least five goals in every game this season, and has 16 on the season. Tampa is off to a 5-0 start and has had some challenging victories, with wins over nationally ranked Newberry, Flagler and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Spartans are 44-3 over the past two-plus seasons.
DII women’s lacrosse
Grand Valley State at Seton Hill, Feb. 27. The Lakers hit the road for their season opener this Friday. Pegged as the preseason favorite in the GLIAC, the Lakers are ranked No. 19, making this a top 25 showdown. Grand Valley State returns seven All-GLIAC players from last year, including goalkeeper of the year Sarah Krause and All-American Kylie Waeghe. No. 21 Seton Hill has gotten off to a bumpy start, dropping its opener 16-3 to nationally ranked East Stroudsburg before rebounding with a commanding 17-4 victory over Shepherd. Sydney Marusko is coming off a seven-goal game and looks to ignite the offense in this big matchup. Grand Valley State will then head to No. 7 Slippery Rock on Sunday, completing a top 25, Pennsylvania road trip.
West Chester at Adelphi, Feb. 28. This is a top 15 showdown in which both teams are desperate for a victory. Adelphi, which has finished as national runners-up in each of the last two seasons, is off to an 0-2 start, falling to nationally ranked Florida Tech and Lynn. West Chester, a quarterfinalist a year ago, lost to Slippery Rock in dramatic fashion, falling 13-12 to the team that bumped them from the tournament last year. Neither of these teams can afford another loss this early, so expect both to bring their best.
DII men’s basketball
Gannon at Indiana (PA), Feb. 28. Two nationally ranked powers going head to head in the final regular-season game before the PSAC tournament begins is certainly must-watch basketball. Gannon, No. 2 in the latest Power 10 rankings, won the first matchup in blowout style 92-65 on Jan. 17, so this is a must-win for the Crimson Hawks. Dallis Dillard is the Hawk to watch, coming into the weekend averaging more than 21 points per game, while shooting an impressive 40.6 percent from 3-point land and leading the team in rebounds (6.4 per game), assists (5.2 per game) and steals (2.6 per game). Gannon is fueled by an aggressive defense that leads DII in turnovers forced (24.1 per game) which sparks one of the best offenses in the division, scoring 96.8 points per game. There is plenty riding on this one.
Nova Southeastern at Florida Southern, Feb. 28. If you are , you are aware that Nova Southeastern looks unbeatable. While there are three teams that have the talent and scheme to give them a challenge, Florida Southern could be an interesting case. The Mocs need to win as many of their remaining games as possible to ensure a spot in the DII men’s basketball championship. What better way to send a message than taking down the No. 1 team in DII? Amare Miller (16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game) leads an offense that can put up points (90.1 per game to be precise), but can the defense slow down the Shark attack? The Sharks are leading DII by scoring more than 103 points per game, so it will be a tall order.
CIAA men’s tournament, Feb. 27-28. The semifinals and championship game of the legendary CIAA men’s basketball tournament will take place in Baltimore of Friday and Saturday. That means we will have the first automatic entry into the 2026 DII men’s basketball bracket. Virginia State awaits the winner of Claflin and Bluefield State, while Fayetteville State awaits the victor between Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith. Should Virginia Union advance, it will be a showdown between the No. 5 and No. 7-regionally ranked teams in the Atlantic Region, putting tournament lives on the line.
DII women’s basketball
Gannon at Indiana (PA), Feb 28. No, you aren’t seeing double. Both the men’s and women’s teams here dominate the PSAC, and this is a nationally ranked battle between two Power 10 teams. Gannon enters the game at 24-3, with one of those losses coming earlier in the season against IUP. That game was a gritty 68-63 win for the Crimson Hawks, who enter the game at 23-1. Gannon has one of the best scoring defenses in DII, allowing just 51.6 points per game, but IUP is tough as well, allowing a mere 56.5 points per game. The Crimson Hawks, led by Nyshae’ Weaver, have the seventh-best scoring offense in DII as well, averaging 80.2 points per game. The No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region is going to come down to these two PSAC powers, so this should be a postseason atmosphere at Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex.
NSIC tournament begins. The NSIC is typically one of the first conference tournaments in the books, and it began Wednesday night with four games. Saturday will see No. 3-ranked Minnesota State take on St. Cloud State while Concordia-St. Paul takes on MSU Moorhead. Sunday’s action will see UMary battle Southwest Minnesota State, while Minnesota Duluth takes on Winona State. The four winners advance to the semifinals on March 2 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Minnesota State is essentially locked into the DII women's basketball championship; however, only Concordia-St. Paul was in the most recent regional rankings. Minnesota Duluth and UMary were Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, so they are quite literally playing for the DII tournament lives.
CIAA semifinals and finals, Feb. 27-28. We will have our first automatic bid for the DII women’s basketball championship on Saturday, Feb. 28. Wait until Thursday morning to see potential semifinals matchups. Bowie State awaits the winner of Virginia Union and No. 5 regionally ranked Fayetteville State, while No. 3 Winston-Salem awaits the winner of Claflin and Virginia State on Thursday night. With only two regionally ranked teams in the quarterfinals, there is room for a surprise team to bust the bracket before selection Sunday.
DII baseball
North Greenville at Francis Marion, Feb. 28-March 1. Both of these Conference Carolinas teams entered the week nationally ranked with a record of 14-1. North Greenville is No. 2 in the latest DII baseball Power 10 rankings, so this is a massive showdown of baseball elites. Francis Marion has scored more runs than any other team in DII baseball with already over 200 plated. The Patriots are also hitting .378 as a team with a combined 1.129 OPS. Charlie Bussey III has been lights out, hitting .525 with a 1.451 OPS, 11 doubles, two home runs, 31 runs scored, 27 RBI and 12 stolen bases in just 15 games. North Greenville, which is always a hot-hitting team, also enters the weekend showdown with the best pitching in Conference Carolinas thus far, posting a league-best 3.90 ERA with a .243 batting average against and 148 strikeouts in 136 innings pitched. Bennett Roemer and Matty Brown have been arguably the best one-two punch in DII thus far, now a combined 6-0 on the season.
Catawba at Lenoir-Rhyne, Feb. 27-28. We have another monster showdown in the loaded Southeast Region. Catawaba is No. 5 in the latest Power 10 rankings and Lenoir-Rhyne is No. 6. Catawba's Colt Wilkins, Kemper Nix and Casey Gouge are in the top 7 in ERA in the SAC, with all three being in top 10 for WHIP. That trio will need to be at their best against a Bears' team averaging more than 10 runs per game and leading the SAC with a .340 batting average and 1.032 OPS.
Augustana (SD) at Colorado Mesa, Feb. 27-28. The Vikings hit the road in a huge matchup between two teams that just missed in the latest Power 10 rankings. Augustana is a perfect 8-0, but it has also yet to hit the road this season with all eight wins coming at Ronken Field. The Vikings pitching has been on thus far, pitching to a 2.53 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with a .179 batting average against and 98 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. It will be interesting to see how that rotation and bullpen fare in the thin air of Colorado and against a very tough Mavericks' lineup.
West Florida at Delta State, Feb. 27-28. A Gulf South showdown of nationally ranked teams heads to Cleveland, Mississippi. West Florida has been tested against the likes of Florida Southern and Rollins and head into the weekend 10-2. The Statesmen are also 10-2 with a big series win against Lee, but West Florida is their biggest test yet. West Florida's pitching has been strong and may give the Argos the edge in this key series.
Angelo State at St. Mary’s (TX), Feb. 27-March 1. The Rattlers are off to an impressive 12-2 start coming off a big 3-1 series win over Lubbock Christian. They have shown a lot of run-producing oomph thus far with an LSC best 18 home runs and 140 runs scored. Angelo State is 10-4 and could really use taking this series to keep up in the LSC. The Rams, too, score a lot of runs (139 so far), led by player-of-the-year candidate Austin Beck, who is hitting .491 with a 1.399 OPS, 10 doubles, three home runs, 15 stolen bases, 24 runs scored and 28 RBIs.
DII softball
Rolins vs Saint Leo (Feb. 27) and Saginaw Valley State, March 2. There isn't much in the nationally ranked matchups this weekend in DII softball, but Rollins will have its hands full. The Tars, who are 7-2 but still unranked, have to contend with No. 14 Saint Leo before hosting No. 14 Saginaw Valley State this weekend. A series split with both will certainly get some attention for Rollins.
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