The Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team was awarded an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Div. II Tournament.

The Bearcats (27-4 overall) earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Region. Minnesota State University gained the top seed in the region and will serve as the tournament host with games being played at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. Northwest will draw No. 7 seed Southwest Minnesota State in the first round on Saturday, March 16.

Tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday and can be purchased at the following link. https://msumavericktickets.universitytickets.com/

Central Region Matchups
Saturday, March 16
No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth (25-6) vs. No. 6 Fort Hays State (23-7), 12 p.m.
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State (27-4) vs. No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State (19-12), 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Minnesota State (29-2) vs. No. 8 Arkansas Tech (25-6), 5 p.m.
No. 4 MSU Moorhead (24-5) vs. No. 5 Pittsburg State (21-10), 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 17
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m.
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 19
Central Region Championship, 7 p.m.

The Bearcats earned program's 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Northwest is 41-21 all-time in NCAA tourney play.

It is Northwest's 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth under head coach Ben McCollum, who has guided the Bearcats to 12 previous NCAA appearances. Northwest has won four NCAA Div. II national championships under McCollum with titles in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022. McCollum has produced a record of 30-6 in the NCAA Tournament.

Fans will have three viewing options: $9.95 per contest, $29.95 for all Division II Men's Basketball Championship games excluding the semifinals and championship game, and $49.95 for all Division II Women's and Men's Basketball Championship games, excluding the semifinals and championship games. The semifinals of the Division II Men's Basketball Championship will be carried on CBS Sports Network while the final will be carried on CBS.