Just two teams remain in the DII women’s basketball season, and by the numbers, it is the last two that should be. No. 1 Grand Valley State takes on No. 2 Indiana (PA) on Saturday, March 28. Grand Valley State looks to repeat as national champions, attempting to join Cal Poly Pomona and Lubbock Christian as the only two programs to do so this century.
👀 Bracket, scores and updates from the DII women’s basketball championship
Before the game tips off this weekend, let’s break down everything you need to know.
The DII women’s basketball championship game: How to watch
The 2026 DII Women’s Elite Eight is headed to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, PA, on March 24 and will conclude this Saturday, March 28. After a tournament full of upsets, the finals were pretty much chalk as No. 1 Grand Valley State and No. 2 Indiana (PA) are set to tip off at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch all the action on ESPN+.
Grand Valley State vs. Indiana (PA), by the numbers
| Team | Scoring offense | scoring defense | assists | rebounds | points off turnovers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GVSU | 79.9 | 51.9 | 16.7 | 43.7 | 24.8 |
| IUP | 77.5 | 58.3 | 15.6 | 39.4 | 20.4 |
Grand Valley State vs. Indiana (PA), previewed
The Lakers are back in the national championship game for the third time in program history and a second time in as many years. The Crimson Hawks are in uncharted territory, making program history by making it to their first-ever title game.
There is not much left to say about Grand Valley State that hasn’t been said already. The Lakers are 35-1 and have lost to just five DII teams in the past three seasons. Their lone loss last year was by two points, and their only loss this year was by one. They are quite literally two baskets away from back-to-back undefeated runs through DII.
If you watched the tournament, you realize why they are so dangerous. There is no “best player.” While Paige VanStee, MacKenzie Bisballe and Nicole Kamin have star power, this is a team that executes best when all the pieces are flowing. They are as good off the ball as they are with it, and the defense simply clamps down and ends any thought of victory for its opponents. Going back to the GLIAC tournament, the Lakers have played eight tournament games. They have won those games by 44, 28, 21, 33, 20, 10, 48 and 22 points, respectively. More than half of those wins came against nationally ranked teams. This isn’t a basketball team. It is a freight train, but very much in control and on target.
IUP also plays well as a unit, but this team has been led by Nyshae’ Weaver and Teresa Maggio of late. Maggio has been hot during the tournament, averaging 17.8 points per game on the Crimson Hawks’ run to the final. Weaver, a superstar all season long, put up one of her biggest performances of the year in arguably the biggest game in IUP history, going for 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win against Colorado Mesa. Ellie Wilkerson also provided a spark in defeating the Mavericks, throwing down 20 points, so there are other Crimson Hawks that can score, but the offense runs through Weaver and Maggio.
The Crimson Hawks’ road to the championship game was a 180 from what Grand Valley State did. Instead of blowing teams out, their composure under pressure was constantly put to the test, and thus far, they have passed every time. While they handled No. 8 Charleston (WV) by 26 points in the first round, they outlasted Seton Hill in a shootout by seven, won 65-64 in the final seconds to win the Atlantic Region over Winston-Salem State, went to overtime after trailing much of the second half against No. 7 Holy Family in the national semifinals, and held off Colorado Mesa 75-70. We know this team won’t back down — can they do what no other team has and stay within single digits of Grand Valley State?
DII women’s basketball championship: Predicted
The Lakers played maybe one of their worst halves of the entire season against Alabama Huntsville in the semifinals. One of the most efficient and high-scoring teams in DII shot just 25 percent from the floor while going 0-for-7 from 3-point land in the first half. Despite all that… they still won by 22. Indiana (PA) has too potent an offense, so Grand Valley State must come out sharper than in the semifinals, but the Lakers have shown they are resilient and learn from the past. It just seems like this is a team of destiny, and that destiny is to win back-to-back championships.
Prediction: Grand Valley State 72, Indiana (PA) 62
