Indianapolis, IN --- WPI will head to Fredericksburg, Virginia for the opening two rounds of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament this Friday and Saturday, hosted by Mary Washington, as the 64-team bracket was unveiled Monday afternoon.
The Crimson and Gray will face regional foe Amherst in the opener of Friday's doubleheader at 5pm, followed by city rival Worcester State taking on the host Eagles at 7pm. Friday's winners will meet Saturday at 7:30pm, with the victor advancing to a single third-round contest the following weekend..
WPI (21-5), the 2025-26 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Regular Season Champion and ranked No. 30 in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball NPI, earned an at-large bid after being upset by Wheaton in Friday's NEWMAC semifinal.
The appearance marks the Engineers' 14th NCAA Tournament berth in the last 22 seasons under 25-year head coach
Chris Bartley and the 16th in program history (also 1982 and 1985). WPI is 12-16 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, including a 5-2 mark over its last two appearances — advancing to the Elite Eight in 2022 and the Sweet 16 in 2025.
Amherst (18-7) is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 but is no stranger to postseason success. The Mammoths have reached seven Final Fours and captured national championships in 2007 and 2013. Amherst defeated WPI in a second-round matchup in Worcester in 2011, while the Engineers earned wins over the Mammoths in regular-season tournament meetings in November of 2023 and and December of 2024.
Mary Washington (24-3) traveled to California last week and captured the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship in Santa Cruz with a decisive 88-58 victory over 10th-ranked Christopher Newport. The Eagles won two games in last year's NCAA Tournament and competed in the same sectional as WPI at Wesleyan, ultimately falling to Emory (GA) in the Sweet 16.
Worcester State (15-12) navigated one of Division III's most challenging non-conference schedules in 2025-26 and rebounded from a 2-9 start to reach Sunday's MASCAC Tournament championship game, where the Lancers defeated Westfield State 77-74 to claim their third conference crown in four years. WPI topped Worcester State 81-73 in an early-season non-league matchup.
Bracket
