The 2023-2024 NCAA Division II and Division III basketball seasons have reached crunch time for teams in danger of missing the postseason tournaments. The American Southwest and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conferences are entering the final two weeks of the regular season. In comparison, the Lone Star Conference has three weeks remaining before teams are set to travel to the Comerica Center.

Looking at the number of games a team is behind at this point can be deceptive, with some teams having played more contests than others. Instead, we will look at magic numbers to determine the combination of wins and losses needed to secure a bid.

ASC Women

Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons are favorites to secure the top two seeds and a bye to the semifinals. East Texas Baptist needs a win or a loss by either Ozarks or Concordia to secure a spot in the postseason. Fortunately for the Tigers, the Eagles and Tornados meet on Thursday. In other words, ETBU will clinch a place in the ASC tournament on Thursday.

SCAC Women

The tournament field is nearly set. Dallas needs a win or St. Thomas loss. Schreiner and Austin College need two victories or two defeats by the Celts or a combination of the two to join Trinity, Colorado College, and Texas Lutheran Dallas in the tournament. Trinity can lock down the top seed with a win over Colorado College on Sunday. Due to sweeping their season series with Colorado College, TLU has an excellent chance of earning the second seed and a bye to the semifinals.

LSC Women

Talk about a crowded field of candidates to make the postseason. The LSC has three teams, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Cameron, and Midwestern State, tied for the eighth and final spot in Frisco. Two more teams, St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s, are one-half game behind with eight games remaining. We’ll keep visiting this race until the field is set for the Comerica Center.

ASC Men

The most interesting race for the ASC men is the battle for the top two seeds and a bye to the semifinals of the conference tournament. The top six teams are currently alive for one of the top seeds. That should change next week, with HSU set to meet crosstown rival McMurry in two games this week while UMHB and Concordia are on the road to Ozarks and UT Dallas.

SCAC Men

One of the most exciting races to secure a spot in the postseason is in the SCAC, where Austin College, Colorado College, and Dallas will battle to decide the final two teams in the tournament. Dallas and Austin College play on Saturday in Sherman, and Colorado College will finish the season at home against the ‘Roos and Crusaders in the final weekend of the regular season. 

LSC Men

The battle to make the LSC tournament still involves the entire conference, for now. The Buffs are the No. 1 team in the country, and one win or a loss by Oklahoma Christian or Texas A&M International from booking their spot in Frisco. The Falcons begin a crucial four-game home stretch against WT, LCU, MSU, and Cameron over the next two weekends that will determine UTPB’s chances of playing in the Comerica Center.