National Championships

April 17-19, 2026 • University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

The NIRSA National Basketball Championships will be held at University of Wisconsin-Madison on April 17-19, 2026.

Join us in Madison, Wisconsin for the 2026 NIRSA National Basketball Championships. University of Wisconsin-Madison is excited to host the top competition from across the nation, qualified student officials from different institutions, premier collegiate recreation professionals and special guests.

More details about the tournament including entry fee, registration and important dates are coming soon!

2024 Tournament Program

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Player Certification Form

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Entry Fee

Registration is open, for all divisions on Event Connect.

Teams who did not participate in a NIRSA Basketball Regional Tournament:

Early Bird Registration
$700 – on or before March 14, 2025

Regular Registration
$800 – after March 14, 2025

Teams that do participate in a NIRSA Basketball Regional Tournament can receive a coupon code for $100 off the current registration price. In order to receive a coupon code please contact NIRSA Coordinator of National Sport Programs Lauren Carlson.

Registration closes April 1st at midnight PST for all divisions.

There will be an 70-team cap, this includes all divisions. Regional Winners will be awarded a spot automatically unless they are unable to attend.

How to Register on Event Connect

All registrations will be processed through Event Connect (no longer using IMLeagues). Please follow these steps to get your team signed up to compete for a National Championship.

  1.  Click to go to Event Connect
  2. Select “Register,” in the blue box under the header on the right
  3. Click the check mark for the team you are signing up and hit ‘next’
  4. Pick team name
  5. You will be prompted to process your payment
  6. Once your team is registered and paid for in Event Connect, begin inviting each player via the ‘invite’ button
  7. Each player that has accepted the invite on Event Connect will be prompted to sign in or create an account and complete a form.
  8. Every player must have health insurance to participate, every player must complete each form in Event Connect and be on the player certification/enrollment form to play.

Important Documents

Once your team has registered on Event Connect, make sure to add each player to the roster.

Players, through Event Connect will be prompted to complete a form similar to past years: Roster/Waiver Form and a Code of Conduct. These forms are due prior to the tournament.

(note: ALL players must have medical health insurance coverage for the duration of our events)

As a team, submit a Player Certification/Enrollment form.

As a team, the player certification/enrollment form must be completed. All players on your team, the club sport director and the school’s registrar must sign this form. I strongly recommend you start this process ASAP. Most registrars require the student signature to release the record to us, so get the players signatures first.

Teams need to submit their Player Certification form electronically by April 4th to: [email protected] AND also bring the hard copy to team check in on Thursday, April 10th.

Volunteer Staff & Officials

Develop professional as a NIRSA Championship Series Volunteer or Student Official.

Important Dates

  • February 1: Registration Opens on Event Connect

  • March 15: Early Bird Pricing Ends

  • April 4: Scanned copy of Player Certification due to: [email protected] 

  • April 10: Mandatory Team check in on Thursday, April 10th from 5:00 – 7:00pm at Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

    • At least one member from the team must check your team in

  • April 11: All teams should be ready to begin play on Friday, April 11th at 11amCST

  • April 12: Play continues for all divisions

  • April 13: Timing for final games, noting awards ceremony to follow each division finals:

    • Championship Games
      • Women’s – 11:30AM
      • Unified – 1:00PM
      • Men’s – 2:30PM

    *Please Note – the tournament format, number of games, and game length may change due to a team not showing up or circumstances beyond our control. Final game schedules will be provided to each team the week of the event.

Important Tournament Information

  • Tournament Location: All tournament play will take place April 11-13, 2025, at the:

    • University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus
      • Bakke Recreation & Welcome Center, 1976 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706 
      • Nicholas Recreation Center, 797 W Dayton Street Madison, WI 53715 
      • Games will be played all located on the campus.

  • National Tournament Captain’s Meeting

    Collegiate teams (Men’s & Women’s) Teams will have two options for attending a captain’s meeting:

    Teams MSUT attend one captain’s meeting

  • Tournament Schedule: Will be released to teams at the time of team check in on Friday.

  • Player Eligibility Requirements: Can be found on our website: Player Eligibility Requirements

  • Lodging and Transportation: We encourage teams to book lodging through one of our host hotels that offer discounted rates. Hotel Link!

    Hotel reservations can be made until in the online block until March 31st, 2025, at 11:59pm (CST)

    Need to modify or cancel your existing reservation?

    • Please do not contact the hotel directly unless it is within 72 hours of your arrival.
    • To modify or cancel an existing reservation, please refer to the “Request for Change” link provided at the bottom of your confirmation email. If you need your confirmation resent, please email [email protected].

    If you have any questions about the hotel block, or need assistance booking 15 guest rooms or more, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

    Click HERE for more information about visiting Madison!

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    Several airports are accessible to participants and spectators including Dane County Regional Airport (Madison Wisconsin), Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and O’Hare International Airport (Chicago, Illinois).

  • Spectator Admissions: please inform family and friends coming to Madison that we will have an admission fee for all spectators ($10 per day or $25 for the weekend). Kids 12 and younger are free. Players will be required to show jersey, and coaches will be given passes during team check-in.

    Pre-Sale Weekend Passes will not be available this year

    Adult Weekend Pass – $25

    Senior Weekend Pass – $15

  • Rules of Play: Coming Soon!

JC2 Officials logo
ETA Officials Camp logo

Student Officials Development sponsored by JC2 Officials/ETA Officials Camp

Thank you to our sponsors

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NIRSA’s Exclusive Officiating Platform Provider for NIRSA’s Championship Series

Need more information?

Questions about the NIRSA Championship Series Basketball Championship can be directed to the NIRSA National Sport Programs Coordinator, Lauren Carlson, the Basketball work team chair, LeAnne Davis, or the Basketball work team vice chair Wyatt Lee.