Ten schools joined new conferences for the 2020–21 season, including four transitioning from Division II.

Three of the four new D-I members for this season use existing on-campus facilities: The other D-I newcomer, Bellarmine, announced a multi-year deal with the Kentucky State Fair Board on November 2, 2020 to play home games at Freedom Hall, located at the Kentucky Exposition Center near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

Each of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that played in 2020–21 ended its regular season with a single-elimination tournament.

For this list, an "upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.

Canisius suspended their season on February 4, 2021 The NCAA has never recognized a consensus All-America team in women's basketball.