[1] The tournament was hosted by the University of Central Missouri and played at the AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in North Kansas City, Missouri from April 7–10, 2021.

A total of 16 teams competed in the double elimination tournament, with six conference champions receiving automatic bids and ten teams receiving at-large bids.

The teams were revealed in a selection show on March 31, 2021.

Additionally, one independent team received an at-large bid to the tournament.

Due in part to the tournament's expansion to sixteen teams, seven programs made their NCAA Tournament debut; three automatic qualifiers and four at-large bids.