In the final days before Selection Sunday, 31 of the 68 spots in the 2026 men\u2019s NCAA Tournament will be clinched by teams winning their conference\u2019s automatic bids.<\/p>\n
Championship week is a smorgasbord of nonstop basketball. We\u2019re tracking every conference tournament and will update as the week progresses with what you need to know about the teams going to the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n
Bids clinchedAtlantic Sun: Queens<\/p>\n
Record: 21-13, 13-5 ASUN
Last tournament appearance: Never
All-time tournament record: 0-0
What to know: History was guaranteed either way in the ASUN title game, in which Queens and Central Arkansas pushed each other to overtime for the right to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Camren Hunter poured in a school-record 46 points for Central Arkansas, but Queens regained control in OT. Queens \u2014 located in Charlotte, N.C., and a Division II school until 2022 \u2014 prevailed after a program-best regular-season record.<\/p>\n
Big South: High Point<\/p>\n
Record: 30-4, 15-1 Big South
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 0-1
What to know: After two decades wandering through mediocrity, High Point broke through last March, toppling Winthrop in the Big South tournament to punch its first NCAA Tournament ticket. A year later, the Panthers secured another trip to the Big Dance by downing the Eagles once again. High Point did it even after losing architect Alan Huss \u2014 whose two seasons at the helm produced the best record in program history \u2014 and eight of the team\u2019s top nine scorers. First-year coach Flynn Clayman reshaped his roster through the transfer portal and molded it into the Big South\u2019s top offensive and defensive team, powering the Panthers back into March Madness.<\/p>\n
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa<\/p>\n
Record: 22-12, 11-9 MVC
Last tournament appearance: 2016
All-time tournament record: 5-8
What to know: The Panthers were not supposed to be the MVC\u2019s auto-bid winner, but after top-seeded Belmont lost in the quarterfinals, they pounced on the opportunity. UNI knocked off third-seeded Illinois State and second-seeded Bradley (in double overtime) to reach the MVC championship game, then shot a sizzling 63 percent from the field to beat Illinois-Chicago 84-69 in a game UIC never led. Now coach Ben Jacobsen, in his 20th year at UNI, is headed to his fifth NCAA Tournament with a roster full of home-grown talent. The Panthers have five players from Iowa, including Trey Campbell, who led UNI with 23 points in the championship.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Lindsay Schnell<\/p>\n
Northeast: LIU<\/p>\n
Record: 23-10, 15-3 NEC Ohio Valley: Tennessee State<\/p>\n Record: 23-9, 15-5 OVC Next up<\/p>\n ASUN: Central Arkansas (22-11) vs. Queens (20-13) (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)<\/p>\n Summit: North Dakota (26-7) vs. North Dakota State (24-8) (Sunday, 9 p.m. ET, CBSSN)<\/p>\n Full conference championship schedule<\/p>\n (Alphabetical order; all times ET)<\/p>\n America East:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n American:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n Atlantic 10:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (CBS)<\/p>\n ACC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n ASUN: Queens 98, Central Arkansas 93 OT<\/p>\n Big 12:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n Big East:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 6:30 p.m. (Fox)<\/p>\n Big Sky:\u00a0Wednesday, March 11, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n Big South: High Point 91, Winthrop 76<\/p>\n Big Ten:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)<\/p>\n Big West:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, TBA<\/p>\n CAA:\u00a0Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)<\/p>\n Conference USA:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)<\/p>\n Horizon:\u00a0Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n Ivy:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, noon (ESPN2)<\/p>\n MAAC:\u00a0Tuesday, March 10, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n MAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n MEAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n Missouri Valley:\u00a0Northern Iowa 84, UIC 69<\/p>\n Mountain West:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. (CBS)<\/p>\n Northeast:\u00a0Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n Because Mercyhurst is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament amid its transition to Division I, LIU has already clinched the NEC\u2019s automatic bid.<\/p>\n Ohio Valley:\u00a0Tennessee State 93, Morehead State 67<\/p>\n Patriot:\u00a0Wednesday, March 11, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)<\/p>\n SEC:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n SoCon:\u00a0Monday, March 9, 7 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n Southland:\u00a0Wednesday, March 11, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n SWAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n Summit:\u00a0Sunday, March 8, 9 p.m. (CBSSN)<\/p>\n Sun Belt:\u00a0Monday, March 9, 6 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n West Coast:\u00a0Tuesday, March 10, 9 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n WAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, midnight (ESPN2)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the final days before Selection Sunday, 31 of the 68 spots in the 2026 men\u2019s NCAA 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Last tournament appearance: 2018
All-time tournament record: 0-7
What to know:\u00a0Long Island University, led by longtime NBA guard and native New Yorker Rod Strickland, is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 after defeating Wagner 64-56 in the NEC semifinals<\/a>. LIU earned the bid before playing in the final because Mercyhurst, which is ineligible for the postseason in its second season<\/a> as a Division I program, won the other semifinal. Strickland, who played 17 seasons in the NBA, is in his fourth season and has improved LIU\u2019s record every year since a 3-26 debut in 2022-23. LIU is projected to be a No. 16 seed. The Sharks (fins up!) have the NEC defensive player of the year in guard Greg Gordon and leading scorer Jamal Fuller, from Toronto, played in the NCAA Division II tournament when he was at Academy of Art in San Francisco. \u2014\u00a0Ralph D. Russo<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 1994
All-time tournament record: 0-2
What to know: Yes, it\u2019s been 32 years since this Nashville, Tenn.-based HBCU reached the sport\u2019s biggest stage. And it took just one season of Nolan Smith\u2019s coaching to get there. The former Duke star, NBA first-round pick and Memphis and Louisville assistant coach wasn\u2019t able to do much with the TSU roster after replacing Brian \u201cPenny\u201d Collins. But he has elicited star-level play out of returning seniors Aaron Nkrumah \u2014 the OVC Player of the Year \u2014 and Travis Harper II. He has the Tigers pressuring on defense and playing with pace, ranking in the top 21 nationally in steal percentage and opponent turnover percentage. It\u2019s one of the best coaching jobs in the nation. \u2014\u00a0Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n