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 clinched<\/p>\n
(Most recent winners first)<\/p>\n
MEAC: Howard<\/p>\n
Record: 23-10, 11-3 MEAC
Last tournament appearance: 2024
All-time tournament record: 0-4
What to know: The Bison are dancing for the third time in four seasons under head coach Kenny Blakeney, who has the program humming in his seventh season. Howard won the MEAC regular-season title this year as well, its second under Blakeney, earning the top seed and an automatic bye to the semifinals in the conference tournament. The team, which held off North Carolina Central in the MEAC championship, is led by fifth-year senior and MEAC player of the year Bryce Harris and defensive player of the year Cedric Taylor III.<\/p>\n
America East: UMBC<\/p>\n
Record:\u00a024-8, 14-2 America East Big Sky: Idaho<\/p>\n Record: 21-14, 9-9 Big Sky Patriot: Lehigh<\/p>\n Record: 18-16, 11-7 Patriot Southland: McNeese<\/p>\n Record: 28-5, 19-3 Southland Legends are made in March\u203c\ufe0f#GeauxPokes<\/a> | #BayouBandits<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/6oyos3Edvv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 McNeese Men\u2019s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) March 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n WCC: Gonzaga<\/p>\n Record: 30-3, 16-2 WCC MAAC: Siena<\/p>\n Record: 23-11, 13-7 MAAC Horizon: Wright State<\/p>\n Record: 23-11, 15-5 Horizon CAA: Hofstra<\/p>\n Record: 24-10, 12-6 CAA Southern: Furman<\/p>\n Record: 22-12, 10-8 SoCon \u201cDID WE JUST SEE WHAT WE THINK WE JUST SAW?!\u201d <\/p>\n Kevin Harlan nearly FELL OUT OF HIS CHAIR. Dan Bonner and @realStanVG<\/a> were STUNNED. <\/p>\n The crew\u2019s reaction to Furman\u2019s dramatic win over Virginia was incredible. pic.twitter.com\/Jym88PALq8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n Sun Belt: Troy<\/p>\n Record: 22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt Summit: North Dakota State<\/p>\n Record: 27-7, 14-2 Summit Atlantic Sun: Queens<\/p>\n Record: 21-13, 13-5 ASUN Big South: High Point<\/p>\n Record: 30-4, 15-1 Big South Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa<\/p>\n Record: 23-12, 11-9 MVC Ohio Valley: Tennessee State<\/p>\n Record: 23-9, 15-5 OVC Northeast: LIU<\/p>\n Record: 23-10, 15-3 NEC Next up<\/p>\n (All times ET)<\/p>\n Big 12:\u00a0Houston vs. Arizona (Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN)<\/p>\n Mountain West:\u00a0San Diego State vs. Utah State (Saturday, 6 p.m., CBS)<\/p>\n Big East: UConn vs. St. John\u2019s (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Fox)<\/p>\n SWAC:\u00a0Prairie View A&M vs. Southern (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU)<\/p>\n MAC: Toledo vs. Akron (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN2)<\/p>\n ACC: Virginia vs. Duke (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)<\/p>\n Conference USA: Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., CBSSN)<\/p>\n Big West: Hawaii vs. UC Irvine (Saturday, 10 p.m., ESPN2)<\/p>\n WAC:\u00a0Cal Baptist vs. Utah Valley (Sunday, midnight, ESPN2)<\/p>\n Full conference championship schedule<\/p>\n (Alphabetical order; all times ET)<\/p>\n America East:\u00a0UMBC 74, Vermont 59<\/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:\u00a0Idaho 77, Montana 66<\/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: Hofstra 75, Monmouth 69<\/p>\n Conference USA:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)<\/p>\n Horizon: Wright State 66, Detroit Mercy 63<\/p>\n Ivy:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, noon (ESPN2)<\/p>\n MAAC:\u00a0Siena 64, Merrimack 54<\/p>\n MAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n MEAC:\u00a0Howard 70, North Carolina Central 63<\/p>\n Missouri Valley:\u00a0Northern Iowa 84, UIC 69<\/p>\n Mountain West:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. (CBS)<\/p>\n Northeast: LIU 79, Mercyhurst 70<\/p>\n Ohio Valley:\u00a0Tennessee State 93, Morehead State 67<\/p>\n Patriot:\u00a0Lehigh 74, Boston University 60<\/p>\n SEC:\u00a0Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN)<\/p>\n SoCon:\u00a0Furman 76, East Tennessee State 61<\/p>\n Southland:\u00a0McNeese 76, Stephen F. Austin 59<\/p>\n SWAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)<\/p>\n Summit:\u00a0North Dakota State 70, North Dakota 62<\/p>\n Sun Belt:\u00a0Troy 77, Georgia Southern 61<\/p>\n West Coast:\u00a0Gonzaga 79, Santa Clara 68<\/p>\n WAC:\u00a0Saturday, March 14, midnight (ESPN2)<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance:\u00a02018
All-time tournament record:\u00a01-2
What to know:\u00a0The Retrievers are back! Eight years ago, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a 1-seed when it stunned Virginia. This year\u2019s team defeated conference standard-bearer Vermont 74-59 on Saturday and enters the NCAA Tournament on a program-record 12-game winning streak. The Retrievers are coached by Jim Ferry (the coach in 2018, Ryan Odom, is now at Virginia) and completed quite a turnaround after going 13-19 a season ago. UMBC only played one power-conference opponent this year, losing 90-81 to Georgetown, and projects as a No. 16 seed once again<\/a>. At least that will feel familiar.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 1990
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: After two regular-season battles were settled in the final seconds by two possessions apiece, Idaho wanted no part of that thrill against Montana in the dying embers of its first conference championship berth since 2014. In its 77-66 victory, the Vandals stamped their first Big Sky title and correspondingly their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since the turn of the century \u2014 both achievements that came before any player on the roster was born and when coach Alex Pribble, who has piloted the program from 11 to 14 to 21 wins, was just five years old.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2012
All-time tournament record: 1-5
What to know: For the first time since CJ McCollum and the 15-seed Mountain Hawks upset 2-seed Duke back in 2012, Lehigh has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Brett Reed was on the sideline for that one as well, currently in his 19th season and making his third trip to March Madness. The 2-seed Hawks beat 4-seed Boston University squad in the title game after Boston upset Navy in the semifinals, despite the Midshipmen running away with the regular season title at 17-1 in league play. Lehigh survived its own scare in the quarterfinals, defeating Holy Cross on a half-court buzzer-beater by leading scorer Nasir Whitlock.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: The Cowboys are going dancing for a third straight season. McNeese knocked off regular-season champs Stephen F. Austin with a dominant win in the Southland title game, paced by senior guard Javohn Garcia with a career-high 31 points. After back-to-back trips under Will Wade, including a first-round upset of Clemson last year, first-year coach Bill Armstrong has McNeese there again, riding a 10-game winning streak that featured a triple-overtime win over UT Rio Grande Valley in the Southland semifinals. Led by conference freshman of the year Larry Johnson, McNeese\u2019s return to the Tournament also means the return of manager and March Madness legend Amir \u201cAura\u201d Khan.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 47-27
What to know: Believe it or not, the Zags are flying under the radar a bit this year, the 27th time they\u2019ve qualified for the NCAA Tournament under Mark Few, after a 79-68 win over Santa Clara in the WCC tournament championship. Gonzaga has been banged up all season, and big man Braden Huff is still nursing a left knee injury. If the Zags are going to make their 14th Sweet 16 since 2000, they\u2019ll need WCC player of the year Graham Ike to have a huge month and get help from freshmen guards Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Sup\u00e9ry, who have shown flashes of brilliance but struggle with consistency, especially as scorers. The Zags have long been known as one of the best offensive programs in the country but if they win in the NCAA Tournament this year, it\u2019ll be because of their defense.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2010
All-time tournament record: 4-6
What to know: Welcome back to the NCAA Tournament, Saints! And the same greeting to Gerry McNamara, a Syracuse legend from the Orange\u2019s 2003 title team who is now Siena\u2019s head coach. Siena looked ready to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2020 before COVID-19 canceled the MAAC Tournament before the semifinals. The Saints did it with their defense, as they held Merrimack to just 54 points in the title game, in part due to center Riley Mulvey\u2019s five blocked shots. After losing senior forward Antonio Chandler to an eligibility ruling in late February, the Saints are essentially a five-man team: the starters played 194 of a possible 200 minutes on Tuesday night. That lineup still has plenty of size and talent, though, and it is led by point guard Justice Shoats (13.3 points per game, 4.4 assists per game) and physical wing Gavin Doty (17.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game).<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2022
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: As a bevy of other No. 1 seeds fall in conference tournaments all over the country, Wright State survived the Horizon\u2019s tricky format and prevailed over a feisty Detroit Mercy squad, 66-63, in Tuesday\u2019s championship game. A key block from Horizon Freshman of the Year Kellen Pickett clinched the victory, helping the Raiders erase a 12-point second-half deficit. Head coach Clint Sargent has been at Wright State as an assistant since 2016, and he took over the head job for Scott Nagy when Nagy left for Southern Illinois in 2024. The Raiders have the best offense in the league, with six players averaging at least 8.3 points per game. They are led by another freshman, Michael Cooper, and six of their top seven scorers are freshmen or sophomores.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2001
All-time tournament record: 0-4
What to know: The Pride\u2019s NCAA Tournament drought was scheduled to end six years ago, the last time Hofstra won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, but COVID-19 canceled that postseason. As such, it\u2019s been a long 25 years since Hofstra went dancing, and now the Pride could make the most of their appearance \u2014 given that they\u2019re projected as a 13 seed, and 13-over-4 has become a more common upset the past few years. Hofstra is led by 47-year-old coach Speedy Claxton, now in his fifth season at his alma mater. He is widely considered the best player in program history and was on the roster when the Pride went to the 2000 NCAA Tournament under then-coach Jay Wright.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2023
All-time tournament record: 2-8
What to know: The Paladins are going dancing after winning as a 6-seed in the SoCon tournament, knocking off 1-seed East Tennessee State and 3-seed Samford on their way to a second March Madness appearance under coach Bob Richey. The last time Furman made the tournament, it upset 4-seed Virginia as a 13-seed on a game-winning 3-pointer that famously snatched the soul right out of broadcast commentator Stan Van Gundy.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 0-3
What to know: The regular-season champs and top-seeded Trojans are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season under coach Scott Cross, and just the fourth time since the program moved to Division I in 1993-94. With an automatic bye to the semifinals in the Sun Belt\u2019s stepladder bracket<\/a>, Troy finally slowed down a 10-seed Georgia Southern team that won five games in five days to reach the championship. The Trojans are led by third-year players Thomas Dowd and Victor Valdes. It\u2019s a family affair at Troy: Cross\u2019s son, Austin, is a redshirt freshman off the bench, while starters Cooper and Cobi Campbell are brothers, and their dad, Scott Campbell, is an assistant coach. The Trojans lost to Kentucky in the first round of last year\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n
Last tournament appearance: 2019
All-time tournament record: 2-4
What to know: Nothing like an in-state battle for the right to go dancing. North Dakota State beat rival North Dakota for the third time this season to clinch the Summit league bid, setting a school record for wins (27) in the process. The Bison will have one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the field, with six players who average 9.2 points or more. They are currently projected as a 14 seed, and 14-over-3 upsets only happen roughly 14 percent of the time, but if they surprise someone this month, could 12th-year coach David Richman, who earned his second Summit League coach of the year award this season, be up for a bigger job?<\/p>\n
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
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
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.<\/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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n