2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: Automatic Bids Secured and Remaining Schedule

The 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is approaching, with the First Four scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 17. Teams are actively competing for 31 automatic bids to the 68-team tournament, which are awarded to conference tournament champions.

The full tournament bracket, including at-large selections, will be revealed on Selection Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.

Automatic Bids Secured

As of early March, seventeen teams have secured their places in the NCAA Tournament by winning their respective conference championships. These teams, listed by conference, include:

• America East Conference (America East): UMBC

  • Record: 24-8, 14-2 America East
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2018
  • UMBC defeated Vermont 74-59, ending an eight-year absence from the tournament. The team enters with a 12-game winning streak under coach Jim Ferry. They are projected as a No. 16 seed.

• Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN): Queens

  • Record: 21-13, 13-5 ASUN
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: Never
  • Queens will make its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after defeating Central Arkansas 98-93 in overtime in the ASUN title game. The team transitioned from Division II in 2022 and achieved a program-best regular-season record.

• Big South Conference: High Point

  • Record: 30-4, 15-1 Big South
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025
  • High Point secured its second consecutive NCAA Tournament trip by defeating Winthrop 91-76. First-year coach Flynn Clayman rebuilt the roster via the transfer portal. The team was the Big South's top offensive and defensive unit.

• Big Sky Conference: Idaho

  • Record: 21-14, 9-9 Big Sky
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1990
  • Idaho won its first Big Sky title and first NCAA Tournament bid since 1990 with a 77-66 victory over Montana. Coach Alex Pribble has guided the program to 21 wins.

• Coastal Athletic Association (CAA): Hofstra

  • Record: 24-10, 12-6 CAA
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2001
  • Hofstra ended a 25-year NCAA Tournament drought. The Pride are projected as a 13 seed. Coach Speedy Claxton is in his fifth season. The team's 2020 CAA tournament win did not result in a tournament appearance due to COVID-19.

• Horizon League: Wright State

  • Record: 23-11, 15-5 Horizon
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2022
  • Wright State won the Horizon League championship 66-63 against Detroit Mercy, overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit. Freshman of the Year Kellen Pickett contributed a key block. First-year head coach Clint Sargent leads a team with numerous underclassmen.

• Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC): Siena

  • Record: 23-11, 13-7 MAAC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2010
  • Siena is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 under head coach Gerry McNamara. The Saints won the MAAC title game by holding Merrimack to 54 points, with center Riley Mulvey recording five blocked shots.

• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC): Howard

  • Record: 23-10, 11-3 MEAC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2024
  • The Bison qualified for their third NCAA Tournament in four seasons under head coach Kenny Blakeney. Howard won the MEAC regular-season title and defeated North Carolina Central in the championship game. Key players include MEAC Player of the Year Bryce Harris and Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Taylor III.

• Missouri Valley Conference (MVC): Northern Iowa

  • Record: 23-12, 11-9 MVC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2016
  • Northern Iowa secured the MVC auto-bid, defeating UIC 84-69 in the championship game while shooting 63% from the field. Coach Ben Jacobsen is making his fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.

• Northeast Conference (NEC): LIU (Long Island University)

  • Record: 23-10, 15-3 NEC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2018
  • LIU secured its bid before playing in the final against Mercyhurst, as Mercyhurst is ineligible for postseason play due to Division I transition rules. Coached by former NBA guard Rod Strickland, LIU is projected as a No. 16 seed and is led by defensive player of the year Greg Gordon and leading scorer Jamal Fuller.

• Ohio Valley Conference (OVC): Tennessee State

  • Record: 23-9, 15-5 OVC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1994
  • Tennessee State reached the tournament for the first time in 32 years, defeating Morehead State 93-67. This occurred in Nolan Smith's first season as coach. The team features OVC Player of the Year Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper II.

• Patriot League: Lehigh

  • Record: 18-16, 11-7 Patriot
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2012
  • Lehigh earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2012. The Mountain Hawks, a 2-seed, defeated 4-seed Boston University in the final under head coach Brett Reed.

• Southland Conference: McNeese

  • Record: 28-5, 19-3 Southland
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025
  • McNeese qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, defeating regular-season champions Stephen F. Austin. Senior guard Javohn Garcia scored 31 points in the title game. First-year coach Bill Armstrong has guided the team to a 10-game winning streak.

• Southern Conference (SoCon): Furman

  • Record: 22-12, 10-8 SoCon
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2023
  • Furman secured an NCAA Tournament spot as a 6-seed in the SoCon tournament, defeating 1-seed East Tennessee State and 3-seed Samford. This marks their second March Madness appearance under coach Bob Richey.

• Sun Belt Conference: Troy

  • Record: 22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025
  • The top-seeded Trojans are going to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season under coach Scott Cross, defeating 10-seed Georgia Southern. The team is led by third-year players Thomas Dowd and Victor Valdes.

• Summit League: North Dakota State

  • Record: 27-7, 14-2 Summit
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2019
  • North Dakota State secured the Summit League bid by beating rival North Dakota 70-62, setting a school record with 27 wins. The Bison feature a balanced scoring attack and are currently projected as a 14 seed.

• West Coast Conference (WCC): Gonzaga

  • Record: 30-3, 16-2 WCC
  • Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025
  • Gonzaga secured its 27th NCAA Tournament qualification under coach Mark Few, winning the WCC tournament championship 79-68 against Santa Clara. The team features WCC Player of the Year Graham Ike.

Remaining Conference Championship Schedule

Several high-major and one-bid conferences are scheduled to conclude their tournaments, awarding additional automatic bids.

Saturday, March 14 (All times ET)

• America East Conference: 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC): 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
• Big 12 Conference: 6 p.m. (ESPN)
• Mountain West Conference (MWC): No. 1 Utah State vs No. 2 San Diego State, 6 p.m. (CBS)
• Big East Conference: 6:30 p.m. (FOX)
• Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC): 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
• Mid-American Conference (MAC): Akron vs. Toledo, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
• Conference USA (C-USA): 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC): 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Big West Conference: 10 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, March 15 (All times ET)

• Western Athletic Conference (WAC): 12 a.m. (ESPN2)
• Ivy League: 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
• Atlantic 10 Conference (A10): 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Southeastern Conference (SEC): 1 p.m. (ESPN)
• American Athletic Conference (AAC): 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)
• Big Ten Conference: 3:30 p.m. (CBS)