March Madness automatic bids 2026: What basketball teams won conference tournaments?
March Madness automatic bids 2026: What basketball teams won conference tournaments?
Craig Meyer, USA TODAY NETWORKSun, March 15, 2026 at 10:03 AM UTC
0
March Madness automatic bids 2026: What basketball teams won conference tournaments?
For weeks, the teams that make up the 68-team Men’s NCAA Tournament bracket have been a source of constant speculation, prompting heated discussions revolving around NET rankings, Quad One games and Wins Above Bubble.
For nearly half of the field, though, there isn’t a debate about whether they should be included.
March Madness bubble winners, losers: 1 bid stealer lives, another fades away
The NCAA tournament rewards automatic bids to the champions of each of the 31 Division I conference tournaments. It’s a setup from which much of March’s madness comes, with small schools from the smallest conferences earning a chance to try to stun national powerhouses on the biggest, brightest stage their sport has to offer.
In the two weeks leading up to Selection Sunday, schools from across the country compete in conference tournaments, with a spot in the Big Dance on the line. For many of those leagues, it’s the only and only bid that’s available.
Advertisement
With the start of the tournament approaching, who has locked up those coveted spots? Here’s a look at who has earned automatic berths to the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament:
Think you can beat our expert? Join USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge today!
Ready to win March Madness? Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool today!
March Madness automatic bids 2026
Here’s a rundown of the team that have won their conference tournaments and earned bids to the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
America East: UMBC
ASUN: Queens
ACC: Duke
Big 12: Arizona
Big East: St. John's
Big Sky: Idaho
Big South: High Point
Big West: Hawaii
CAA: Hofstra
Conference USA: Kennesaw State
Horizon: Wright State
MAAC: Siena
MAC: Akron
MEAC: Howard
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: LIU
Ohio Valley: Tennessee State
Patriot: Lehigh
Southern: Furman
Southland: McNeese
SWAC: Prairie View A&M
Summit: North Dakota State
Sun Belt: Troy
WAC: California Baptist
WCC: Gonzaga
Here are the conferences whose championship games will play out on Sunday, March 15:
American: Wichita State vs. South Florida
Atlantic 10: Dayton vs. VCU
Big Ten: Michigan vs. Purdue
Ivy League: Yale vs. Penn
SEC: Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness automatic bids 2026: Full list of conference tournament champions
Source: “AOL Sports”
