Four more automatic bids to the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be awarded Tuesday in the CAA, Horizon League, WCC, and the MAAC, as those conference championship game winners will join the six teams that have already clinched a spot in the Big Dance.
The Northeast Conference title game between Mercyhurst and Long Island University will also take place on Tuesday. However, the league’s automatic bid has already been decided because Mercyhurst is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to being in the transition period. That means even if LIU loses as the No. 1 seed in the title game, it will still advance to the tournament.
The top conference championship game to watch will be in the WCC between Gonzaga and Santa Clara. Gonzaga is in the midst of its final season as a member of the conference before departing for the Pac-12 this summer. Since 2000, Gonzaga has won 20 WCC titles.
Notably, Santa Clara entered this week on the bubble. After pulling off an upset win over Saint Mary’s on Monday night, the Broncos are in prime position to secure their NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 by receiving the WCC’s automatic bid, or as a potential at-large team, which would make the WCC a three-bid league.
In the CAA, Monmouth will face Hofstra for the conference title. Wright State plays Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League championship game, while Siena and Merrimack will battle for the MAAC’s automatic bid later in the day.
The ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten tournaments start on Tuesday, while the Big East and SEC begin play later this week.
Troy is going dancing
No. 1 seed Troy defeated Georgia Southern 77-61 in the Sun Belt Tournament title game to clinch its spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and fourth time in program history.Georgia Southern, the No. 10 seed in the Sun Belt, was on one of the most unlikely conference tournament runs after winning five games in five days in the Sun Belt’s “ladder-format.”
Furman upsets East Tennessee State to clinch autobid
In the SoCon Tournament title game, No. 6 seed Furman upset No. 1 seed East Tennessee State 76-61. Furman last made the NCAA Tournament in 2023, when it pulled off a dramatic upset win over Virginia on a last-second shot. This year will mark the program’s eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Tuesday’s conference tournament schedule, scores
| ACC |
Charlotte, N.C. |
First round |
Scoreboard |
| America East |
Higher seed hosts |
Semifinals |
Scoreboard |
| Big 12 |
Kansas City, Mo. |
First round |
Scoreboard |
| Big Sky |
Boise, Idaho |
Semifinals |
Scoreboard |
| Big Ten |
Chicago |
First round |
Scoreboard |
| CAA |
Washington, D.C. |
Championship |
Scoreboard |
| Conference USA |
Huntsville, Ala. |
First round |
Scoreboard |
| Horizon League |
Indianapolis |
Championship |
Scoreboard |
| MAAC |
Atlantic City, N.J. |
Championship |
Scoreboard |
| Northeast |
Higher seed hosts |
Final |
Scoreboard |
| Southland |
Lake Charles, La. |
Semifinals |
Scoreboard |
| SWAC |
Atlanta |
Second round |
Scoreboard |
| West Coast |
Las Vegas |
Championship |
Scoreboard |
2025-26 conference tournament champions
| CONFERENCE |
DATES |
LOCATION |
CHAMPIONSHIP (TV) / CHAMPION |
| America East |
March 7, 10, 14 |
Higher seed hosts |
Saturday, 11 a.m. ESPN2 |
| American |
March 11-15 |
Birmingham, Ala. |
Sunday, 3:15 p.m. ESPN |
| Atlantic 10 |
March 11-15 |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
Sunday, 1 p.m. CBS |
| ACC |
March 10-14 |
Charlotte, N.C. |
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ESPN |
| ASUN |
March 4,6-8 |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Queens Royals (21-13) |
| Big 12 |
March 10-14 |
Kansas City, Mo. |
Saturday, 6 p.m. ESPN |
| Big East |
March 11-14 |
New York City |
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Fox |
| Big Sky |
March 7-11 |
Boise, Idaho |
Wednesday, 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 |
| Big South |
March 4, 6-8 |
Johnson City, Tenn. |
High Point Panthers (30-4) |
| Big Ten |
March 10-15 |
Chicago |
Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CBS |
| Big West |
March 11-14 |
Henderson, Nev. |
Saturday, 10 p.m. ESPN2 |
| CAA |
March 6-10 |
Washington, D.C. |
Tuesday, 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network |
| Conference USA |
March 10-14 |
Huntsville, Ala. |
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network |
| Horizon League |
March 2,4,8-10 |
Indianapolis |
Tuesday, 7 p.m. ESPN |
| Ivy League |
March 14-15 |
Ithaca, N.Y. |
Sunday, 12 p.m. ESPN2 |
| MAAC |
March 5-10 |
Atlantic City, N.J. |
Tuesday, 9 p.m. ESPN2 |
| MAC |
March 12-14 |
Cleveland |
Saturday, 8 p.m. ESPN2 |
| MEAC |
March 11-14 |
Norfolk, Va. |
Saturday, 1 p.m. ESPN2 |
| Missouri Valley |
March 5-8 |
St. Louis |
Northern Iowa Panthers (23-12) |
| Mountain West |
March 11-14 |
Las Vegas |
Saturday, 6 p.m. CBS |
| Northeast |
March 4,7,10 |
Higher seed hosts |
Tuesday, 7 p.m. ESPN2
Long Island Sharks (23-10) awarded AQ |
| Ohio Valley |
March 4-7 |
Evansville, Ind. |
Tennessee State Tigers (23-9) |
| Patriot League |
March 3,5,8,11 |
Higher seed hosts |
Wednesday, 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network |
| SEC |
March 11-15 |
Nashville, Tenn. |
Sunday, 1 p.m. ESPN |
| SoCon |
March 6-9 |
Asheville, N.C. |
Furman Paladins (22-12) |
| Southland |
March 8-11 |
Lake Charles, La. |
Wednesday, 5 p.m. ESPN2 |
| SWAC |
March 9-14 |
Atlanta |
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ESPNU |
| Summit League |
March 4-8 |
Sioux Falls, S.D. |
North Dakota State Bison (27-7) |
| Sun Belt |
March 3-9 |
Pensacola, Fla. |
Troy (22-11) |
| West Coast |
March 5-10 |
Las Vegas |
Tuesday, 9 p.m. ESPN |
| WAC |
March 11-14 |
Las Vegas |
Saturday, 12 a.m. ESPN2 |
Northern Iowa wins Arch Madness
No. 6 seed Northern Iowa defeated No. 5 seed UIC 84-69 in the Missouri Valley Conference title game to punch its ticket to the Big Dance. Northern Iowa will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.
In Northern Iowa’s last showing at the NCAA Tournament a decade ago, the Panthers stunned Texas in the first round after Paul Jesperson drilled a half-court shot at the buzzer to give his team a dramatic victory. This will be Northern Iowa’s third tournament appearance since 2010. Northern Iowa has won at least one game in the Big Dance in all three appearances.
High Point dancing in back-to-back seasons
The second automatic bid went to High Point, the No. 1 seed in the Big South Tournament. The Panthers defeated No. 2 seed Winthrop 91-76 in the title game to advance to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament. Last year, High Point lost to Purdue in the first round of the Big Dance.
Queens clinches first-ever NCAA Tournament bid
The third automatic bid of the day went to Queens. The Royals defeated Central Arkansas in overtime in the ASUN title game to clinch their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Buzzer-beater has Boston University playing in Patriot League final
Perhaps one of the most shocking results of the day came in the Patriot League, when Boston University upset No. 1 seed Navy. After Navy took a brief lead with less than four seconds remaining, Chance Gladden drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send his team to the conference title game.
Boston University will face Lehigh in the Patriot League title game on Wednesday.
