March Madness automatic bids 2026: What basketball teams won conference tournaments?
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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.

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:

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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



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