Of the 68 teams that will compete in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, 31 will advance automatically through conference tournaments. All qualified teams that win their respective conference tournaments receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The table below lists all 31 DI men’s basketball conferences, tournament dates, locations, and bracket information. The remaining 37 March Madness places will be filled by at-large teams determined by the selection committee. Find all 31 automatic qualifiers listed below.
2026 NCAA conference tournament schedules, bracket, scores, automatic bids
| CONFERENCE | SCHEDULE/RESULTS/TV SCHEDULE | Automatic bid | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| America East | Quarterfinals: March 7 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: 11 a.m. ET March 14 on ESPN2 | Higher seed hosts | |
| American | First Round: March 11 Second Round: March 12 Quarterfinals: March 13 Semifinals: March 14 Championship: 3:15 p.m. March 15 on ESPN | Birmingham, Ala. | |
| Atlantic 10 | First Round: March 11 Second Round: March 12 Quarterfinals: March 13 Semifinals: March 14 Championship: 1 p.m. March 15 on CBS | Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
| ACC | First Round: March 10 Second Round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 8:30 p.m. March 14 on ESPN | Charlotte, N.C. | |
| ASUN | First Round: March 4 Quarterfinals: March 6 Semifinals: March 7 Championship: 2 p.m. March 8 on ESPN2 | Jacksonville, Fla. | |
| Big 12 | First Round: March 10 Second Round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 6 p.m. March 14 on ESPN | Kansas City, Mo. | |
| Big East | First round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 6:30 p.m. March 14 on FOX | New York City | |
| Big Sky | First Round: March 7 Second Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: 11:30 p.m. March 11 on ESPN2 | Boise, Idaho | |
| Big South | First Round: March 4 Quarterfinals: March 6 Semifinals: March 7 Championship: 12 p.m. March 8 on ESPN2 | Johnson City, Tenn. | |
| Big Ten | First Round: March 10 Second Round: March 11 Third Round: March 12 Quarterfinals: March 13 Semifinals: March 14 Championship: 3:30 p.m. March 15 on CBS | Chicago | |
| Big West | First Round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: March 14 | Henderson, Nev. | |
| CAA | First Round: March 6 Second Round: March 7 Quarterfinals: March 8 Semifinals: March 9 Championship: 7 p.m. March 10 on CBSSN | Washington, D.C. | |
| Conference USA | First Round: March 10 Quarterfinals: March 11 and 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 8:30 p.m. March 14 on CBSSN | Huntsville, Ala. | |
| Horizon League | Play-in: March 2 First Round: March 4 Second Round: March 8 Semifinals: March 9 Championship: 7 p.m. March 10 on ESPN | Higher seed hosts first three rounds, Indianapolis for last two rounds | |
| Ivy League | Semifinals: March 14 Championship: 12 p.m. March 15 on ESPN2 | Ithaca, N.Y. | |
| MAAC | First Round: March 5 Quarterfinals: March 6 and 7 Semifinals: March 8 Championship: March 10 on ESPN/ESPN2 | Atlantic City, N.J. | |
| MAC | Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 8 p.m. March 14 on ESPN2 | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| MEAC | Quarterfinals: March 11 and 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: March 14 | Norfolk, Va. | |
| Missouri Valley | First Round: March 5 Quarterfinals: March 6 Semifinals: March 7 Championship: 12 p.m. March 8 on CBS Sports | St. Louis | |
| Mountain West | First Round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 6 p.m. March 14 on CBS | Las Vegas | |
| Northeast | Quarterfinals: March 4 Semifinals: March 7 Championship: 7 p.m. March 10 on ESPN2/ESPN+ | Higher seed hosts | |
| Ohio Valley | First Round: March 4 Quarterfinals: March 5 Semifinals: March 6 Championship: 8 p.m. March 7 on ESPN2 | Evansville, Ind. | |
| Patriot League | First Round: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 5 Semifinals: March 8 Championship: March 11 | Higher seed hosts | |
| SEC | First Round: March 11 Second Round: March 12 Quarterfinals: March 13 Semifinals: March 14 Championship: 1 p.m. March 15 on ESPN | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| SoCon | First Round: March 6 Quarterfinals: March 7 Semifinals: March 8 Championship: 7 p.m. March 9 | Asheville, N.C. | |
| Southland | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: 5 p.m. March 11 on ESPN2 | Lake Charles, La. | |
| SWAC | First Round: March 9 Second Round: March 10 Quarterfinals: March 11 and 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: 7:30 p.m. March 14 | Atlanta | |
| Summit League | Opening Round: March 4 Quarterfinals: March 5 and 6 Semifinals: March 7 Championship: 9 p.m. March 8 on CBSSN | Sioux Falls, S.D. | |
| Sun Belt | First Round: March 3 Second Round: March 4 Third Round: March 5 Fourth Round: March 6 Quarterfinals: March 7 Semifinals: March 8 Championship: 6 p.m. March 9 on ESPN/ESPN | Pensacola, Fla. | |
| West Coast | First Round: March 5 Second Round: March 6 Third Round: March 7 Quarterfinals: March 8 Semifinals: March 9 Championship: 9 p.m. March 10 | Las Vegas | |
| WAC | First Round: March 11 Quarterfinals: March 12 Semifinals: March 13 Championship: March 14 | Las Vegas |
This year’s bracket will be revealed at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15 on CBS.
Latest posts by Priyanka Patil (see all)
- ‘Arco’ Is Now Streaming: How to Watch the Oscar-Nominated Animated Film - February 25, 2026
- NCAA Tournament 2026: Full Men’s March Madness Schedule - February 25, 2026
- March Madness 2026: Tracking All 31 NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournaments and Auto Bids - February 25, 2026