Conference tournaments for the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament are in progress, with winners earning automatic qualification to the 68-team field known as March Madness. The full bracket will be unveiled on Selection Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, followed by the First Four games on March 17 and 18 in Dayton, Ohio.[1][2]

As of March 9, 2026, six teams have clinched automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments:

• Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN): Queens University of Charlotte, marking the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance after becoming fully eligible in Division I.[3]
• Big South Conference: High Point University, securing back-to-back titles.[3]
• Missouri Valley Conference (MVC): University of Northern Iowa, the program's first appearance since 2016.[3][4]
• Northeast Conference (NEC): Long Island University (LIU), which has now qualified regardless of its championship game outcome against ineligible Mercyhurst.[3]
• Ohio Valley Conference (OVC): Tennessee State University, first NCAA Tournament berth since 1995.[3][5]
• Summit League: North Dakota State University, first appearance since 2019.[3][4]

Queens University of Charlotte, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, joined the ASUN in 2022 following a transition to Division I. High Point University, also from North Carolina, has emerged as a mid-major contender in recent seasons.[6]

Upcoming conference championship games include Sun Belt (March 9, Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida: Troy vs. Georgia Southern), Southern Conference (March 9, Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina: East Tennessee State vs. Furman), and others through March 15.[1][3]

The winners of the remaining 26 conference tournaments will join 32 at-large selections in the postseason event, which culminates in the Final Four on April 4 and championship game on April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.[1][2]

Sources

1. NCAA. "NCAA announces dates, locations for 2026 Division I men's basketball championship." April 16, 2024. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/d1/article/2024-04-16/ncaa-announces-dates-locations-2026-ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball-championship
2. ESPN. "2026 NCAA tournament: Dates, schedule, sites." Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39780100/2026-ncaa-tournament-bracket-march-madness-postseason-dates-sites
3. NCAA.com. "2026 Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Central." Accessed March 9, 2026. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/d1/article/2026-mens-basketball-conference-tournaments-schedule-brackets
4. Missouri Valley Conference. "MVC Men's Basketball Tournament History." Accessed March 9, 2026. https://www.mvcsports.com/sports/mbball/history
5. Tennessee State University Athletics. "Men's Basketball History - NCAA Appearances." Accessed March 9, 2026. https://tsutigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/history