Men’s March Madness 2026 auto-bids tracker: Furman, Troy latest to earn NCAA Tournament spots

In the final days before Selection Sunday, 31 of the 68 spots in the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament will be clinched by teams winning their conference’s automatic bids.

Championship week is a smorgasbord of nonstop basketball. We’re tracking every conference tournament and will update as the week progresses with what you need to know about the teams going to the NCAA Tournament.

Bids clinched

(Most recent winners first)

American: South Florida

Record: 25-8, 15-3 American
Last tournament appearance: 2012
All-time tournament record: 2-3
What to know: What a season for the Bulls, who won a conference tournament for the first time since 1990 after earning the American regular-season crown. It punctuates a stellar first season for coach Bryan Hodgson, the former Arkansas State head coach and Nate Oats assistant at Alabama who earned conference coach of the year honors and will be a hot name on the carousel. The team’s 25 wins match a program record set in 2023-24 under the late Amir Abdur-Rahim, led this time by American player of the year and defensive player of the year Izaiyah Nelson, who followed Hodgson from Arkansas State. The American is just a one-bid league this season, but USF was clearly the best team.

Atlantic 10: VCU

Record: 27-7, 15-3 Atlantic 10
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 13-19
What to know: First-year coach Phil Martelli Jr. figured out the magic combination as the Rams’ season progressed. After VCU started the year 11-6 and 2-2 in league play, they won 16 of their final 17 games en route to the A-10 tournament championship. The son of the legendary Saint Joseph’s coach, Martelli assembled a roster full of talented transfers: Lazar Djokovic (Xavier/Charleston), Jadrian Tracey (Oregon) and Tyrell Ward (LSU) all have power conference experience. VCU brings leading scorer Terrence Hill (14.4 PPG) off the bench, and the explosive guard can change the game in an instant.

Ivy: Penn

Record: 18-11, 9-5 IvyLast tournament appearance: 2018All-time tournament record: 13-26What to know: In an epic Ivy tournament title game, Penn outlasted Yale in overtime on the strength of an epic 44-point performance from forward TJ Power (15.8 PPG). Even more impressively, the Quakers captured the conference crown despite the absence of leading scorer Ethan Roberts (16.9 PPG), who missed the tournament with concussion symptoms. Quakers coach Fran McCaffery is in his first year at his alma mater, and he is now the third coach in college basketball history to take five schools to the NCAA Tournament (Rick Pitino and Lon Kruger are the other two). He previously did so at Iowa, Siena, UNC Greensboro and Lehigh.

WAC: Cal Baptist

Record: 25-8, 13-5 WAC
Last tournament appearance: Never
All-time tournament record: 0-0
What to know: The Lancers are heading to their first-ever NCAA Tournament because of Dominque Daniels Jr., the best pure scorer in the mid-major ranks. The WAC player of the year hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the final 1:52 against Utah Valley, dragging Cal Baptist back from a seven-point deficit in a game that featured 12 lead changes and 11 ties and ended with a 63-61 CBU victory. Daniels, the nation’s fifth-leading scorer, finished with 23 points to lead Cal Baptist, which became a fully eligible Division I member school just three years ago, during the 2022-23 season.

Big West: Hawaii

Record: 24-8, 14-6 Big West
Last tournament appearance: 2016
All-time tournament record: 1-5
What to know: The Rainbow Warriors are back in the tournament for the first time in a decade after a 71-64 win over UC Irvine, the top seed in the Big West conference tournament. The last time Hawaii went dancing, in 2016, it upset fourth-seeded Cal in the first round before losing to Maryland. That trip also came under coach Eran Ganot, now in his 11th season. Hawaii has a balanced scoring attack, with six players averaging 8.7 points or more, led by senior center Isaac Johnson (13.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and guard Dre Bullock (13.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

Conference USA: Kennesaw State

Record: 21-13, 10-10 CUSA
Last tournament appearance: 2023
All-time tournament record: 0-1
What to know: The Owls are dancing after knocking off the third, second and fourth seeds in the Conference USA tournament, capped by a 71-60 win over Louisiana Tech in the CUSA title game; Kennesaw State was the sixth seed, the third-lowest seed in CUSA history to win the conference tournament. KSU held Louisiana Tech, which was seeking its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991, to just 31 percent from the field and didn’t allow the Bulldogs a field goal in the final 3:45. La. Tech finished a dismal 2-of-28 from 3-point range in the title game while two Owls scored more than double their season average to lead KSU, with senior guard Jaden Harris scoring 18 and freshman forward Amir Taylor chipping in 17. Kennesaw State went 12-7 after leading scorer Simeon Cottle was indicted in an FBI investigation into an alleged conspiracy to fix games.

ACC: Duke

Record: 32-2, 17-1 ACC
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 126-72
What to know: Even down two injured starters, the No. 1 team in college basketball won its second straight ACC tournament title on Saturday, defeating No. 10 Virginia 74-70. That should all-but guarantee Jon Scheyer’s team is the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, with Saturday’s win, the Blue Devils became the first ACC team since Duke in 1999-2000 to sweep the league’s regular-season and tournament championships in consecutive years. Not bad, considering Scheyer lost all five starters from last season’s Final Four team to the NBA. The only question for Duke now is, how healthy will it be in March? Center Patrick Ngongba is trending toward returning for the team’s NCAA Tournament opener, but point guard Caleb Foster — who broke his foot a week ago, in Duke’s regular-season finale against UNC — almost certainly won’t be back until the Final Four… if he is at all.

MAC: Akron

Record: 29-5, 17-1 MAC
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 0-7
What to know: They’ve been overshadowed by Miami (Ohio)’s undefeated regular season, but the metrics tell you the Zips have been the best team in the MAC, which is looking like a two-bid league. A year after coming back from an 18-point deficit against the RedHawks in the conference title game, Akron went back-to-back with another dramatic victory, this time erasing a 12-point deficit against Toledo to win on a late 3-pointer by MAC sixth man of the year Shammah Scott. That makes three March Madness trips in a row and four in the last five years under John Groce, the former Ohio and Illinois head coach who has built a MAC powerhouse in his ninth season with the Zips but is still searching for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory.

SHAMMAH SCOTT OMG🤯🤯🤯@ZipsMBB | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/D2pks4KIo1

— MACtion (@MACSports) March 15, 2026

SWAC: Prairie View A&M

Record: 18-17, 9-9 SWAC
Last tournament appearance: 2019
All-time tournament record: 0-2
What to know: The Panthers return to Madness for the first time since 2019 and the second trip under coach Byron Smith, who is in his tenth season. It captured a stunning four wins in four days through the SWAC tournament as the No. 8 seed, including an upset of top-seeded Bethune-Cookman in the quarterfinals and No. 3 seed Southern in the championship. Prairie View A&M enters the tournament having won nine of its last 10 games — after losing seven of eight — with a 72-66 victory over Southern in the title game, hitting 9 of 18 3-pointers and with four players scoring in double figures.

Big East: St. John’s

Record: 28-6, 18-2 Big East
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 28-33
What to know: Rick Pitino took over St. John’s three seasons ago, promising a return to the glory days of the mid-1980s for the program, and he has exceeded expectations. St. John’s won the Big East tournament for the fifth time in school history and for the first time in consecutive seasons. The Red Storm also joined UConn in 1998 and ’99 as the only Big East teams to win both the regular-season and tournament titles in consecutive seasons. To do so, St. John’s routed the Huskies 72-52 in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, avenging a 32-point loss to them last month.

Big 12: Arizona

Record: 32-2, 16-2 Big 12
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 62-38
What to know: Arizona might be the most consistent team in college basketball, and it completed a double by winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Wildcats have the Big 12 Player of the Year in Jaden Bradley, a trio of talented freshmen in Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov, and are a near-lock to be a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. The Wildcats have a real chance to make their first Final Four since 2001.

Mountain West: Utah State

Record: 28-6, 15-5 MWC
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 7-27
What to know: The Aggies qualified for their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament after what transfer MJ Collins called “a revenge tour” through the Mountain West tournament. USU beat three teams (UNLV, Nevada and San Diego State) that beat the Aggies during the regular season, and Collins was named tournament MVP after a 20-point, three-steal performance in the title game against the Aztecs. Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun has been frank about the financial struggles the Aggies face, saying they ranked “fourth or fifth” in the MWC in NIL this season, and claiming the university “has not given us a dollar in two years.” The 2025-26 season marked the first time in MWC history that Utah State won both the regular-season and conference-tournament titles.

MEAC: Howard

Record: 23-10, 11-3 MEAC
Last tournament appearance: 2024
All-time tournament record: 0-4
What to know: The Bison are dancing for the third time in four seasons under head coach Kenny Blakeney, who has the program humming in his seventh season. Howard won the MEAC regular-season title this year as well, its second under Blakeney, earning the top seed and an automatic bye to the semifinals in the conference tournament. The team, which held off North Carolina Central in the MEAC championship, is led by fifth-year senior and MEAC player of the year Bryce Harris and defensive player of the year Cedric Taylor III.

America East: UMBC

Record: 24-8, 14-2 America East
Last tournament appearance: 2018
All-time tournament record: 1-2
What to know: The Retrievers are back! Eight years ago, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a 1-seed when it stunned Virginia. This year’s team defeated conference standard-bearer Vermont 74-59 on Saturday and enters the NCAA Tournament on a program-record 12-game winning streak. The Retrievers are coached by Jim Ferry (the coach in 2018, Ryan Odom, is now at Virginia) and completed quite a turnaround after going 13-19 a season ago. UMBC only played one power-conference opponent this year, losing 90-81 to Georgetown, and projects as a No. 16 seed once again. At least that will feel familiar.

Big Sky: Idaho

Record: 21-14, 9-9 Big Sky
Last tournament appearance: 1990
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: After two regular-season battles were settled in the final seconds by two possessions apiece, Idaho wanted no part of that thrill against Montana in the dying embers of its first conference championship berth since 2014. In its 77-66 victory, the Vandals stamped their first Big Sky title and correspondingly their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since the turn of the century — both achievements that came before any player on the roster was born and when coach Alex Pribble, who has piloted the program from 11 to 14 to 21 wins, was just five years old.

Patriot: Lehigh

Record: 18-16, 11-7 Patriot
Last tournament appearance: 2012
All-time tournament record: 1-5
What to know: For the first time since CJ McCollum and the 15-seed Mountain Hawks upset 2-seed Duke back in 2012, Lehigh has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Brett Reed was on the sideline for that one as well, currently in his 19th season and making his third trip to March Madness. The 2-seed Hawks beat 4-seed Boston University squad in the title game after Boston upset Navy in the semifinals, despite the Midshipmen running away with the regular season title at 17-1 in league play. Lehigh survived its own scare in the quarterfinals, defeating Holy Cross on a half-court buzzer-beater by leading scorer Nasir Whitlock.

Southland: McNeese

Record: 28-5, 19-3 Southland
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: The Cowboys are going dancing for a third straight season. McNeese knocked off regular-season champs Stephen F. Austin with a dominant win in the Southland title game, paced by senior guard Javohn Garcia with a career-high 31 points. After back-to-back trips under Will Wade, including a first-round upset of Clemson last year, first-year coach Bill Armstrong has McNeese there again, riding a 10-game winning streak that featured a triple-overtime win over UT Rio Grande Valley in the Southland semifinals. Led by conference freshman of the year Larry Johnson, McNeese’s return to the Tournament also means the return of manager and March Madness legend Amir “Aura” Khan.

Legends are made in March‼️#GeauxPokes | #BayouBandits pic.twitter.com/6oyos3Edvv

— McNeese Men’s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) March 1, 2026

WCC: Gonzaga

Record: 30-3, 16-2 WCCLast tournament appearance: 2025All-time tournament record: 47-27
What to know: Believe it or not, the Zags are flying under the radar a bit this year, the 27th time they’ve qualified for the NCAA Tournament under Mark Few, after a 79-68 win over Santa Clara in the WCC tournament championship. Gonzaga has been banged up all season, and big man Braden Huff is still nursing a left knee injury. If the Zags are going to make their 14th Sweet 16 since 2000, they’ll need WCC player of the year Graham Ike to have a huge month and get help from freshmen guards Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supéry, who have shown flashes of brilliance but struggle with consistency, especially as scorers. The Zags have long been known as one of the best offensive programs in the country but if they win in the NCAA Tournament this year, it’ll be because of their defense.

MAAC: Siena

Record: 23-11, 13-7 MAACLast tournament appearance: 2010All-time tournament record: 4-6What to know: Welcome back to the NCAA Tournament, Saints! And the same greeting to Gerry McNamara, a Syracuse legend from the Orange’s 2003 title team who is now Siena’s head coach. Siena looked ready to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2020 before COVID-19 canceled the MAAC Tournament before the semifinals. The Saints did it with their defense, as they held Merrimack to just 54 points in the title game, in part due to center Riley Mulvey’s five blocked shots. After losing senior forward Antonio Chandler to an eligibility ruling in late February, the Saints are essentially a five-man team: the starters played 194 of a possible 200 minutes on Tuesday night. That lineup still has plenty of size and talent, though, and it is led by point guard Justice Shoats (13.3 points per game, 4.4 assists per game) and physical wing Gavin Doty (17.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game).

Horizon: Wright State

Record: 23-11, 15-5 Horizon
Last tournament appearance: 2022
All-time tournament record: 1-4
What to know: As a bevy of other No. 1 seeds fall in conference tournaments all over the country, Wright State survived the Horizon’s tricky format and prevailed over a feisty Detroit Mercy squad, 66-63, in Tuesday’s championship game. A key block from Horizon Freshman of the Year Kellen Pickett clinched the victory, helping the Raiders erase a 12-point second-half deficit. Head coach Clint Sargent has been at Wright State as an assistant since 2016, and he took over the head job for Scott Nagy when Nagy left for Southern Illinois in 2024. The Raiders have the best offense in the league, with six players averaging at least 8.3 points per game. They are led by another freshman, Michael Cooper, and six of their top seven scorers are freshmen or sophomores.

CAA: Hofstra

Record: 24-10, 12-6 CAA
Last tournament appearance: 2001
All-time tournament record: 0-4
What to know: The Pride’s NCAA Tournament drought was scheduled to end six years ago, the last time Hofstra won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, but COVID-19 canceled that postseason. As such, it’s been a long 25 years since Hofstra went dancing, and now the Pride could make the most of their appearance — given that they’re projected as a 13 seed, and 13-over-4 has become a more common upset the past few years. Hofstra is led by 47-year-old coach Speedy Claxton, now in his fifth season at his alma mater. He is widely considered the best player in program history and was on the roster when the Pride went to the 2000 NCAA Tournament under then-coach Jay Wright.

Southern: Furman

Record: 22-12, 10-8 SoCon
Last tournament appearance: 2023
All-time tournament record: 2-8
What to know: The Paladins are going dancing after winning as a 6-seed in the SoCon tournament, knocking off 1-seed East Tennessee State and 3-seed Samford on their way to a second March Madness appearance under coach Bob Richey. The last time Furman made the tournament, it upset 4-seed Virginia as a 13-seed on a game-winning 3-pointer that famously snatched the soul right out of broadcast commentator Stan Van Gundy.

“DID WE JUST SEE WHAT WE THINK WE JUST SAW?!”

Kevin Harlan nearly FELL OUT OF HIS CHAIR. Dan Bonner and @realStanVG were STUNNED.

The crew’s reaction to Furman’s dramatic win over Virginia was incredible. pic.twitter.com/Jym88PALq8

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2023

Sun Belt: Troy

Record: 22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 0-3
What to know: The regular-season champs and top-seeded Trojans are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season under coach Scott Cross, and just the fourth time since the program moved to Division I in 1993-94. With an automatic bye to the semifinals in the Sun Belt’s stepladder bracket, Troy finally slowed down a 10-seed Georgia Southern team that won five games in five days to reach the championship. The Trojans are led by third-year players Thomas Dowd and Victor Valdes. It’s a family affair at Troy: Cross’s son, Austin, is a redshirt freshman off the bench, while starters Cooper and Cobi Campbell are brothers, and their dad, Scott Campbell, is an assistant coach. The Trojans lost to Kentucky in the first round of last year’s tournament.

Summit: North Dakota State

Record: 27-7, 14-2 SummitLast tournament appearance: 2019All-time tournament record: 2-4
What to know: Nothing like an in-state battle for the right to go dancing. North Dakota State beat rival North Dakota for the third time this season to clinch the Summit league bid, setting a school record for wins (27) in the process. The Bison will have one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the field, with six players who average 9.2 points or more. They are currently projected as a 14 seed, and 14-over-3 upsets only happen roughly 14 percent of the time, but if they surprise someone this month, could 12th-year coach David Richman, who earned his second Summit League coach of the year award this season, be up for a bigger job?

Atlantic Sun: Queens

Record: 21-13, 13-5 ASUN
Last tournament appearance: Never
All-time tournament record: 0-0
What to know: History was guaranteed either way in the ASUN title game, in which Queens and Central Arkansas pushed each other to overtime for the right to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Camren Hunter poured in a school-record 46 points for Central Arkansas, but Queens regained control in OT. Queens — located in Charlotte, N.C., and a Division II school until 2022 — prevailed after a program-best regular-season record.

Big South: High Point

Record: 30-4, 15-1 Big South
Last tournament appearance: 2025
All-time tournament record: 0-1
What to know: After two decades wandering through mediocrity, High Point broke through last March, toppling Winthrop in the Big South tournament to punch its first NCAA Tournament ticket. A year later, the Panthers secured another trip to the Big Dance by downing the Eagles once again. High Point did it even after losing architect Alan Huss — whose two seasons at the helm produced the best record in program history — and eight of the team’s top nine scorers. First-year coach Flynn Clayman reshaped his roster through the transfer portal and molded it into the Big South’s top offensive and defensive team, powering the Panthers back into March Madness.

Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa

Record: 23-12, 11-9 MVC
Last tournament appearance: 2016
All-time tournament record: 5-8
What to know: The Panthers were not supposed to be the MVC’s auto-bid winner, but after top-seeded Belmont lost in the quarterfinals, they pounced on the opportunity. UNI knocked off third-seeded Illinois State and second-seeded Bradley (in double overtime) to reach the MVC championship game, then shot a sizzling 63 percent from the field to beat Illinois-Chicago 84-69 in a game UIC never led. Now coach Ben Jacobsen, in his 20th year at UNI, is headed to his fifth NCAA Tournament with a roster full of home-grown talent. The Panthers have five players from Iowa, including Trey Campbell, who led UNI with 23 points in the championship.

Ohio Valley: Tennessee State

Record: 23-9, 15-5 OVC
Last tournament appearance: 1994
All-time tournament record: 0-2
What to know: Yes, it’s been 32 years since this Nashville, Tenn.-based HBCU reached the sport’s biggest stage. And it took just one season of Nolan Smith’s coaching to get there. The former Duke star, NBA first-round pick and Memphis and Louisville assistant coach wasn’t able to do much with the TSU roster after replacing Brian “Penny” Collins. But he has elicited star-level play out of returning seniors Aaron Nkrumah — the OVC Player of the Year — and Travis Harper II. He has the Tigers pressuring on defense and playing with pace, ranking in the top 21 nationally in steal percentage and opponent turnover percentage. It’s one of the best coaching jobs in the nation.

Northeast: LIU

Record: 23-10, 15-3 NEC
Last tournament appearance: 2018
All-time tournament record: 0-7
What to know: Long Island University, led by longtime NBA guard and native New Yorker Rod Strickland, is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 after defeating Wagner 64-56 in the NEC semifinals. LIU earned the bid before playing in the final because Mercyhurst, which is ineligible for the postseason in its second season as a Division I program, won the other semifinal. Strickland, who played 17 seasons in the NBA, is in his fourth season and has improved LIU’s record every year since a 3-26 debut in 2022-23. LIU is projected to be a No. 16 seed. The Sharks (fins up!) have the NEC defensive player of the year in guard Greg Gordon and leading scorer Jamal Fuller, from Toronto, played in the NCAA Division II tournament when he was at Academy of Art in San Francisco.

Next up

(All times ET)

SWAC: Prairie View A&M vs. Southern (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU)

MAC: Toledo vs. Akron (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN2)

ACC: Virginia vs. Duke (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)

Conference USA: Kennesaw State vs. Louisiana Tech (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., CBSSN)

Big West: Hawaii vs. UC Irvine (Saturday, 10 p.m., ESPN2)

WAC: Cal Baptist vs. Utah Valley (Sunday, midnight, ESPN2)

Full conference championship schedule

(Alphabetical order; all times ET)

America East: UMBC 74, Vermont 59

American: USF 70, Wichita State 55

Atlantic 10: VCU 70, Dayton 62

ACC: Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

ASUN: Queens 98, Central Arkansas 93 OT

Big 12: Arizona 79, Houston 74

Big East: St. John’s 72, UConn 52

Big Sky: Idaho 77, Montana 66

Big South: High Point 91, Winthrop 76

Big Ten: Sunday, March 15, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Big West: Saturday, March 14, TBA

CAA: Hofstra 75, Monmouth 69

Conference USA: Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

Horizon: Wright State 66, Detroit Mercy 63

Ivy: Penn 88, Yale 84 OT

MAAC: Siena 64, Merrimack 54

MAC: Akron 79, Toledo 76

MEAC: Howard 70, North Carolina Central 63

Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa 84, UIC 69

Mountain West: Utah State 73, San Diego State 62

Northeast: LIU 79, Mercyhurst 70

Ohio Valley: Tennessee State 93, Morehead State 67

Patriot: Lehigh 74, Boston University 60

SEC: Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

SoCon: Furman 76, East Tennessee State 61

Southland: McNeese 76, Stephen F. Austin 59

SWAC: Prairie View A&M 72, Grambling 66

Summit: North Dakota State 70, North Dakota 62

Sun Belt: Troy 77, Georgia Southern 61

West Coast: Gonzaga 79, Santa Clara 68

WAC: Saturday, March 14, midnight (ESPN2)