For college basketball fans, this month means absolutely everything.
Welcome to March Madness.
From dominant showings from blue bloods to miracle runs for Cinderellas, the month of March is jam-packed with the thrill of dominant victory and the heartbreaking pain of impossible upsets. It doesn’t matter if you watch to support your team, chase the perfect bracket, or rally around the team with the best mascot—what matters is that you’re watching.
At 6 p.m. EST on March 15, the 68 teams will be revealed for the 87th edition of the NCAA Tournament, which will crown a champion April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. While 37 teams will have to wait to see their names called Sunday evening, 31 programs will only have to wait to see what seed they receive after winning their conference tournament to secure an automatic bid.
Let’s meet your 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball automatic bids.
All projected seeds will be based off Bracket Matrix.
Atlantic Sun Conference
Champion (Record): Queens (NC) (21-13, 13-5 ASUN)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 3 seed, upset No. 1 seed Central Arkansas 98-93 in overtime of ASUN Championship Game
Projected seed: 16
The Royals, in their first season of eligibility, will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance. This is the third time in the past four seasons that the ASUN will send a first-time participant to the NCAA Tournament. Queens made the College Basketball Invitational last season, advancing to the quarterfinals. Queens went 0-5 against Quad 1 opponents, facing teams such as Virginia, Villanova, and Arkansas.
Nasir Mann and Yoav Berman led the Royals offensively, averaging 13.4 and 12.6 points respectively, to rank among the top 20 in the Atlantic Sun. However, it was Chris Ashby’s 34 points that propelled Queens to the ASUN Championship.
Big South Conference
Champion (Record): High Point (30-4, 15-1 Big South)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 2 seed Winthrop 91-76 in Big South Championship Game
Projected seed: 12
Two seasons, two head coaches, same result. Alan Huss led the Panthers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, falling to Purdue in the first round. After Huss left to return to his alma mater, Creighton, as an assistant coach, Flynn Clayman took over the program and led it back to the big dance. The Panthers’ best victory was a Quad 3 neutral-site victory over Illinois-Chicago in November.
Terry Anderson leads the Panthers offensively, averaging 16 points per game. However, senior guard Chase Johnston has created headlines, with all of his made field goals coming from beyond the 3-point line (48.5%). Many media outlets are comparing him to Oakland’s Jack Gohlke, who hit 137 of his 141 field goals from 3-point range en route to an upset of Kentucky in 2024.
Missouri Valley Conference
Champion (Record): Northern Iowa (23-12, 11-9 MVC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 6 seed, defeated No. 5 seed Illinois-Chicago 84-69 in MVC Championship Game
Projected seed: 13
Northern Iowa earned its first conference championship since 2016, the last time the school made the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers have earned at least one victory in their past three appearances in March Madness, including upsetting Kansas in 2010.
Trey Campbell leads Northern Iowa’s offensive attack, averaging 13.7 points per game. That includes 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the MVC championship game against Illinois-Chicago. Tristian Smith, while only averaging 9.1 points, added eight rebounds and seven assists against UIC to help seal the victory.
Northeast Conference
Champion (Record): Long Island (23-10, 15-3 NEC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, advanced to the tournament due to NEC Championship Game opponent Mercyhurst being ineligible (transition from Division II); Long Island defeated Mercyhurst 79-70
Projected seed: 16
This is the first appearance in March Madness by Long Island since the merger between LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post in 2019 and the program’s eighth overall. Then known as the Blackbirds, Long Island last made the tournament in 2018 and has been within five points once, losing 90-87 to Northeastern in a preliminary round in 1984. The Sharks played four power-conference teams this season, losing all four by an averages of 20 points.
The Sharks had one of the most balanced offenses in the NEC, with three players averaging 14 or more points per game. This trio was led by Jamal Fuller, who recorded just his second double-double of the season in the NEC championship game with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Ohio Valley Conference
Champion (Record): Tennessee State (23-9, 15-5 OVC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 2 seed Morehead State 93-67 in OVC Championship Game
Projected seed: 15
The last time Tennessee State appeared in the NCAA Tournament, “The Sign” by Ace of Base was the No. 1 song in the United States and Cleveland announced that smoking would not be allowed in its new baseball stadium. The year was 1994, and the Tigers defeated Murray State 73-72 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Tennessee State had two of the top three scorers in the Ohio Valley Conference in Aaron Nkrumah (17.6 ppg) and Travis Harper II (17.3). While both had strong showings in the OVC championship game, it was Antoine Lorick III who had with a game-high 18 points. That was his fourth double-digit scoring performance in his last five games.
Southern Conference
Champion (Record): Furman (22-12, 10-8 SoCon)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 6 seed, upset No. 1 seed East Tennessee State 76-61 in SoCon Championship Game
Projected seed: 15
Furman upset two of the top three seeds to win the Southern Conference for the first time since 2023. That 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance saw the Paladins upset Virginia 68-67 in the first round, marking the school’s first tournament victory since 1974.
While many teams had several players leading the offensive charge, Furman was led by freshman Alex Wilkins. The Mattapan, Massachusetts, native averaged 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. However, it was Cooper Bowser who dominated the SoCon championship game, scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds. Since returning from injury on Feb. 1, he has averaged 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Summit League
Champion (Record): North Dakota State (27-7, 14-2 Summit)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 3 seed North Dakota 70-62 in Summit League Championship Game
Projected seed: 14
North Dakota State will make its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2019. The Bison have only won one game in the main bracket, upsetting Oklahoma in overtime in 2014.
North Dakota State has had a balanced offense for most of the season, with four players ranking among the top 20 in the Summit League in scoring. Damari Wheeler-Thomas leads the pack, as the junior guard averaged 14.4 points. He also led the Bison in scoring against North Dakota, with 19 points. Trevian Carson, who averages 12 points per game, ranks third in the conference in rebounds with 6.4.
Sun Belt Conference
Champion (Record): Troy (22-11, 12-6 SBC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 10 seed Georgia Southern 77-61 in SBC Championship Game
Projected seed: 14
The Sun Belt changed their conference tournament in 2025 to a stepladder format to help the top seed earn an “easier” path to the NCAA Tournament. After top-seeded South Alabama lost in the semifinals last year, Troy to advantage to win the tournament, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Georgia State in 2018-19. The Trojans, unlike many low-majors, recorded a Quad 1 victory this season, defeating San Diego State on the road in November.
Troy did not dominate from a scoring standpoint, with Victor Valdes and Thomas Dowd each averaging 14.8 points per game. However, it is the defensive end that has kept the Trojans in the game. Dowd leads the conference with 10.1 rebounds per game, ranking 15th in the nation.
Coastal Athletic Association
Champion (Record): Hofstra (24-10, 12-6 CAA)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 4 seed Monmouth 75-69 in CAA Championship Game
Projected seed: 13
For the first time since winning back-to-back America East titles in 2000 and 2001, Hofstra is heading to the NCAA Tournament. While “Stutter” by Joe featuring Mystikal was dominating the radio airwaves, the Pride were preparing for a first-round match-up against UCLA under then-head coach Jay Wright. The next season, Hofstra was one of four teams to join the CAA to offset the losses of schools such as Richmond and East Carolina, and Wright left for Villanova.
Speedy Claxton, the fifth year head coach, was a player on those 2000 and 2001 tournament teams. Cruz Davis leads Hofstra’s offensive attack, topping the CAA with an average of 20.2 points per game. Davis has led the Pride to their first NCAA Tournament since 2001.
Horizon League
Champion (Record): Wright State (23-11, 15-5 Horizon)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Detroit Mercy 66-63 in Horizon League Championship Game
Projected seed: 14
Wright State dominated its way through the Horizon League, winning the regular-season title by two games. Only Detroit Mercy, in the championship game, stayed within 10 points of Raiders. Second-year head coach Clint Sargent is looking to lead Wright State to its first victory in the main bracket of the NCAA Tournament. The school’s lone NCAA Tournament win came in the First Four in 2022 against Bryant.
Freshman guard Michael Cooper leads the team offensively with 13.4 points per game, ranking just outside the top 20 in the Horizon League. Defensively, Michael Imariagbe ranks fifth in the conference with seven rebounds per game.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Champion (Record): Siena (23-11, 13-7 MAAC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 1 seed Merrimack 64-54 in the MAAC Championship Game
Projected seed: 15
For longtime March Madness fans, the name Gerry McNamara is familiar. The four-year starter at Syracuse helped the then-Orangemen win the school’s first title in three tries in 2003. After going 14-18 in his first season, he lead the Saints to their first 20-win season since 2019-20. Siena has a history of upsets in the tournament, notching three victories over higher-seeded teams, most recently as a No. 9 seed upsetting Ohio State in 2009.
Gavin Doty has been a dominating force offensively for the Saints, averaging 17.9 points per game to rank second in the MAAC. Doty scored a game-high 23 points in their MAAC finals victory over Merrimack.
West Coast Conference
Champion (Record): Gonzaga (30-3, 16-2 WCC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 1 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Santa Clara 79-68 in the WCC Championship Game
Projected seed: 3
In a sentence that has appeared in print 22 times since the 1999 postseason, Gonzaga has won the West Coast Conference tournament championship. However, this will be the final time that sentence will be written, as the Bulldogs will be moving to the Pac-12 next season. Since the school’s miracle run to the Elite Eight in 1999, Gonzaga has advance to the second weekend 14 times. Last season, a second-round loss to Houston ended a nine-tournament streak of advancing to the second weekend.
Graham Ike is the conductor of Gonzaga’s offensive, leading the WCC with 19.7 points per game. The senior forward also ranks second with 8.2 rebounds per game. If the school earns the projected No. 3 seed, history suggests a mixed outcome: Gonzaga made the Elite Eight as a three seed in 2023, while falling to No. 6 Texas Tech in 2005.
Southland Conference
Champion (Record): McNeese (28-5, 19-3 SLC)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 1 seed SF Austin 76-59 in the Southland Championship Game
Projected seed: 12
For the third time in as many years, McNeese State is putting on its dancing shoes following the Cowboys’ dominant win over SF Austin in the Southland Conference Championship Game. After Will Wade revived the program and brought McNeese its first two conference championships since 2002, first-year head coach Bill Armstrong keeps the momentum and secured the Cowboys’ third-straight March Madness berth.
Freshman sensation Larry Johnson has been the guy for McNeese, leading the team in both points (17.5 PPG) and rebounds (5.5 REB). Javohn Garcia was the hero in the SLC Championship Game, dropping 31 points (25 in the first half) to go along with five rebounds, two blocks, and a trio of steals. Garcia is heating up at the right time, and McNeese is no longer a stranger to the modern March Madness bracket. You could be looking at one of the almost-guaranteed 12-over-5 upsets in the Cowboys.
Patriot League
Champion (Record): Lehigh (18-16, 11-7 Patriot)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 4 seed Boston University 74-60 in the Patriot League Championship Game
Projected seed: 16
The Patriot League was dominated this season by Navy, who finished with a 17-1 conference record (26-7 overall) to secure the 1-seed in the conference tournament. But a shocking upset by 4-seed Boston University in the semifinals ended Navy’s season, leaving the door open for Lehigh University to win its fourth Patriot League Championship (first since 2012).
The Mountain Hawks, in their last appearance in March Madness, secured their first tournament victory by upsetting No. 2 seed Duke inside the Greensboro Coliseum. Nasir Whitlock leads Lehigh offensively, averaging 21.1 points per game. Against Boston University, Whitlock led an balanced offensive attack with 18 points, one of four players scoring in double figures.
Big Sky Conference
Champion (Record): Idaho (21-14, 9-9 Big Sky)
Path to automatic bid: As the No. 7 seed, defeated No. 4 seed Montana 77-66 in the Big Sky Championship Game
Projected seed: 15
Montana was able to take a 1-point lead into halftime of the Big Sky Championship Game, but the Idaho Vandals held on in a closely-contested second half to secure the fifth conference championship in program history. It is the first Big Sky title and NCAA Tournament appearance for the Vandals in 36 years—what a time to be alive in Moscow, Idaho. Both the men and women’s basketball teams are headed to the big dance.
The Vandals made first-round exits in both of their last two appearances in March Madness (1989 and 1990), but Idaho made a Sweet Sixteen run back in ’82 under Don Monson. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Montana winning the Big Sky autobid and heading to the First Four in Dayton, which is likely where the Vandals will end up. Keep an eye on Jackson Rasmussen, a 6-7 forward who leads the team in scoring (14.2 PPG), but don’t overlook senior Isaiah Brickner coming off of a 23-point double-double to help secure the Big Sky title.
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