Selection Sunday is less than 48 hours away, and the 2026 March Madness field is rapidly crystallizing. From the Tennessee State Men ending a 32-year drought to the Samford Women pulling off a stunner to qualify with a losing record, “Champ Week” is delivering on every bit of its promise. Whether you are tracking “Bid Stealers” that might pop your favorite team’s bubble or scouting the next 12-seed for your bracket, our live tracker is updated in real-time as every ticket is punched.
As the Power 4 semifinals conclude tonight and we head into a big Saturday of 14 championship games, the pressure has never been higher for teams on the bubble. Don’t just watch the drama unfold, turn every net-cutting ceremony into a winning moment by marking your Printable March Madness Bingo Cards as the auto-bids are finalized!
Last Updated: March 13th, 2026
Who is in March Madness 2026? Men’s Automatic Qualifiers
The 2026 March Madness Auto-Bid Tracker is the definitive live resource for identifying teams that have officially secured their spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning their conference championships. As of Friday night, March 13, 2026, 15 men’s teams and 19 women’s teams have clinched automatic qualifiers, including dominant runs by Gonzaga (Men) and the undefeated UConn (Women). The remaining 17 men’s and 13 women’s auto-bids will be determined during the high-stakes “Championship Saturday” and “Selection Sunday” (March 15, 2026) slate, finalizing the field of 68 before the official bracket reveal.
The following teams have secured an automatic berth in the 68-team field. We have the dedicated men’s qualifier page here for you too as the 31 NCAA qualifiers are determined.
| Conference | Confirmed 2026 Champion | Result / Detail |
| ASUN | Queens Univ. Royals | Defeated Central Arkansas 98–93 in OT. |
| Big Sky | Idaho Vandals | Defeated Montana 77–66. |
| Big South | High Point Panthers | Defeated Winthrop 91–76 (finished 30-4). |
| CAA | Hofstra Pride | Defeated Monmouth 75–69. |
| Horizon League | Wright State Raiders | Defeated Detroit Mercy 66–63. |
| MAAC | Siena Saints | Defeated Merrimack 64–54. |
| Missouri Valley | Northern Iowa Panthers | Defeated UIC 84–69. |
| NEC | LIU Sharks | Defeated Mercyhurst 79–70. |
| Ohio Valley | Tennessee State Tigers | Defeated Morehead State 93–67. |
| Patriot League | Lehigh Mountain Hawks | Defeated Boston U 74–60. |
| SoCon | Furman Paladins | Defeated ETSU 76–61. |
| Southland | McNeese Cowboys | Defeated Stephen F. Austin 76–59. |
| Summit League | N. Dakota State Bison | Defeated North Dakota 70–62. |
| Sun Belt | Troy Trojans | Defeated Georgia Southern 77–61. |
| WCC | Gonzaga Bulldogs | Defeated Santa Clara 79–68. |
Friday Night Highlights (Men’s)
- UCLA is now a “Lock”: After defeating Michigan State, UCLA has graduated from the bubble.
- Mountain West Chaos: New Mexico (currently a “First Team Out”) is playing San Diego State in a late-night semifinal. If New Mexico wins the tournament, they steal a bid from another bubble team.
- Big East: St. John’s defeated Seton Hall and UConn defeated Georgetown to set up a massive Saturday final at MSG.
- Big 12: Arizona and Houston have advanced to the championship game after Houston blew out Kansas tonight.
2026 Women’s Automatic Qualifiers
These teams have locked up their spot in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. We have a dedicated page for the women’s tournaments for you here. .
| Conference | 2026 Champion | Record | Clincher Detail (Bingo Moment!) |
| ACC | Duke | 24-8 | 70-65 OT win over Louisville. (Overtime Bingo!) |
| Big Ten | UCLA | 31-1 | 96-45 blowout over Iowa. (Powerhouse Bingo) |
| SEC | Texas | 31-13 | Beat South Carolina 78-61. (Upset Bingo!) |
| Big East | UConn | 34-0 | 90-51 over Villanova. (Perfect Season Bingo) |
| Big 12 | West Virginia | 27-6 | 62-53 over TCU. (Defensive Battle Bingo) |
| A-10 | Rhode Island | 28-4 | 53-51 over George Mason. (Nail-biter Bingo) |
| WCC | Gonzaga | 24-9 | 76-66 over Oregon State. (March Madness Bingo) |
| Mountain West | Colorado State | 27-7 | 56-42 over Air Force. (Defensive Stand Bingo) |
| Big Sky | Idaho | 29-5 | 60-57 over Montana State. (Close Game Bingo) |
| America East | Vermont | 27-7 | 61-43 over Maine. (Tournament Dominance) |
| Southland | Stephen F. Austin | 25-9 | 71-59 over McNeese. (Return to Dance Bingo) |
| Summit League | South Dakota St | 27-6 | 64-51 over N. Dakota St. (Jackrabbits Bingo) |
| Sun Belt | James Madison | 26-8 | 69-62 over Troy. (Dukes on Top Bingo) |
| ASUN | Jacksonville | 24-8 | 66-63 OT over Austin Peay. (OT Thriller!) |
| MAAC | Fairfield | 28-4 | 51-44 over Quinnipiac. (Low Scoring Bingo) |
| Horizon League | Green Bay | 25-8 | 57-49 over Youngstown St. (Phoenix Rising!) |
| Big South | High Point | 27-5 | 71-67 over Radford. (Back-to-Back Bingo) |
| Ohio Valley | Western Illinois | 26-5 | 71-65 over Lindenwood. (Leathernecks Win!) |
| SoCon | Samford | 16-18 | 72-67 over Chattanooga. (Losing Record Bingo!) |
2026 March Madness Resources & Key Dates (Men’s)
- Selection Sunday: March 15, 2026
- Men’s Selection Show: 6:00 PM ET on CBS / Paramount+
- Women’s Selection Show: 8:00 PM ET on ESPN / ESPN+
- First Four (Dayton, OH): March 17-18, 2026
- First Round: March 19-20, 2026
- Second Round: March 21-22, 2026
- Sweet 16: March 26-27, 2026
- Elite Eight: March 28-29, 2026
- Final Four (Indianapolis): April 4, 2026
- National Championship: April 6, 2026
If you’re already ready to fill out your brackets, here you go:
- Printable Men’s March Madness Bracket
- Printable Women’s March Madness Bracket
- Printable Men’s March Madness Bracket – Auto Bid Tracker
How to Watch: Games will be broadcast across CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. You can stream every game via March Madness Live, Paramount+ (for CBS games), and Max (for Turner Sports games).
Why These Teams Are “In”
While Selection Sunday (March 15) determines the full bracket, these conference tournament winners receive an “Automatic Bid.” This means even if they aren’t ranked in the Top 25, they are guaranteed a spot in the tournament. For mid-major programs, winning their conference title is the only way to ensure they get to play in March Madness.
Champ Week FAQ: What’s Next?
- When is Selection Sunday? The full brackets for both the men’s and women’s tournaments will be revealed on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The Men’s Selection Show is at 6 PM ET (CBS), and the Women’s is at 8 PM ET (ESPN).
- How many automatic bids are left? As of Thursday morning, 16 men’s bids and 15 women’s bids remain undecided. Most Power 4 conferences (Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC) will crown their champions over the weekend.
- Who are the current No. 1 seed favorites? For the men, UConn, Florida, Kansas, and Purdue are currently leading projections. For the women, UConn, UCLA, Texas, and Duke have all but locked up the top line.
