As of Monday night, March 9, 2026, a total of 21 teams have officially punched their tickets to the 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. Notable automatic qualifiers include UConn (Women), UCLA (Women), Texas (Women), and Duke (Women) on the women’s side, while Troy, Furman, and Northern Iowa have secured their spots in the men’s field. LIU (Men) has also clinched the NEC bid due to their opponent’s postseason ineligibility.
2026 Men’s Automatic Qualifiers
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 | Team | Record | Date Clinched |
| ASUN | Queens | 21-13 | March 8 |
| Big South | High Point | 30-4 | March 8 |
| Missouri Valley | Northern Iowa | 23-12 | March 8 |
| Northeast (NEC) | LIU | 23-10 | March 9 |
| Ohio Valley | Tennessee State | 23-9 | March 7 |
| Southern (SoCon) | Furman | 23-10 | March 9 |
| Summit League | North Dakota State | 27-7 | March 8 |
| Sun Belt | Troy | 21-11 | March 9 |
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 | Team | Record | Date Clinched |
| ACC | Duke | 28-2 | March 8 |
| ASUN | Jacksonville | 24-8 | March 8 |
| Atlantic 10 | Rhode Island | 25-6 | March 8 |
| Big 12 | West Virginia | 23-8 | March 8 |
| Big East | UConn | 34-0 | March 9 |
| Big South | High Point | 24-7 | March 8 |
| Big Ten | UCLA | 29-3 | March 8 |
| MAAC | Fairfield | 27-4 | March 9 |
| Ohio Valley | Western Illinois | 21-10 | March 7 |
| SEC | Texas | 28-4 | March 8 |
| SoCon | Samford | 22-9 | March 8 |
| Summit League | South Dakota St. | 26-5 | March 8 |
| Sun Belt | James Madison | 26-8 | March 9 |
Next Up: Tuesday’s Championship Schedule
Watch these games today, Tuesday, March 10, to see who punches the next tickets.
Men’s Championship Games
- Horizon League: #1 Wright State vs. #3 Detroit Mercy | 7:00 PM ET (ESPN)
- CAA Final: Hofstra vs. Charleston | 7:00 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)
- WCC Final: #1 St. Mary’s vs. #2 Gonzaga | 9:00 PM ET (ESPN)
Women’s Championship Games
- WCC Final: Portland vs. Gonzaga | 4:00 PM ET (ESPN2)
- Mountain West Final: UNLV vs. Wyoming | 9:30 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)
- Horizon League Final: Cleveland St vs. Green Bay | 7:00 PM ET (ESPN+)
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:
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.
