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March Madness automatic bids: Who has punched NCAA Tournament ticket?
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- March Madness automatic bids: Who has punched NCAA Tournament ticket?
Follow Selection Sunday live with USA TODAY Sports' live blog as the bracket is revealed.
Selection Sunday for the 2026 NCAA Tournament is here.
Each of the 31 conference tournament champions earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament , with the other 37 spots awarded to at-large teams by the tournament's selection committee.
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The final five automatic bids are up for grabs today. Here's a look at what's still up in the air and who has already booked their spot in the Big Dance.
College basketball games today: Conference finals, March Madness bids up for grabs
Here are the bids up for grabs today (listed by tip time):
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Ivy:Penn 88, Yale 84, OT
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SEC:Arkansas 86, Vanderbilt 75
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Atlantic 10:VCU 70, Dayton 62
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American:South Florida 70, Wichita State 55
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Big Ten:Purdue 80, Michigan State 72
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NCAA Tournament automatic bids: Who is in March Madness bracket 2026?
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American:South Florida
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America East:UMBC
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ACC: Duke
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ASUN:Queens (N.C.)
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Atlantic 10:Virginia Commonwealth
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Big 12:Arizona
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Big East:St. John's
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Big Sky:Idaho
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Big South:High Point
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Big Ten:Purdue
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Big West:Hawai'i
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CAA:Hofstra
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Conference USA:Kennesaw State
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Horizon League:Wright State
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Ivy League:Penn
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MAAC:Siena
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MAC:Akron
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MEAC:Howard
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Missouri Valley :Northern Iowa
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Mountain West:Utah State
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Northeast : Long Island
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Ohio Valley : Tennessee State
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Patriot League:Lehigh
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SEC:Arkansas
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SoCon:Furman
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Southland:McNeese
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SWAC:Prairie View A&M
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Summit League:North Dakota State
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Sun Belt:Troy
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WAC:California Baptist
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West Coast:Gonzaga
Gonzaga takes West Coast berth
Gonzaga didn't see arch-foe Saint Mary's in the final, but wasn't phased by Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference final. The Bulldogs, led by Mario Saint-Suprey's 21 points, unseated the Broncos to make their 27th straight Men's NCAA Tournament. It's their 23rd WCC title.
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Troy goes back-to-back in Sun Belt
The Trojans defeated No. 10 seed Georgia Southern 77-61 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida on Monday behind a game-high 23 points from Thomas Dowd.
It's back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles for Scott Cross' program, marking the sixth time in conference history a team has repeated as champions.
NDSU basketball wins Summit League
The Summit League's top seed North Dakota State beat in-state North Dakota in Sunday's Summit League tournament final, 70-62.
NDSU won the conference with a 14-2 league record this season, and will be making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2000.
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The Bison (27-7) advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in its Division I history, joining 2009, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2020.
Queens wins ASUN, headed to first NCAA Tournament
Queens (N.C.) booked its first trip to March Madness with a win over top-seed Central Arkansas in the ASUN Conference Tournament on Sunday.
The Royals needed to overcome overtime and 49 points from UCA's Camren Hunter, to win 98-93.
High Point repeats as Big South champion
High Point is headed back to March Madness after repeating as Big South Tournament champions.
High Point earned the No. 1 seed in the nine-team field under first-year coach Flynn Clayman with a program-best 15-1 regular season record in conference play.
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High Point defeated No. 2 seed Winthrop 91-76 in Sunday's championship game.
UNI back in March Madness for first time since 2016
For the first time in Missouri Valley Conference history, a team won four games in four days to win the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament automatic bid that goes with it.
No. 6 seed Northern Iowa beat No. 5 seed UIC 84-69 on Sunday in the Arch Madness finale in St. Louis to book its spot in March Madness.
It is UNI's first appearance in the Big Dance since 2016.
Tennessee State wins OVC, makes March Madness for first time since 1994
The Tigers are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994 after defeating Morehead State 93-67 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship on March 7 at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
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The top-seeded Tigers, under former Duke standout Nolan Smith (in his first season as head coach), dominated No. 2 seed Morehead State (20-13) from the tip-off. It was the most points scored by a team in an OVC Tournament final.
Long Island makes NCAA Tournament before NEC final
Because Mercyhurst reached the NEC Tournament final and isn't eligible for NCAA tournament play because of its transition from Division II, Long Island gets the automatic bid regardless of the result in Tuesday's championship game.
Former NBA standout Rod Strickland is LIU's head coach and has engineered an impressive turnaround from one of the country's worst teams two seasons ago.
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What day does March Madness start?
The NCAA tournament First Four on the men's side begins on Tuesday, March 17 and continues on Wednesday, March 18.
The four men's games, which are held in Dayton, Ohio, feature the final four at-large selections to the field, as well as the four lowest-rated No. 16 seeds. The winner of each matchup advances to the first round. First-round games will take place on March 19 and March 20.
When is Selection Sunday?
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Date:Sunday, March 15
Selection Sunday for the 2025-26 college basketball season will take place on Sunday, March 15, with both the men's and women's NCAA Tournament brackets being revealed.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness automatic bids update: Who is in NCAA Tournament bracket?
