It’s that time of the year in college basketball.
The snow is melting. The days are lengthening. Games involving Maine and Idaho are gaining importance outside the Pine Tree and Gem States, respectively.
Yes, it’s conference tournament week throughout the land. Play began on Monday and through Selection Sunday, 31 Division I men’s college basketball tournaments will be staged, and 31 conference tournament champions will be crowned. Each will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, a prestigious honor for any program as well as traditionally the only way into the tournament for members of conferences in the distant past. Here is the full men’s conference tournament schedule.
On Wednesday, Lehigh became the latest squad to punch its ticket. The Mountain Hawks downed Boston University 74–60 to win the Patriot League tournament for the first time since 2012—the year they shocked Duke in the first round, led by celebrated guard C.J. McCollum. That came six days after Lehigh knocked out Holy Cross on the first buzzer beater of conference tournament season.
Here is every team that has clinched a bid to the Big Dance thus far—as well as when each team last made the tournament.
NCAA men’s tournament automatic bids
| Conference | Winner | First tournament appearance since … |
|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | Idaho | 1990 |
| Patriot | Lehigh | 2012 |
| Southland | McNeese State | 2025 |
| WCC | Gonzaga | 2025 |
| MAAC | Siena | 2010 |
| CAA | Hofstra | 2001 |
| Horizon | Wright State | 2022 |
| Southern | Furman | 2023 |
| Sun Belt | Troy | 2025 |
| Summit | North Dakota State | 2019 |
| Atlantic Sun | Queens | First in program history |
| Big South | High Point | 2025 |
| Missouri Valley | Northern Iowa | 2016 |
| Ohio Valley | Tennessee State | 1994 |
| Northeast | Long Island* | 2018 |
Editor’s note: Long Island earns an auto-bid regardless of Northeast title game result with Mercyhurst ineligible.
More College Basketball from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- Men’s Basketball Bracket Watch: Oklahoma Streaking to Top of March Madness Bubble
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- Indiana’s Disastrous Late-Season Collapse Pushes Hoosiers Out of a March Madness Bid
- How USC Collapsed From 18-6 to Missing the NCAA Tournament in a Month
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NCAA Men’s Tournament Automatic Bid Tracker: Idaho Returns to Big Dance for First Time in 36 Years.
