With March Madness almost a week away, all of the teams are fighting their way to be part of the total 68 teams waiting for their bid in the NCAA Tournament field. 31 of the spots are reserved for the conference tournament champions who earn automatic bids, while the remaining 37 will be filled with at-large selections chosen by the NCAA selection committee.
The first ticket was punched during the OVC Championship on March 7, while the final automatic bid will come out of the Big Ten Tournament on March 15. With conference tournament week now in full swing, here’s a complete breakdown of who has already booked their trip to March Madness and when the rest of the field will be decided.
Teams That Have Already Booked Their Slots for the NCAA Tournament
Two teams, LIU and Tennessee State, have already booked their slots for the NCAA Tournament. LIU defeated Wagner in the Northeast Conference semifinals, but mist play Mercyhurst in the NEC finals on March 10.
However, Mercyhurst is not eligible for the NCAA Tournament, giving LIU the NEC auto-bid in this rare circumstance. This will be LIU’s first March Madness appearance since 2018. The last time, LIU lost to Radford in the First Four and has never won an NCAA Tournament game so far. But perhaps, it can change tides this time.
The second slot was booked by Tennessee State after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with a 93-67 victory over Morehead State. Tennessee State hasn’t been in the tournament since 1994 and has not won a game in the NCAA Tournament, similar to LIU.
But this time, they could have a bid at a deep run as the Tigers are being coached by former Duke guard and 2010 national champion Nolan Smith. Can Smith make an impact in his first season leading the program? We shall find out soon.
Full Schedule of Remaining Automatic Bids
With two early bids locked in, the rest of the field will be decided over the next week. Four tournament berths are to be decided on Sunday alone as North Iowa faces UIC in the Missouri Valley Conference championship, Winthrop faces High Point in the Big South championship, Queens University faces Central Arkansas in the Atlantic Sun championship, and North Dakota State takes on North Dakota in the Summit League championship.
Here is a complete schedule of the remaining conference championship games, as per On3 –
- March 8: MVC (UIC vs. Northern Iowa, 12 pm ET, CBS), Big South (High Point vs. Winthrop, 12 pm ET, ESPN2), ASUN (Central Arkansas vs. Queens, 2 pm ET, ESPN2), Summit (North Dakota State vs. North Dakota, 9 pm ET, CBSSN)
- March 9: Sun Belt (7 pm ET), SoCon (7 pm ET)
- March 10: NEC Final (LIU vs. Mercyhurst, 7 pm ET, ESPN2), CAA (7 pm ET, CBSSN), Horizon (7 pm ET, ESPN), WCC (9 pm ET, ESPN)
- March 11: Southland (5 pm ET, ESPN2), Patriot (7 pm ET, CBSSN), Big Sky (11:30 pm ET, ESPN2)
- March 14: AEC (11 am ET, ESPN2), MEAC (1 pm ET, ESPN2), MWC (6 pm ET, CBS), Big 12 (6 pm ET, ESPN), Big East (6:30 pm ET, FOX), SWAC (7:30 pm ET, ESPNU), MAC (8 pm ET, ESPN2), CUSA (8:30 pm ET, CBSSN), ACC (8:30 pm ET, ESPN), Big West (10 pm ET, ESPN2), WAC (11:59 pm ET, ESPN2)
- March 15: Selection Sunday: Ivy (12 pm ET, ESPN2), SEC (1 pm ET, ESPN), A10 (1 pm ET, CBS), American (3:15 pm ET, ESPN), Big Ten (3:30 pm ET, CBS).
Champ Week ends with the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, March 15, just hours before the full 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament is revealed. For bubble teams, the next seven days could be make-or-break for a chance to have a bid in March Madness.
Read More:
John Calipari Admits Tough Relationship With Mitch Barnhart as Retirement Reopens Old Wounds
Why Was Bill Self Ejected by Officials? Bizarre Moment in Kansas vs Arizona State Explained
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
