2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams
This is a list of qualifying teams in the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. A total of 68 teams will be entered into the tournament. Thirty-one of the teams will qualify via automatic bids, usually earned by winning their conference tournaments, while the remaining 37 teams are going to be selected via "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams will be seeded from 1 to 16 within each of the four regionals, while the Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.
Automatic bids
A total of 31 automatic bids to the tournament are granted to the below listed conferences, normally to the team that wins the conference's championship tournament. Seeds listed reflect seeding within the conference tournaments. Runners-up in boldface later received at-large berths.
Qualifying school |
Record (Conf.) |
Seed |
Last app. |
# of app. |
Tournament |
Runner-up |
Record (Conf.) |
Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LIU |
24–10 (15–3) |
1 |
2018 |
8th |
NEC |
Mercyhurst |
17–17 (10–8) |
3 |
Tennessee State |
23–9 (15–5) |
1 |
1994 |
3rd |
Ohio Valley |
Morehead State |
20–13 (15–5) |
2 |
Northern Iowa |
23–12 (11–9) |
6 |
2016 |
9th |
Missouri Valley |
UIC |
19–15 (12–8) |
5 |
High Point |
30–4 (15–1) |
1 |
2025 |
2nd |
Big South |
Winthrop |
23–11 (13–3) |
2 |
Queens |
21–13 (13–5) |
3 |
Never |
1st |
ASUN |
Central Arkansas |
22–12 (15–3) |
1 |
North Dakota State |
27–7 (14–2) |
1 |
2019 |
5th |
Summit League |
North Dakota |
18–17 (10–6) |
3 |
Furman |
22–12 (10–8) |
6 |
2023 |
5th |
SoCon |
East Tennessee State |
23–11 (13–5) |
1 |
Troy |
22–11 (12–6) |
1 |
2025 |
4th |
Sun Belt |
Georgia Southern |
21–16 (8–10) |
10 |
Wright State |
23–11 (15–5) |
1 |
2022 |
5th |
Horizon |
Detroit Mercy |
17–15 (12–8) |
3 |
Hofstra |
24–10 (12–7) |
3 |
2001 |
5th |
CAA |
Monmouth |
19–15 (11–7) |
4 |
Siena |
23–11 (13–7) |
3 |
2010 |
7th |
MAAC |
Merrimack |
23–11 (17–3) |
1 |
Gonzaga |
30–3 (16–2) |
1 |
2025 |
28th |
WCC |
Santa Clara |
26–8 (15–3) |
3 |
McNeese |
28–5 (19–3) |
2 |
2025 |
5th |
Southland |
Stephen F. Austin |
28–5 (20–2) |
1 |
Lehigh |
18–16 (11–7) |
2 |
2012 |
6th |
Patriot |
Boston University |
17–17 (10–8) |
4 |
Idaho |
21–14 (9–9) |
7 |
1990 |
5th |
Big Sky |
Montana |
18–16 (10–8) |
4 |
UMBC |
24–8 (14–2) |
1 |
2018 |
3rd |
America East |
Vermont |
22–12 (12–4) |
2 |
Howard |
23–10 (11–3) |
1 |
2024 |
5th |
MEAC |
North Carolina Central |
14–18 (8–6) |
3 |
Utah State |
28–6 (15–5) |
1 |
2025 |
26th |
Mountain West |
San Diego State |
23–11 (14–6) |
2 |
Arizona |
32–2 (16–2) |
1 |
2025 |
40th |
Big 12 |
Houston |
28–6 (14–4) |
2 |
St. John's |
28–6 (18–2) |
1 |
2025 |
31st |
Big East |
UConn |
29–5 (17–3) |
2 |
Prairie View A&M |
18–17 (9–9) |
8 |
2019 |
3rd |
SWAC |
Southern |
17–17 (11–7) |
3 |
Akron |
29–5 (17–1) |
2 |
2025 |
8th |
MAC |
Toledo |
19–15 (11–7) |
4 |
Kennesaw State |
21–13 (10–10) |
6 |
2023 |
2nd |
CUSA |
Louisiana Tech |
20–14 (11–9) |
4 |
Duke |
32–2 (17–1) |
1 |
2025 |
48th |
ACC |
Virginia |
29–5 (15–3) |
2 |
Hawaii |
24–8 (14–6) |
2 |
2016 |
6th |
Big West |
UC Irvine |
23–11 (15–5) |
1 |
California Baptist |
25–8 (13–5) |
2 |
Never |
1st |
WAC |
Utah Valley |
25–8 (14–4) |
1 |
Penn |
18–11 (9–5) |
3 |
2018 |
25th |
Ivy League |
Yale |
24–6 (11–3) |
1 |
Arkansas |
26–8 (13–5) |
3 |
2025 |
37th |
SEC |
Vanderbilt |
26–8 (11–7) |
4 |
VCU |
27–7 (15–3) |
2 |
2025 |
20th |
Atlantic 10 |
Dayton |
21–11 (12–6) |
4 |
Purdue |
27–8 (13–7) |
7 |
2025 |
37th |
Big Ten |
Michigan |
31–3 (19–1) |
1 |
South Florida |
25–8 (15–3) |
1 |
2012 |
4th |
American |
Wichita State |
22–11 (13–5) |
2 |
At-large bids
37 at-large teams were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.
Team |
Conference |
Last appearance |
# of appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
Clemson |
ACC |
2025 |
16th |
Louisville |
2025 |
41st |
|
Miami (FL) |
2023 |
13th |
|
North Carolina |
2025 |
55th |
|
NC State |
2024 |
30th |
|
SMU |
2017 |
13th |
|
Virginia |
2024 |
27th |
|
Saint Louis |
Atlantic 10 |
2019 |
11th |
BYU |
Big 12 |
2025 |
33rd |
Houston |
2025 |
27th |
|
Iowa State |
2025 |
25th |
|
Kansas |
2025 |
54th |
|
TCU |
2024 |
12th |
|
Texas Tech |
2025 |
22nd |
|
UCF |
2019 |
6th |
|
UConn |
Big East |
2025 |
39th |
Villanova |
2022 |
42nd |
|
Illinois |
Big Ten |
2025 |
36th |
Iowa |
2023 |
30th |
|
Michigan |
2025 |
33rd |
|
Michigan State |
2025 |
39th |
|
Nebraska |
2024 |
9th |
|
Ohio State |
2022 |
36th |
|
UCLA |
2025 |
52nd |
|
Wisconsin |
2025 |
29th |
|
Miami (OH) |
MAC |
2007 |
18th |
Alabama |
SEC |
2025 |
27th |
Florida |
2025 |
24th |
|
Georgia |
2025 |
12th |
|
Kentucky |
2025 |
64th |
|
Missouri |
2025 |
30th |
|
Tennessee |
2025 |
28th |
|
Texas |
2025 |
40th |
|
Texas A&M |
2025 |
18th |
|
Vanderbilt |
2025 |
17th |
|
Saint Mary's |
WCC |
2025 |
14th |
Santa Clara |
1996 |
12th |
Bids by state
Bids |
State |
Schools |
|---|---|---|
2 |
Alabama |
Alabama, Troy |
1 |
Arkansas |
Arkansas |
1 |
Arizona |
Arizona |
4 |
California |
California Baptist, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, UCLA |
1 |
Connecticut |
UConn |
4 |
Florida |
Florida, Miami (FL), South Florida, UCF |
2 |
Georgia |
Georgia, Kennesaw State |
1 |
Hawaii |
Hawaii |
1 |
Idaho |
Idaho |
1 |
Indiana |
Purdue |
1 |
Illinois |
Illinois |
3 |
Iowa |
Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa |
1 |
Kansas |
Kansas |
2 |
Kentucky |
Louisville, Kentucky |
1 |
Louisiana |
McNeese |
1 |
Maryland |
UMBC |
2 |
Michigan |
Michigan, Michigan State |
2 |
Missouri |
Missouri, St. Louis |
1 |
Nebraska |
Nebraska |
4 |
New York |
Hofstra, LIU, Siena, St. John's |
5 |
North Carolina |
Duke, High Point, North Carolina, NC State, Queens |
1 |
North Dakota |
North Dakota State |
4 |
Ohio |
Akron, Miami (OH), Ohio State, Wright State |
3 |
Pennsylvania |
Lehigh, Penn, Villanova |
2 |
South Carolina |
Clemson, Furman |
3 |
Tennessee |
Tennessee, Tennessee State, Vanderbilt |
7 |
Texas |
Houston, Prairie View A&M, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU |
2 |
Utah |
BYU, Utah State |
2 |
Virginia |
Virginia, VCU |
1 |
Washington |
Gonzaga |
1 |
Washington, D.C. |
Howard |
1 |
Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
See also
- 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament qualifying teams