Wednesday was another busy day as automatic bids were awarded to the 2026 NCAA Tournament from the Big Sky, Patriot League and the Southland. The winners of those conferences joined the 12 teams that had already clinched a berth to the Big Dance.
McNeese defeated Stephen F. Austin 76-59 in the Southland Tournament title game. The Cowboys' win over SFA came less than 24 hours after securing a dramatic triple-overtime win over UT Rio Grande Valley in the semifinals. McNeese will make its third consecutive appearance in the Big Dance.
In the Patriot League, Lehigh defeated Boston University 74-60 to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain Hawks will be making their first appearance in the Big Dance since 2012 -- the year the program upset Duke in the first round.
Bracketology locks ahead of Selection Sunday: We think these teams are safely in and these have work to do
David Cobb
Idaho clinched its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1990 with a 77-66 win over Montana in the Big Sky title game.
The ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and SEC will continue their respective conference tournaments on Thursday. No automatic bids will be handed out on Thursday.
Thursday's conference tournament schedule, scores
2025-26 conference tournament champions
| CONFERENCE | DATES | LOCATION | CHAMPIONSHIP (TV) / CHAMPION |
| America East | March 7, 10, 14 | Higher seed hosts | Saturday, 11 a.m. ESPN2 |
| American | March 11-15 | Birmingham, Ala. | Sunday, 3:15 p.m. ESPN |
| Atlantic 10 | March 11-15 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Sunday, 1 p.m. CBS |
| ACC | March 10-14 | Charlotte, N.C. | Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ESPN |
| ASUN | March 4,6-8 | Jacksonville, Fla. | Queens Royals (21-13) |
| Big 12 | March 10-14 | Kansas City, Mo. | Saturday, 6 p.m. ESPN |
| Big East | March 11-14 | New York City | Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Fox |
| Big Sky | March 7-11 | Boise, Idaho | Idaho Vandals (21-14) |
| Big South | March 4, 6-8 | Johnson City, Tenn. | High Point Panthers (30-4) |
| Big Ten | March 10-15 | Chicago | Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CBS |
| Big West | March 11-14 | Henderson, Nev. | Saturday, 10 p.m. ESPN2 |
| CAA | March 6-10 | Washington, D.C. | Hofstra Pride (24-10) |
| Conference USA | March 10-14 | Huntsville, Ala. | Saturday, 8:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network |
| Horizon League | March 2,4,8-10 | Indianapolis | Wright State Raiders (23-11) |
| Ivy League | March 14-15 | Ithaca, N.Y. | Sunday, 12 p.m. ESPN2 |
| MAAC | March 5-10 | Atlantic City, N.J. | Siena Saints (23-11) |
| MAC | March 12-14 | Cleveland | Saturday, 8 p.m. ESPN2 |
| MEAC | March 11-14 | Norfolk, Va. | Saturday, 1 p.m. ESPN2 |
| Missouri Valley | March 5-8 | St. Louis | Northern Iowa Panthers (23-12) |
| Mountain West | March 11-14 | Las Vegas | Saturday, 6 p.m. CBS |
| Northeast | March 4,7,10 | Higher seed hosts | Long Island Sharks (24-10) |
| Ohio Valley | March 4-7 | Evansville, Ind. | Tennessee State Tigers (23-9) |
| Patriot League | March 3,5,8,11 | Higher seed hosts | Lehigh Mountain Hawks (18-16) |
| SEC | March 11-15 | Nashville, Tenn. | Sunday, 1 p.m. ESPN |
| SoCon | March 6-9 | Asheville, N.C. | Furman Paladins (22-12) |
| Southland | March 8-11 | Lake Charles, La. | McNeese Cowboys (28-5) |
| SWAC | March 9-14 | Atlanta | Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ESPNU |
| Summit League | March 4-8 | Sioux Falls, S.D. | North Dakota State Bison (27-7) |
| Sun Belt | March 3-9 | Pensacola, Fla. | Troy Trojans (22-11) |
| West Coast | March 5-10 | Las Vegas | Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-3) |
| WAC | March 11-14 | Las Vegas | Saturday, 12 a.m. ESPN2 |
Furman upsets East Tennessee State to clinch autobid
In the SoCon Tournament title game, No. 6 seed Furman upset No. 1 seed East Tennessee State 76-61. Furman last made the NCAA Tournament in 2023, when it pulled off a dramatic upset win over Virginia on a last-second shot. This year will mark the program's eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga wins WCC, again
The biggest game of the day was in the WCC. No. 1 seed Gonzaga defeated No. 3 seed Santa Clara 79-68 to win its 21st WCC title since the turn of the century. This was Gonzaga's final tournament as a member of the WCC, as the program is departing for the new-look Pac-12 this summer.
Santa Clara entered this week on the bubble. After pulling off an upset win over Saint Mary's on Monday night, the Broncos are still in contention to secure their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 by receiving an at-large berth, which would make the WCC a three-bid league.
Wright State goes dancing
Elsewhere, Wright State defeated Detroit Mercy 66-63 in the Horizon League championship game. With Detroit Mercy down two points in the final seconds, Wright State forward Kellen Pickett blocked a shot at the rim to seal the victory for his team. Wright State will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022.
Hofstra advances to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001
In the CAA Championship, Hofstra advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 with a 75-69 win over Monmouth. Siena defeated Merrimack 64-54 to punch its ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 2010.
