As March Madness gets underway, 68 teams from 31 different conferences will compete for the ultimate college basketball prize. There are 31 auto-bids reserved for conference champions, while the rest are dutifully analyzed and hand-picked by the selection committee based on strength of résumé.
Here's the breakdown for how many teams from each D-I men's basketball conference made the tournament — plus analysis on how many Power Four schools can actually claim a real shot at winning it all.
How many bids did each conference receive in 2026 NCAA Tournament?
Conference | Total March Madness bids |
|---|---|
SEC | 10 |
Big Ten | 9 |
ACC | 8 |
Big 12 | 8 |
Big East | 3 |
WCC | 3 |
Atlantic 10 | 2 |
MAC | 2 |
Atlantic Sun | 1 |
American East | 1 |
American | 1 |
Big Sky | 1 |
Big South | 1 |
Big West | 1 |
CAA | 1 |
CUSA | 1 |
Horizon | 1 |
Ivy | 1 |
MAAC | 1 |
MEAC | 1 |
MVC | 1 |
Mountain West | 1 |
NEC | 1 |
OVC | 1 |
Patriot | 1 |
SoCon | 1 |
Southland | 1 |
Summet | 1 |
Sun Belt | 1 |
SWAC | 1 |
WAC | 1 |
The SEC stands alone at the top of the leaderboard for the second straight season. This comes after a record 14 SEC teams appeared in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. While know the southeast has come to dominate football, at least on some level, but basketball superiority is a newer development.
Florida, the reigning champs and a No. 1 seed in the South Region, are the headliners, but the SEC brings several quality teams to the Big Dance. Of the 10 — ranging from a top seed all the way to the First Four — not a single team feels weak relative to its seed.
That said, the truest heavyweights probably come from the Big 12 and the ACC. This eight-bid tournament ties the conference record for the Big 12; the ACC fell one short of its record of nine, set back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018.
The ACC can claim the top overall seed in Duke, while Arizona is a betting favorite from the Big 12. The Big Ten also tied its record with nine bids, while top-seed Michigan, on paper, is as strong as any team in college hoops.
Which SEC teams can win the NCAA Tournament?
Heavyweights: (1) Florida, (6) Tennessee
History tells us only a team ranked top-40 in offensive efficiency and top-25 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, can win the NCAA Tournament. That formula has proven true since KenPom's database began in 1997. Florida and Tennessee check that box out of the SEC.
Florida won it last year, and while the departure of veteran guards Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin leaves the Gators with a weaker backcourt by comparison, Todd Golden's team dominates on the defensive end. There aren't many more imposing frontcourt trios in college basketball than Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. And while Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee have fallen well short of expectations, both are talented guards with experience on the March Madness stage (especially Lee, a former clubhouse leader at Princeton).
Tennessee has a potential lottery pick in Nate Ament, a talented collection of veterans in the backcourt, and a rugged defensive backbone developed under head coach Rick Barnes. The Vols experienced some turbulence this season, reflected in their sixth seed designation, but Tennessee has a chance to break a few hearts and bust a few brackets.
Sleepers: (4) Arkansas, (4) Alabama, (5) Vanderbilt
Arkansas has the best freshman point guard in recent memory in Darius Acuff, who's shooting over 50 percent from deep since the calendar flipped to February. The Razorbacks' defense lags behind other champs historically, but this offense is a real barn-burner and John Calipari has no shortage of experience on this stage, which he can hopefully transfer through osmosis to a younger roster.
Alabama lost No. 2 scorer Aden Holloway to a drug-related arrest, but Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in college basketball and we've seen the Crimson Tide make deep runs in the recent past. Labaron Philon is right up there with the best guards in the country, with a clutch gene that could serve him well in a single elimination tournament. The Tide take and make a lot of 3s. If Alabama gets hot, watch out.
Vandy in the five-seed is one of the easiest upset picks in the entire tournament. Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles form an electric backcourt and the Commodores have been scorching hot of late, beating Florida in the SEC Tournament and pushing Arkansas to the brink in the title game.
Which Big Ten teams can win the NCAA Tournament?
Heavyweights: (1) Michigan, Michigan State (3)
Michigan and Michigan State happen to meet the aforementioned statistical criteria, plus there's a poetic quality to two in-state rivals vying to represent their conference in the championship round.
The Wolverines have the clear upper-hand and would probably be the outright favorite if not for the season-ending injury to L.J. Cason. Star Yaxel Lendeborg is also battling through an ankle injury as the tournament gets underway. Michigan's bench is weak and their offense could sputter against swarming, physical defense, but still, the weakest No. 1 seed is still an incredibly strong pick to run the gauntlet.
The Spartans will ride electric sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. into March, hoping he can set the tone with his infectious, at times downright combustive intensity. Tom Izzo knows his way around the dance, folks.
Sleepers: (2) Purdue, (3) Illinois, Nebraska (4)
Purdue has the best offense in the country and just unseated Michigan in the Big Ten title game, but the month leading up to the Boilermakers' conference tournament run was far less inspiring. Braden Smith is arguably the best point guard in the country and Purdue has a lot of firepower, but their defense could prove too vulnerable.
Illinois is in a similar boat. The Illini just did not close the season strong. Talent-wise, this roster has everything, from a potential top-five pick in Keaton Wagler, to a ton of experienced, hard-nosed vets like Andrej Stojakovic, Kylan Boswell and the Ivisic brothers. Star freshman David Mirković also fits into that group as a 20-year-old with pro experience overseas.
Nebraska won 20 straight to open the season, led by fireballer Pryce Sandfort. This Cornhuskers team is a classic "sleeper," to the extent we can call a top-four seed a "sleeper." Nebraska's final month was a bit more rough and tumble, but this team can shoot the cover off the ball collectively and there are a bunch of smart, savvy vets in the lineup.
Which Big 12 teams can win the NCAA Tournament?
Heavyweights: (1) Arizona, (2) Iowa State, (2) Houston
Don't get it twisted: the SEC and Big Ten have more teams in the tournament, but in terms of front-to-back quality, there is not a better basketball conference this season than the Big 12. Arizona only lost two games all year, avenged one of those losses in the conference title game (against an equally intimidating Houston squad), and basically has five potential 2026 NBA Draft picks in the starting lineup. Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are the headliners, but Motiejus Krivas anchors a top-ranked defense and Jaden Bradley won Big 12 Player of the Year behind quality point guard play and pesky on-ball defense.
Iowa State is another team that checks all the historically relevant boxes stat-wise, with tons of experienced veterans playing the best basketball of their careers. Joshua Jefferson has blossomed into a well-rounded, supercomputer-esque destroyer of worlds. He sees the floor so clearly and has a counter to everything the defense throws his way. Tamin Lipsey is a great college point guard; Milan Momcilovic is shooting almost 50 percent on 3s for the season, scoring with truly unheard-of efficiency. The Cyclones are the real deal, y'all.
Houston was in the championship game last season, but fell a hair short against uber-talented Florida. Much of that core is back, with potential top-five pick Kingston Flemings now leading the way at point. Flemings' poise and leadership skills for a 19-year-old are unbelieveable. It's like Kelvin Sampson built him in a lab. Joseph Tugler is the best defender in college hoops, a grade-A enforcer, while veteran guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp know the deal at this point in their careers. This could be the year for the Cougs.
Sleepers: (4) Kansas
It's hard to fully trust the middle-tier Big 12 teams this spring, if only due to injuries. BYU would be a clear sleeper if Richie Saunders was still available. Kansas, however, plays lockdown defense and has flashed impressive continuity when Darryn Peterson misses time. If Bill Self can get Peterson at full strength (god only knows) and get him integrated with his teammates, the ceiling on this Jayhawks team is awfully high. Just know it could all go sideways very quickly.
Which ACC teams can win the NCAA Tournament?
Heavyweights: (1) Duke, (3) Virginia
Duke went 32-2 through the ACC Tournament and dispatched Virginia a second time to claim the conference crown. The Blue Devils are the only top-five team in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom, ranked No. 1 on defense. Jon Scheyer has proven his chops not only as a recruiter, but as a great coach. It helps to have the best player in the country in superstar freshman Cam Boozer.
The Blue Devils are still working through the aftermath of injuries to Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, but this is a deep, talented roster with a lot of optionality. If Ngongba gets back to full strength over the course of this tournament, it's hard to poke holes in Duke's chances to go the distance.
Virginia has a trio of elite bigs in freshmen Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grünloh, both of whom were seasoned as pros overseas, and senior Ugonna Onyenso, the best pound-for-pound shot blocker in college hoops. Ryan Odom beat Virginia as a 16-seed at UMBC not so long ago; he's a great coach who understands this stage. The Cavaliers are elite on defense, per usual, but their evolution offensively under Odom has been very promising. Virginia might finally break through.
Sleepers: (6) North Carolina
UNC falls just outside the KenPom parameters for a national champ (32nd in ORtg, 37th in DRtg). The season-ending injury to star freshman Caleb Wilson probably puts a fork in the Tar Heels, in all honesty, but UNC has a veteran group. Herni Veesaar is a frequent mismatch in the post, Seth Trimble is a savvy senior guard, Jarin Stevenson has great flashes as a long, athletic play-finisher. There's something here still. Never say never.