Tuesday marked a busy day on the school basketball calendar as 4 extra automated bids to the 2026 NCAA Event have been awarded within the CAA, Horizon League, WCC, and the MAAC. The winners of these video games joined the groups which have already clinched a spot within the Large Dance.
The largest recreation of the day was within the WCC. No. 1 seed Gonzaga defeated No. 3 seed Santa Clara 79-68 to win its twenty first WCC title for the reason that flip of the century. This was Gonzaga’s closing event as a member of the WCC, as this system is departing for the new-look Pac-12 this summer time.
Santa Clara entered this week on the bubble. After pulling off an upset win over Saint Mary’s on Monday night time, the Broncos are nonetheless in competition to safe their first NCAA Event look since 1996 by receiving an at-large berth, which might make the WCC a three-bid league.
Elsewhere, Wright State defeated Detroit Mercy 66-63 within the Horizon League championship recreation. With Detroit Mercy down two factors within the closing seconds, Wright State ahead Kellen Pickett blocked a shot on the rim to seal the victory for his group. Wright State shall be making its first NCAA Event look since 2022.
BYU, freshman star AJ Dybantsa set scoring information in Large 12 Event opener win over Kansas State
Cameron Salerno
Within the CAA Championship, Hofstra superior to the NCAA Event for the primary time since 2001 with a 75-69 win over Monmouth. Siena defeated Merrimack 64-54 to punch its ticket to the Large Dance for the primary time since 2010.
Lengthy Island College defeated Mercyhurst 79-70 within the Northeast Convention title recreation. Nevertheless, the league’s automated bid was already determined earlier than the sport as a result of Mercyhurst is ineligible for the NCAA Event whereas being within the transition interval.
The ACC, Large 12 and Large Ten tournaments started on Tuesday, with probably the most notable bubble end result coming within the ACC. No. 15 seed Pitt upset Stanford, which seemingly ends the Cardinal’s hopes of securing an at-large berth within the Large Dance. Within the Large 12, BYU broke convention information — which included a 40-point outing by star freshman AJ Dybantsa — in a 105-91 win over Kansas State.
The Large East and SEC started their respective tournaments on Wednesday. Computerized bids within the Large Sky, Patriot League and the Southland may even be handed out on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s convention event schedule, scores
2025-26 convention event champions
| CONFERENCE | DATES | LOCATION | CHAMPIONSHIP (TV) / CHAMPION |
| America East | March 7, 10, 14 | Increased 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) |
| Large 12 | March 10-14 | Kansas Metropolis, Mo. | Saturday, 6 p.m. ESPN |
| Large East | March 11-14 | New York Metropolis | Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Fox |
| Large Sky | March 7-11 | Boise, Idaho | Wednesday, 11:30 p.m. ESPN2 |
| Large South | March 4, 6-8 | Johnson Metropolis, Tenn. | Excessive Level Panthers (30-4) |
| Large Ten | March 10-15 | Chicago | Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CBS |
| Large West | March 11-14 | Henderson, Nev. | Saturday, 10 p.m. ESPN2 |
| CAA | March 6-10 | Washington, D.C. | Hofstra Delight (24-10) |
| Convention USA | March 10-14 | Huntsville, Ala. | Saturday, 8:30 p.m. CBS Sports activities Community |
| 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 Metropolis, 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 | Increased seed hosts | Lengthy Island Sharks (24-10) |
| Ohio Valley | March 4-7 | Evansville, Ind. | Tennessee State Tigers (23-9) |
| Patriot League | March 3,5,8,11 | Increased seed hosts | Wednesday, 7 p.m. CBS Sports activities Community |
| 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. | Wednesday, 5 p.m. ESPN2 |
| 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) |
| Solar 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 |
Northern Iowa wins Arch Insanity
No. 6 seed Northern Iowa defeated No. 5 seed UIC 84-69 within the Missouri Valley Convention title recreation to punch its ticket to the Large Dance. Northern Iowa shall be making its first NCAA Event look since 2016.
In Northern Iowa’s final exhibiting on the NCAA Event a decade in the past, the Panthers shocked Texas within the first spherical after Paul Jesperson drilled a half-court shot on the buzzer to provide his group a dramatic victory. This shall be Northern Iowa’s third event look since 2010. Northern Iowa has received at the least one recreation within the Large Dance in all three appearances.
Excessive Level dancing in back-to-back seasons
The second automated bid went to Excessive Level, the No. 1 seed within the Large South Event. The Panthers defeated No. 2 seed Winthrop 91-76 within the title recreation to advance to their second consecutive NCAA Event. Final 12 months, Excessive Level misplaced to Purdue within the first spherical of the Large Dance.
Queens clinches first-ever NCAA Event bid
The third automated bid of the day went to Queens. The Royals defeated Central Arkansas in time beyond regulation within the ASUN title recreation to clinch their first NCAA Event look in program historical past.
Buzzer-beater has Boston College taking part in in Patriot League closing
Maybe one of the crucial surprising outcomes of the day got here within the Patriot League, when Boston College upset No. 1 seed Navy. After Navy took a quick lead with lower than 4 seconds remaining, Likelihood Gladden drilled a 3-pointer on the buzzer to ship his group to the convention title recreation.
Boston College will face Lehigh within the Patriot League title recreation on Wednesday.
Troy goes dancing
No. 1 seed Troy defeated Georgia Southern 77-61 within the Solar Belt Event title recreation to clinch its spot within the NCAA Event for the second consecutive season and fourth time in program historical past.Georgia Southern, the No. 10 seed within the Solar Belt, was on one of the crucial unlikely convention event runs after profitable 5 video games in 5 days within the Solar Belt’s “ladder-format.”
Furman upsets East Tennessee State to clinch autobid
Within the SoCon Event title recreation, No. 6 seed Furman upset No. 1 seed East Tennessee State 76-61. Furman final made the NCAA Event in 2023, when it pulled off a dramatic upset win over Virginia on a last-second shot. This 12 months will mark this system’s eighth look within the NCAA Event.
