The SEC leads all conferences for the most bids in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
It’s the fourth straight season that the conference has at least shared the most tournament bids. The conference also picked up its first victory of the tournament when No. 11 Texas beat No. 11 NC State 68-66 in the First Four on Tuesday.
Will that mean the Southeastern Conference enjoys the most success in the Big Dance? We’ll track the major conferences through the first few rounds of the NCAA tournament. Which schools had the most tournament bids? Who will have the best record? Which conference will send the most schools to the Sweet 16 and Final Four? We will track that all here through the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
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March Madness record by conference in 2026
Here is a look at the records of each of the conferences with multiple bids in the 2025-26 NCAA Tournament. Sporting News will track those records with each round:
| CONFERENCE | W | L | PCT |
| SEC | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Big 12 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| MAC | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| ACC | 2 | 2 | .500 |
| Big Ten | 2 | 2 | .333 |
| Atlantic 10 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Big 12 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Big East | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| West Coast | 0 | 0 | .000 |
The Big Ten had an uneven start on the early set Thursday. No. 9 TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State 66-4, and No. 12 High Point beat No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 in a patented 5-12 upset. Michigan had an easy win later in the afternoon over North Dakota State. No. 6 Louisville picked up the ACC’s first victory in a 83-79 victory against No. 11 South Florida. No. 1 Duke held off No. 16 Siena 71-65. Vanderbilt eliminated McNeese 78-68 and Arkansas blew out Hawaii to make the SEC 3-0.
No. 11 Miami (Ohio) gave the MAC its first win with a 89-79 victory against No. 11 SMU, which dropped a First Four game along with No. 11 NC State.
March Madness teams by conference 2026
Here is a look at the conferences with multiple bids in the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
| CONFERENCE | BIDS |
| SEC | 10 |
| Big Ten | 9 |
| Big 12 | 8 |
| ACC | 8 |
| Big East | 3 |
| West Coast | 3 |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 |
| MAC | 2 |
The SEC set a NCAA tournament with 14 selections in 20224-25. This year, the conference again has a nation-best 10 bids — and the first weekend will be a test to see the strength of the bubble. No. 11 Texas won its first game but faces No. 6 BYU.
No. 8 Georgia faces No. 9 Saint Louis on Thursday. No. 10 Texas A&M faces No. 7 Saint Mary’s, and No. 10 Missouri takes on No. 7 Miami, Fla. How will those teams that were on the bubble contribute to the conference record?
The Big Ten has five teams that are seeded No. 4 or higher. The Big 12 and ACC had eight tournament bids apiece, and the Big East and West Coast Conference each had three teams selected for the tournament.
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