Conference tournament season is officially underway, and with Selection Sunday just around the corner, the race for automatic bids is heating up fast.
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Champ Week kicked off March 2 with the Horizon League play-in game between Cleveland State and IU Indianapolis, and things will not slow down until the Big Ten crowns a champion on Sunday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, just hours before the full 68-team March Madness bracket is revealed.
Across all 31 conferences, teams are battling for automatic bids, seeding implications, and in some cases, their entire season. Here is a complete breakdown of the dates, sites, and TV channels for every major conference tournament fans need to know about.
ACC Tournament
The 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament runs from March 10 through March 14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Only 15 of the conference’s 18 teams qualify for the field, with the top seeds earning byes through the early rounds. Games air throughout the week on the ACC Network, ESPN2, and ESPN.
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The championship game tips off Saturday, March 14, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Duke comes in as the defending ACC Tournament champion, having won it in 2025.
SEC Tournament
The SEC Tournament heads back to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, where all 16 conference members will compete from March 11 through March 15. The top four seeds earn a double bye into the quarterfinals, while seeds 5 through 8 receive a single bye into the second round. First-round games tip off Wednesday, March 11, on the SEC Network, with ESPN picking up the later rounds.
The championship game is set for Sunday, March 15, at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, giving the SEC champion a few hours to celebrate before heading straight into Selection Sunday. Nashville is locked in as the home of SEC hoops through 2030.
Big Ten Tournament
For the first time in conference history, all 18 Big Ten teams will compete in the conference tournament, which runs from March 10 through March 15 at the United Center in Chicago. The expanded format creates a six-day single-elimination bracket, with the top four seeds receiving a triple bye into the quarterfinals on Friday.
Early-round games on March 10 and 11 are exclusive to Peacock, with games shifting to the Big Ten Network through the quarterfinals and semifinals. CBS takes over for the semifinals on Saturday, March 14, and the championship game on Sunday, March 15, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Michigan enters as one of the top contenders to come out of Chicago, while Illinois and Purdue are close behind.
Big 12 Tournament
The Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to Kansas City, Missouri, running from March 10 through March 14 at the T-Mobile Center. All 16 conference teams participate, with the top eight seeds receiving a first-round bye and the top four seeds getting a double bye into the quarterfinals.
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The first round tips off Monday, March 10, with two sessions of action. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Kansas City has been home to the Big 12 Tournament for years, and the T-Mobile Center consistently delivers one of the loudest atmospheres in college basketball during tournament week.
Big East Tournament
Madison Square Garden once again plays host to the Big East Tournament, which runs from March 11 through March 14 in New York City. The Big East Tournament is college basketball’s longest-running postseason conference championship, held at the same venue since 1983.
Early-round games are exclusive to Peacock, with FS1 picking up the semifinal matchups. The championship game airs live on FOX at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 14. St. John’s won the Big East Tournament title in 2025 and will enter as one of the favorites to defend.
Mountain West Tournament
The Mountain West Tournament takes place from March 11 through March 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada. First-round games on Wednesday, March 11, stream on the Mountain West Network, with CBS Sports Network picking up the quarterfinals on Thursday and the semifinals on Friday.
The championship game tips off Saturday, March 14, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Las Vegas has long been one of the most electric settings in college basketball during tournament week, and the Mountain West has consistently sent competitive teams into the NCAA Tournament field in recent years.
American Athletic Conference Tournament
The American Athletic Conference Tournament runs from March 10 through March 14 in Fort Worth, Texas. ESPN platforms carry the action throughout the week, with the championship game set for March 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Memphis enters as the conference’s top at-large threat and one of the favorites to win the AAC title.
Selection Sunday and March Madness
Once all 31 conference tournaments wrap up, the full NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Selection Sunday, March 15, at 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS. The First Four tips off in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17 and 18, with the round of 64 beginning Thursday, March 19. First- and second-round sites include Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, Portland, Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego, and St. Louis.
The Final Four is set for April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the national championship game tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS. Games on CBS are also available on Paramount+, while TBS, TNT, and truTV games stream on Max.
