Do Conference Championships Affect March Madness?

Yes, conference championships affect March Madness in a very direct way. Ultimately, about half of the teams in the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68 will earn their spot because of conference tournament championships. 

Conference tournaments play out over the first half of March, with 31 teams eventually winning their conference championship. They each receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament as a conference winner. 

The remaining 37 berths are the NCAA Tournament at-large teams – basketball teams who did not win their conference’s automatic bid but are included in the tournament anyway because of the impressive body of work they built throughout the regular season.

Many of the champions of smaller conferences would never be included as at-large teams on Selection Sunday. They only reach the field of 68 by virtue of their automatic bid. 

These conferences are often referred to as one-bid leagues, since they’re weak enough that no team will merit consideration beyond the recipient of the automatic bid. 

Paradoxically, these mid-major teams are also the most likely teams to score memorable upsets, especially in the early rounds.

During the 2024 NCAA basketball tournament, No. 11 seed Duquesne men’s basketball, No. 12 seed James Madison men’s basketball, No. 12 seed Grand Canyon men’s basketball, No. 13 seed Yale men’s basketball, and No. 14 Oakland men’s basketball all scored first-round upsets.