The Prelude to Madness 🏀

03/13/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

5 Teams Add Their Names to the Bracket as Champ Week Heats Up; Automatic Bids, Bubble Watch & More

Four days and counting! The NCAA Tournament is inching closer each day, and the lines on the 68-team bracket are starting to fill in. We’ve spent the last two editions focused on women’s hoops. #5 Texas won the Big 12 last night, and Portland upset #14 Gonzaga to take the WCC as 14 (out of 32) women’s tournament auto bids are locked.

As we shift to major men’s conference tournaments for the rest of the week, 11 teams have already punched their tickets. Five did so last night, including Saint Mary’s with a takedown of Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference crown (69-60). Oakland, Wagner, South Dakota State and College of Charleston were on an auto-bid hunt last night, too. Meanwhile, James Madison (31-3) locked their spot on Monday as they became the only 30-win team of the season out of the Sun Belt. Purdue, Houston and UConn (all with 28 wins) could join them with deep runs this week. Let’s take a look at the 11 men’s teams (out of 32 automatic bids) to solidify their spot in March Madness before a quick glance at this week’s conference tourneys.

Tickets Punched (11 of 32)

Saint Mary’s (WCC)

Oakland (Horizon League)

College of Charleston (CAA)

Wagner (NEC)

South Dakota State (Summit League)

Morehead State (Ohio Valley)

Drake (Missouri Valley)

Longwood (Big South)

Stetson (ASUN)

Samford (Southern)

James Madison (Sun Belt)

Joe Lunardi’s Bubble Watch

Last 4 Byes: Michigan State, Seton Hall, TCU, Mississippi State
Last 4 In: Colorado, Virginia, St. John’s, Indiana State
First 4 Out: Texas A&M, New Mexico, Wake Forest, Villanova
Next 4 Out: Pittsburgh, Iowa, Providence, Memphis

Conference Tournaments (In Action Today)

Men’s ACC Tournament (Schedule)

Men’s Big 12 Tournament (Schedule)

Men’s Big East Tournament (Schedule)

Men’s Big Ten Tournament (Schedule)

Men’s PAC-12 Tournament (Schedule)

Men’s SEC Tournament (Schedule)

You can find links to each conference tournament’s full schedule above. Since we can’t list all the games, we’ll dive deeper on Thursday and Friday as the tournament fields shrink approaching semifinals and finals. Enjoy the prelude to madness!

NCAA: Tracking All 32 NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournaments & Auto Bids

USA Today: Conference Tournaments Begin in Earnest With Plenty of Teams on the Bubble

Photo: David Becker / Getty Images