In just a matter of time, we will know the full field for the 2026 men’s basketball NCAA tournament. While nearly half of this year’s field is set, given the results of conference tournaments, no one knows who each team will face on its own potential path to the Final Four.
And some teams are still hoping to get into the field?
Who are some teams that will be sweating the announcement? As always, there are several teams that will be worried until they hear their names called on Selection Sunday.
One such team might just be Miami of (Ohio).
Despite finishing the regular season with an unblemished 31-0 record, the RedHawks were bounced by eighth-seeded Massachusetts 87-83 in the MAC Conference Tournament quarterfinals, a loss that has shined a new spotlight on just who Miami played this year. Their nonconference schedule, according to Ken Pom, was ranked 361th in the nation (out of 365 Division I teams), their overall schedule is ranked 282nd according to Ken Pom, and the RedHawks played 15 Quad 4 games.
However, they did at least try to play a tougher schedule. According to reporting from Matt Brown of Extra Points, Miami tried to schedule games against teams like Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, and Marquette, and were turned away.
Still, despite finishing 31-1, they might be sweating things on Selection Sunday.
Several other teams that were already on the bubble endured early losses in their respective conference tournaments. Indiana lost to Northwestern, the 15 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and now the Hoosiers will be sweating on Sunday. They were not the only bubble team to lose to a 15 seed in a conference tournament, as Texas lost to 15 seed Mississippi in the SEC tournament. Other bubble teams that were already bounced out of their conference tournaments include Missouri and SMU.
Those teams, and more, will be tuning in on Selection Sunday.
While plenty of potential at-large teams can already confidently say they’re in the big dance, who they end up playing is a huge piece of the puzzle. We’ll see what the entire field looks like for the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament when the bracket is unveiled on Sunday night.
Here’s how you can watch the announcement.
How to watch Selection Sunday
What teams have an auto bid to the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament?
Going into Selection Sunday, these are the teams that already clinched their spot:
