Updated March 8, 2026
At-Large Impact
West Coast quarterfinal: No. 3 Santa Clara vs. No. 6 Pacific, 11 (ESPN2)
Herb Sendek’s Broncos were one of Saturday’s big winners, and they didn’t even play. With so many teams in contention for the last 10 or so spots in the field losing — a group that included Auburn, California, Cincinnati, Indiana, Missouri, N.C. State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Southern Methodist, Texas and Virginia Tech, plus some longer shots — standing still has rarely looked so good.
All of those struggles suggest Santa Clara (24-7) probably doesn’t need a deep run in Las Vegas to feel secure about an at-large. But handling Pacific (18-14) would be helpful, in part to avoid a Quadrant 3 loss that might cause lead to some added scrutiny and in part to create a little insurance in case there turns out to be a bumper crop of bid snatchers this week.
Playing For Seeding
Illinois at Maryland, 3 (Fox)
Michigan State at Michigan, 4:30 (CBS)
Iowa at Nebraska, 5 (Fox)
One-Bid League Notables
Big South final: No. 1 High Point vs. No. 2 Winthrop, noon (ESPN2)
It’s a fitting title game, since the regular season champion Panthers (29-4) and the Eagles (23-10) are the only two Big South teams with winning overall records. High Point has won 13 in a row since it lost at Winthrop on Jan. 14 and is seeking its second consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
Missouri Valley final: No. 5 Illinois-Chicago vs. No. 6 Northern Iowa, noon (CBS)
The Flames (19-14) have double-digit victories over Murray State and Drake at Arch Madness, and they’ll aim for their first NCAA berth since 2004 while taking on the Panthers (22-12). Northern Iowa is trying to win for the fourth time in as many days in the hopes of ending a 10-year NCAA drought.
Coastal quarterfinal: No. 1 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 9 Campbell, noon
The Seahawks (26-5) open play in Washington against a Campbell team it swept — but by a combined eight points. The Camels (15-17) beat Stony Brook on Saturday to earn their first CAA tournament victory in three years in the conference.
Atlantic Sun final: No. 1 Central Arkansas vs. No. 3 Queens, 2 (ESPN2)
A first-time Division I tournament participant will come out of this game. The Bears (22-11) had posted a winning conference record just once in their first 19 D-I seasons; unsurprisingly, being 40 minutes from the field of 68 is terra incognita. Queens (20-13) is in its fourth year in Division I and is eligible for the tournament for the first time, but not long ago, the Charlotte school was a D-II power.
Patriot League semifinal: No. 4 Boston University at No. 1 Navy, 2 (CBS Sports Network)
Owners of the second-longest active winning streak in Division I at 14 in a row, Navy (26-6) looks to make it back to the Patriot League final for the second consecutive season. Boston University (16-16) has won eight of its last nine.
Charlotte at South Florida, 2
The Bulls (22-8, 14-3) have already clinched the top seed in the American tournament entering its regular-season finale against Charlotte (15-15, 9-8).
Southern semifinal: No. 1 East Tennessee State vs. No. 5 Western Carolina, 4 (ESPNU)
For the second year in a row and the fourth time in seven seasons, the SoCon quarterfinals saw the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds dismissed. Advantage: Buccaneers (22-10) — in theory. Western Carolina (15-15) swept the season series from East Tennessee State and has won seven in a row.
Metro Atlantic semifinal: No. 1 Merrimack vs. No. 5 Marist, 6
The Warriors (22-10) can move a step closer to their first Division I tournament appearance as they face Marist (19-11) in a pairing of the MAAC’s most defensively efficient teams during league play.
Sun Belt semifinal: No. 1 Troy vs.No. 8 Southern Mississippi, 6
The Sun Belt’s wild, seven-day kraken bracket has done its job. The Trojans (20-11) haven’t played in more than a week while Southern Miss (19-15) is logging its fourth game in as many days. The other semifinal features second-seeded Marshall against a Georgia Southern bunch that is playing for the fifth night in a row.
Summit League final: No. 1 North Dakota State vs. No. 3 North Dakota, 9 (CBS Sports Network)
The Bison (26-7) can win a conference tournament for the first time since 2020 and set a school record for victories in a Division I season by handling North Dakota for the third time this season. The Fighting Hawks (18-16) lost the first two meetings by 17 and 33 points.