Kristian Ferrell
Basketball is a sport played by two teams usually consisting of five players on each side. The objective of the game is to shoot the ball inside the basket and score more points than your opponent. Basketball is played all over the world, and there are several basketball conferences. In the United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and several others. Each of these organizations is further divided into conferences.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of conferences | 31 |
| Number of schools/colleges | 355 |
| Number of major conferences | 6 |
| Conferences with the most members | ACC (15) |
| Conferences with the second-most members | Big Ten and SEC (14 each) |
| Conferences with the least members | Big 12 and Big East (10 each) |
| States with the most college basketball teams | California, Texas, and New York |
| States with no Division I basketball program | Alaska |
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What You'll Learn
NCAA Division I has 31 conferences
In the United States, college basketball teams are governed by several collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and others. Each of these organisations is further divided into subdivisions based on the number and level of scholarships provided to athletes. NCAA Division I has 31 conferences, comprising 355 schools that are full members.
NCAA Division I is the only division with 31 conferences. The other divisions fall under different collegiate athletic bodies. For instance, the NAIA has one division with 24 conferences, while the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has three divisions, with 24 conferences in total across all divisions.
The conferences within NCAA Division I include the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC, A 10, A-Sun, AAC, Am. East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, C-USA, CAA, DI-IND, Horizon, Ivy, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, MVC, MWC, NEC, OVC, Pac-12, Patriot, SLC, SWAC, Southern, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC, and WCC.
The formation of conferences in college basketball dates back to the 1930s, when the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was the premier tournament. However, the NIT eventually lost its prestige to the NCAA Tournament, which was implemented in 1939. The rise of conferences led to the "'civil wars'" in college basketball, as smaller schools protested the initial lack of divisions or conferences, which allowed all colleges to be considered equal competitors. Today, conferences are determined primarily by the geographic proximity of members, allowing for the development of local rivalries and the minimisation of travel costs.
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Conferences are grouped by geographic proximity
In basketball, conferences are groups of teams that compete against each other. In the United States, college basketball is governed by several collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and others. These organizations are divided into divisions based on the number and level of scholarships provided to athletes. Each organization has different conferences to group the teams further.
The total number of basketball conferences varies depending on the specific league or organization. For example, in NCAA Division I men's basketball, there are 31 conferences, while there are 355 schools that are full members of these conferences. However, the number of conferences can change over time as new conferences are formed or existing ones are restructured.
Geographic proximity plays a significant role in determining conference groupings. Conferences are often organized based on the physical location of the schools or teams involved. This proximity allows for the development of local rivalries and minimizes travel costs for away games. It also enhances the value of media rights, as televised road games played in the same time zone tend to attract larger audiences.
For example, the West Coast Conference (WCC) consists of Christian colleges and universities located in the Pacific Time Zone. Similarly, the Ivy League comprises institutions with high academic standards that prefer to schedule conference basketball games on Fridays and Saturdays to minimize disruption to student-athletes' studies.
In addition to geographic proximity, other factors such as institutional compatibility and historical affiliations may also influence conference groupings. Some conferences may have specific characteristics or requirements that unite the member schools, such as academic standards or religious affiliations.
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Teams in conferences get automatic NCAA tournament bids
In the United States, college and university basketball teams are governed by several collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these organisations is further divided into conferences, which determine the majority of a team's schedule during the season. Teams within the same conference tend to be in close geographic proximity, allowing local rivalries to develop and travel costs to be minimised.
The NCAA, the most well-known of these organisations, is made up of 31 Division I men's basketball conferences, with 355 schools as full members. Each conference gets an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, also known as March Madness. In 2025, 31 out of the 68 teams competing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament qualified automatically through their conference tournaments. The remaining 37 spots are filled by at-large teams chosen by a selection committee.
Conferences have a significant impact on the development of college basketball. Initially, all colleges were considered equal competitors as there were no divisions or conferences, leading to protests from smaller schools. Today, conferences continue to play a crucial role in shaping the landscape of college basketball, with the majority of games being played against fellow conference members.
Some conferences allow transitioning teams to participate in their tournaments, while others do not. Additionally, independent teams that do not belong to a conference face challenges in finding opponents, especially during the latter part of the season when most teams are playing conference opponents.
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Independent teams don't get automatic bids
There are 31 Division I conferences in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, each of which receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. These bids are awarded to the team that wins the postseason conference tournament.
However, independent teams do not get automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. An independent team is not affiliated with any particular conference and is therefore not eligible for an automatic bid. Instead, independent teams must be selected at-large by the selection committee to participate in the tournament. This means that their inclusion is based on a multitude of stats and rankings, rather than a conference tournament win.
The lack of automatic bids for independent teams can create challenges in finding opponents, particularly during the latter part of the season when most teams are playing conference opponents. This can impact their performance and ability to qualify for the tournament.
Historically, there were no divisions or conferences in college basketball, and all colleges were considered equal competitors. However, as the sport evolved, issues arose, and conferences were formed to address these problems. Today, conferences are determined by various factors, including geographic proximity, institutional compatibility, and the number and level of scholarships provided to athletes.
As of 2024, Chicago State was the most recent independent basketball team in Division I of the NCAA, but they joined the Northeast Conference, leaving no independent teams in NCAA Division I.
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There are six major college basketball conferences
College basketball in the United States is played by teams of student-athletes at universities and colleges. These colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these organizations has different conferences to divide the teams into groups.
The six major conferences are the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, and Big East. The ACC has the most members, with 15 schools, while the Big Ten and SEC have 14 each. The Pac-12 has 12 teams, and the Big 12 and Big East have 10 members each. The Big East members are mostly universities known as "Catholic Schools."
The bulk of a team's schedule during the season consists of games against fellow conference members. As a result, the geographic proximity of conference members allows local rivalries to develop and travel costs to be minimized. Televised road games played in the same time zone as the visiting team's fans tend to attract larger audiences, enhancing the value of media rights. Institutional compatibility is another factor that may lead schools to join the same conference. For example, as of 2024, all full members of the West Coast Conference are Christian colleges and universities located in the Pacific Time Zone.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 31 Division I basketball conferences, with eight more in transition from NCAA Divisions II and III. There are six major conferences, with the remaining groups labelled as mid-majors.
The ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, and Big East.
Atlantic 10, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, West Coast, and WAC.
