Andrew Pace
The NCAA college basketball conference tournaments are a highly anticipated event in the basketball calendar. The 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament saw 68 teams compete, with 31 of those qualifying through conference tournaments. The conference tournaments act as a pathway to the NCAA tournament, with all eligible winning teams receiving an automatic bid. The conference tournaments include the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 tournaments. The 2025 March Madness tournament concluded with the national championship between Houston and Florida, with the former emerging as the winner.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of teams competing in the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament | 68 |
| Number of teams that qualified automatically through conference tournaments | 31 |
| Date of the 2025 March Madness tournament national championship | Monday, April 7 |
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What You'll Learn
NCAA college basketball conference tournaments
Conference tournaments take place in March, in the week leading up to March Madness. In 2025, the conference tournaments took place in mid-March, with the NCAA tournament beginning on 19 March.
Some of the conferences that hold tournaments include the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac 12.
Winning a conference tournament guarantees a team's qualification for the NCAA tournament. For example, in 2025, SIUE won the OVC championship to qualify for March Madness for the first time. Other teams that won their conference tournaments that year include the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, McNeese, Montana, and the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers.
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Conference tournament schedules
For the 2025 season, 68 teams will compete in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, with 31 of those teams qualifying automatically through conference tournaments. The conference tournament schedule typically begins in March, leading up to the highly anticipated March Madness.
Various websites offer comprehensive coverage of the conference tournament schedules. ESPN, for instance, provides detailed information on tournament brackets, schedules, and auto-bids for the Men's Champ Week. They track all 31 men's college basketball conference tournaments, including notable conferences such as the Big Sky, Coastal Athletic Association, and Horizon League.
TeamRankings.com is another valuable resource for conference tournament schedules. They offer predictions, odds, and analysis for all NCAA college basketball conference tournaments, including major conferences like the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12. Additionally, TeamRankings provides conference standings, scores, and in-depth team and matchup analyses to help fans follow their favourite teams' progress.
The official NCAA website is also a go-to source for the latest conference tournament schedules, brackets, and scores. It offers information on both men's and women's basketball conference tournaments, providing fans with easy access to the latest updates and qualifications for March Madness.
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Conference tournament betting lines
Sports betting platforms, such as DraftKings, offer a range of betting options for college basketball enthusiasts. Bettors can wager on game lines, college basketball futures, or even engage in live betting. When it comes to conference tournament betting lines, there are several strategies and bet types to consider.
One popular approach is to focus on moneylines, which are straightforward bets where you pick the winner of a game, regardless of the score or margin of victory. The odds and payouts for moneylines are influenced by how favoured a team is. Underdogs typically offer higher payouts, so if you have a soft spot for a particular underdog team and they pull off an upset, you could be in for a substantial windfall.
Another type of bet to consider is over/unders, also known as totals. These bets revolve around specific statistics within a game, most commonly the total points scored by both teams combined. If you anticipate a high-scoring affair due to lacklustre defence, you would bet on the over. Conversely, if you predict a defensive battle with minimal scoring, the under becomes an attractive option.
Prop bets, short for proposition bets, offer a different perspective as they are not directly tied to the final outcome of the game. Player props are a popular variation, where you can wager on a single player's performance, such as their total points, assists, rebounds, or other statistical categories. Conference tournament betting guides, such as those offered by VSiN, provide valuable insights, previews, and predictions for each of the 31 conference tournaments. These guides can help bettors make more informed decisions by offering power ratings, conference tournament trends, brackets, schedules, and more.
Some of the notable conferences that attract significant betting interest include the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, and more. Each conference has its own unique dynamics and competitive landscape, which can influence betting strategies and odds. By staying informed about the latest conference tournament betting lines and utilising resources like betting guides, bettors can enhance their understanding of the intricacies of college basketball and make more strategic wagering choices.
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March Madness
The term "March Madness" was first used to refer to basketball by an Illinois high school official, Henry V. Porter, in 1939. However, it did not become associated with the NCAA tournament until 1982, when CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used the phrase during his coverage. The tournament has been played since 1939 and has become one of the most highly anticipated and watched sporting events in the US.
Selection Sunday is the day when the Selection Committee reveals the full NCAA tournament bracket, including all teams and seeds. Four teams are eliminated in the opening round (known as the First Four), leaving 64 teams for the first round. These teams are then split into four regions of 16 teams each, with each team ranked from 1 to 16. The first-round matchups are determined by pitting the top team in the region against the bottom team, the next highest vs. the next lowest, and so on.
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NCAA tournament qualification
The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, also known as March Madness, are tournaments played in the United States to determine the men's and women's college basketball national champions of the Division I level in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournaments consist of 68 teams each and are single-elimination tournaments. The qualification process for these tournaments is as follows:
Automatic Qualification
31 Division I conferences receive an automatic bid, which they award to the team that wins the postseason conference tournament. These teams are known as automatic qualifiers. A team's performance during the regular season does not matter; if they are eligible for postseason play and win their conference tournament, they receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. In 2025, for example, SIUE clinched the first automatic qualification into the NCAA tournament by winning the OVC championship.
At-Large Qualification
The second avenue for an invitation to the NCAA tournament is an at-large bid. After all regular season and conference tournament games are played, the selection committee decides which 37 teams that are not automatic qualifiers will receive an invitation to the tournament. These teams are chosen based on various factors, including:
- The "`eye test'"
- How teams perform on the road and at neutral courts
- Strength of conference and schedule
- Non-conference strength of schedule
- Record against other selected tournament teams
- Quality of wins and losses
- Computer rankings
- Other extenuating factors
The Selection Process
The selection process primarily takes place on Selection Sunday and the days leading up to it. On Selection Sunday, the selection committee announces the tournament field, and the men's and women's brackets and seeds are released to the public. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Committee is responsible for selecting, seeding, and bracketing the field for the NCAA tournament.
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Frequently asked questions
Conference basketball tournaments usually start in March, with the famous March Madness tournament.
68 teams compete in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
31 teams qualified automatically for the 2025 NCAA tournament through conference tournaments.
SIUE won the first automatic qualification into the 2025 NCAA tournament, winning the OVC championship.
