.jpg)
1 hour ago
2
The Big Ten dominated Day 3 of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
No. 4 Nebraska capped a 4-0 day for the conference with a 74-72 victory against No. 5 Vanderbilt. The Huskers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Nebraska will not be alone. No. 1 Michigan, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 3 Illinois all advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday, and No. 2 Purdue, No. 7 UCLA and No. 9 Iowa can add to that total. The Big Ten is 11-2 through Day 3; the best record among conferences with multiple bids.
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 22, 2026We'll track the major conferences through the first few rounds of the NCAA tournament. Which schools had the most tournament bids? Who will have the best record? Which conference will send the most schools to the Sweet 16 and Final Four? We will track that all here through the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more
March Madness record by conference in 2026
Here is a look at the records of each of the conferences with multiple bids with teams still remaining in the 2025-26 NCAA Tournament. Sporting News will track those records with each round:
| CONF. | W | L | PCT |
| Big Ten | 11 | 2 | .846 |
| SEC | 11 | 4 | .733 |
| Big 12 | 7 | 3 | .700 |
| Big East | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| ACC | 5 | 4 | .556 |
The SEC is 11-4 through three days. No. 4 Arkansas and No. 11 Texas advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday, and No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Kentucky play on Sunday.
The Big 12 is 7-3 through three days. No. 2 Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday. No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Texas Tech play on Sunday.
The ACC is 5-4. No. 1 Duke advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday. No. 3 Virginia and No. 7 Miami play Sunday.
The Big East is 2-1, and No. 2 UConn and No. 5 St. John's will try to push to the Sweet 16 on Sunday.
The Atlantic 10 (two bids) finished 2-2. No. 9 St. Louis and No. 11 VCU were eliminated on Saturday. The West Coast Conference (three bids) finished 1-3 after No. 3 Gonzaga lost 74-68 to Texas. The Mid-American Conference (two bids) finished 1-2.
Conferences with multiple teams in second round
A look at the conferences with multiple bids and who advanced to the second round, which begins Saturday:
| CONFERENCE | NO | TEAMS |
| SEC | 8 | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt |
| Big Ten | 7 | Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, UCLA |
| Big 12 | 6 | Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, TCU, Texas Tech |
| ACC | 4 | Duke, Louisville, Miami, Virginia |
| Big East | 2 | St. John's, UConn |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 | VCU, St. Louis |
Sweet 16 by conference
Here is a look at the Sweet 16 in the 2025-26 NCAA Tournament by conference:
| CONFERENCE | NO | TEAMS |
| Big Ten | 4 | Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska |
| SEC | 2 | Arkansas, Texas |
| Big 12 | 1 | Houston |
| ACC | 1 | Duke |
March Madness teams by conference 2026
Here is a look at the conferences with multiple bids in the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
| CONFERENCE | BIDS |
| SEC | 10 |
| Big Ten | 9 |
| Big 12 | 8 |
| ACC | 8 |
| Big East | 3 |
| West Coast | 3 |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 |
| MAC | 2 |
The SEC set a NCAA tournament with 14 selections in 20224-25. This year, the conference again has a nation-best 10 bids, and eight of those teams advanced to the second round.
The Big Ten has five teams that are seeded No. 4 or higher. The Big 12 and ACC had eight tournament bids apiece, and the Big East and West Coast Conference each had three teams selected for the tournament.
MORE MARCH MADNESS NEWS:
English (US)