The following is how the 76 teams are selected, seeded and placed in the NCAA bracket each season by the NCAA DI men’s basketball committee.
The 76-team brackets will feature an automatic qualifier from each conference, along with the best at-large teams selected by the committee. The lowest-seeded 12 automatic qualifiers as seeded by the committee will play in half of the Opening Round games, while the other six games will feature the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams.
Teams will continue to be paired to face the closest opponent next to them on the committee’s overall seed list, which serves to seed all 76 tournament teams. For example, seed 75 may play seed 76 in one Opening Round game, while the lowest-seeded at-large team selected to the field may face the second-to-lowest-seeded at-large team. Exceptions could be made, for example, to avoid a regular-season rematch or for geographic purposes. The committee will use existing principles and procedures to avoid teams from the same conference playing one another in the Opening Round and in the round of 64 where possible.
Before the 2026-27 NCAA DI men’s basketball championship principles and procedures for establishing the bracket is shared, here’s a look at how the 68-team bracket process worked.
The following information is taken from the NCAA’s “March Madness Selections 101” explainer.
There are three phases to the process:
Select the 37 best at-large teams.
Seed the field of 68 teams.
Place the teams into the championship bracket.
What principles are in place to select, seed and place the teams into the championship bracket?
The committee selects the 37 best at-large teams, with no limit on how many may come from one conference.
The committee aims to achieve reasonable competitive balance across all regions of the tournament bracket.
Conflict-of-interest rules
A committee member cannot be present during discussions or seeding of a team they represent as an athletics director or commissioner.
Members may provide only general, factual information about teams from their own conference.
Members cannot vote for a team they represent.
A conference-office representative may not participate in discussion or voting for a team that intends to transition into their conference.
Members must recuse themselves from discussion or voting if an immediate family member is:
A men’s basketball student-athlete.
A member of the men’s basketball coaching staff.
A senior athletics administrator at that institution.
When recused members return, they receive a neutral update from the NCAA VP of Men’s Basketball, not other committee members.
Chair-specific rules
If the committee chair’s institution is still on the under-consideration board when all but four at-large teams have been chosen, the chair must leave the room.
If the chair’s institution ends up among the last four at-large teams, the chair cannot publicly comment on that team; the vice chair handles all questions.
Voting integrity
All committee voting is conducted by secret ballot.
Who is on the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee?
Composition:
12 members are selected to five-year terms.
One representative from each autonomy conference.
Four representatives from the seven highest ranked nonautonomy conferences (based on basketball success*).
Four representatives selected from nonautonomy conferences (ranked 12-31 by basketball success*).
*Basketball success is defined as total conference appearances plus total conference wins in the previous five NCAA championships, excluding First Four wins.
Keith Gill, Commissioner, Sun Belt Conference – ChairGreg Byrne, Director of Athletics, AlabamaMark Coyle, Director of Athletics, MinnesotaIrma Garcia, Director of Athletics, ManhattanStu Jackson, Commissioner, West Coast ConferenceArthur Johnson, VP/Director of Athletics, TempleZack Lassiter, VP/Director of Athletics, Abilene ChristianMartin Newton, Director of Athletics, SamfordLee Reed, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, GeorgetownChad Weiberg, VP of Athletic Programs & Director of Athletics, Oklahoma StateJohn Wildhack, Director of Athletics, SyracuseTom Wistrcill, Commissioner, Big Sky Conference
When do members of the committee begin reviewing teams?
Committee members rely on a broad set of observation, consultation, and data resources available to them throughout the season and during selection week to make informed decisions.
These resources provide the foundation for a thorough and educated process that is reinforced by the committee members’ discussion and deliberation.
Among the resources available to the committee are an extensive season-long evaluation of teams through watching games, conference monitoring calls, NABC tournament advisory committee rankings, complete box scores and results, head-to-head results, results versus common opponents, imbalanced conference schedules and results, overall and non-conference strength of schedule, quality wins and losses, road record, player and coach availability and various computer metrics.
Each of the 12 committee members uses these various resources to form their own opinions, resulting in the committee’s consensus position on teams’ selection and seeding.
What metrics are used by the committee to evaluate teams?
BPI (ESPN)KenPom RankingsKPINETStrength of Record (ESPN)TorvikWins Above Bubble
NCAA Statistics, NET, Team Sheets
Phase I: Select the 37 best at-large teams
The committee selects 37 at-large teams (teams not already qualifying automatically).
Initial ballot
Each committee member receives an alphabetical list of all eligible Division I teams and submits an initial ballot with two parts by a designated time on the first full day of selection meetings.
Column 1: Up to 24 teams the member thinks should be at-large selections.
Column 2: Any number of teams that deserve consideration for an at-large berth.
Any team receiving all but three of the eligible votes in Column 1 becomes an automatic at-large selection.
Teams receiving at least four votes in either column—or teams that won/shared their regular-season conference title—are placed on the under-consideration board.
Teams on this board may be removed with all but three votes or added with at least four votes at any time.
Verbal nominations are allowed.
Remaining ballots
The committee evaluates teams on the under-consideration board through repeated voting rounds.
In each round, members select the best teams from the board:
8 teams when 20+ are under consideration.
Up to 6 when 14–19 teams remain.
Up to 4 when 13 or fewer remain.
When 24 or fewer teams remain, members cannot participate if they have a conflict (represent or have family ties to a team in the pool).
The eight highest-voted teams form the next ballot, and members rank them, with the best team valued at one point.
The four lowest-point teams (i.e., highest-ranked) are added to the at-large field; the other four carry over to the next round.
Each committee member lists the best eight remaining teams on the under-consideration board.
The four teams receiving the most total votes are combined with the four teams carried over from the previous round to form the next at-large ballot.
This process repeats until all at-large spots are filled.
Teams not selected after two straight ranking ballots return to the under-consideration board.
The committee chair may adjust the number of eligible teams or number selected per round if needed.
A team can be removed from the field by all but three votes and returned to the under-consideration board.
After three tied secret voting rounds, the chair breaks the tie.
At any point, the committee may begin the seeding process.
Phase II: Seed the field of 68 teams
The committee creates a seed list ranking all 68 teams from strongest to weakest. This list determines the order in which teams are placed into the bracket and remains unchanged once final. Although teams are assigned “true seeds,” placement in the actual bracket may vary, when necessary, to follow NCAA bracketing principles.
How teams are seeded
Committee members repeatedly vote on groups of teams:
8 teams listed when 20+ teams remain.
Up to 6 teams listed when 14–19 remain.
Up to 4 teams listed when 13 or fewer remain.
When 24 or fewer teams remain, members cannot participate if they have a conflict (represent or have family ties to a team in the pool).
Ballot and ranking process
The eight teams with the most votes form each seed-list ballot.
Members rank these eight teams, with the best team valued at one point.
The four lowest-point teams are added to the official seed list; the other four roll into the next ballot.
Members then select the best remaining eight teams to form the next ballot.
The four teams receiving the most total votes are combined with the four teams carried over from the previous round to form the next at-large ballot.
These steps repeat until all 68 teams are assigned a seed position.
Adjustments & scrubbing
The chair may adjust the number of eligible teams or number of teams moved per round if needed.
After teams enter the seed list, they may be moved up or down by a simple-majority vote. This is called scrubbing, used to refine accuracy.
Scrubbing applies only to teams already in the field.
After three tied secret voting rounds, the chair breaks the tie.
The committee does not have to build the seed list strictly top-to-bottom; it may seed different quadrants at different times.
Phase III: Building the bracket
The NCAA bracket is organized into 16 seed levels (1–16) across four regions, allowing equal comparison of teams on the same seed line. Teams on each seed line should be as equal as possible.
Regions are divided into four quadrants, enabling consistent comparison of equivalent sections across all regions.
Teams are placed into predetermined bracket groups (seeds 1–16–8–9), (4–13–5–12), (2-15-7-10), (3-14-6-11) and each group is assigned to the same first-/second-round site, with two pods at each site that may feed into different regionals.
Conference Matchup Rules
The first four teams from any conference placed on the top four seed lines must be assigned to different regions (unless five or more teams appear on those seed lines).
Teams from the same conference:
Cannot meet before the regional final if they played three or more times during the regular season and conference tournament.
Cannot meet before the regional semifinal if they played twice.
May meet as early as the second round if they played once or not at all.
These restrictions may be relaxed if a conference has nine or more teams in the tournament.
Any principle may be relaxed if two or more of the conference’s teams are among the last four at-large teams in the First Four.
Top-seeded teams (first four lines) will not be placed where they would face a significant home-crowd disadvantage.
First Four Procedures
The last four at-large teams plus teams seeded 65–68, compete in the First Four games held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Matchups are formed by pairing the last at-large teams against each other and 65 vs. 66, 67 vs. 68.
First Four teams receive priority placement to the closest first-round site to Dayton, Ohio, with non–First Four teams on the same seed line being placed afterward to optimize travel.
Winners advance to first and second-round sites selected by the committee. If Dayton also hosts a first-round site, winners may remain there.
Geographic placement and venue restrictions
Teams should remain as close to their home region as possible, based on mileage.
If two teams from the same region compete for the same bracket slot, the higher-seeded team stays local.
A team cannot play at a venue where it has played more than three games that season (excluding exhibitions and conference tournaments).
Host institutions cannot play at the site they are hosting, though they may play on the same days.
Teams are allowed to compete at a site where their conference is serving as the host.
Additionally, when placing teams into the bracket, the committee may move a team up or down one seed line — and in rare cases, two seed lines — from its true seed to ensure all bracketing principles are properly met.
Core placement steps
No. 1 seeds placed first:The four No. 1 seeds are assigned to the four regions, determining the Final Four semifinal pairings. The overall No. 1 seed chooses its preferred region and first-/second-round site.
No. 2 seeds placed next:Assigned in true-seed order, with flexibility to move teams slightly to avoid placing the No. 5 seed in the same region as the overall No. 1.Conference-separation rules cannot be compromised.
Placement of No. 3 and No. 4 seeds:These seeds are placed in each region according to the true-seed list.
Check for regional balance:The committee compares the total seed values within each region to avoid significant imbalance (Preferably, no more than six points should separate the lowest and highest total).
Assign teams to sites:Using true-seed order, each team (and its entire bracket group, e.g., 1-8-9-16) is assigned to first-/second-round sites.
Place seeds 5–16:The remaining seeds are placed according to established principles; all four teams on each seed line share the same numerical value.
Additional considerations
Avoid early rematches:If possible, the committee avoids nonconference rematches in the First Four and first round, and tries to avoid them again in the second round. Teams will not be moved off their true-seed line solely to prevent a rematch.
Geographic consistency:The committee avoids moving teams out of their natural geographical region too frequently based on recent brackets.
Avoid past-tournament rematches:First Four and first-round rematches from the previous year’s tournament should be avoided when possible.
Scheduling constraint for No. 1 seeds:If all four No. 1 seeds would normally be placed at Thursday/Saturday sites, the fourth No. 1 seed is moved to the closest Friday/Sunday site to accommodate First Four winners who must play on Friday.
How are teams selected for the National Invitation Tournament?
The NIT selection committee is responsible for selecting the 32-team field.
The selection committee uses a three-phase process to create the 32-team tournament bracket:
Select the best at-large teams.
Seed the top 16 teams.
Place the teams into the bracket.
Selection committee principles
The committee selects the best non-automatic-qualifying teams to fill at-large spots, with no limit on how many teams may come from any single conference. They aim to maintain competitive balance across all regions of the bracket.
Conflict-of-interest rules
A committee member cannot be present during discussions or seeding of a team they represent as an athletics director or commissioner.
Members may provide only general, factual information about teams from their own conference.
Members cannot vote for a team they represent.
A conference-office representative may not participate in discussion or voting for a team that intends to transition into their conference.
Members must recuse themselves from discussion or voting if an immediate family member is:
A men’s basketball student-athlete.
A member of the men’s basketball coaching staff.
A senior athletics administrator at that institution.
When recused members return, they receive a neutral update from the NIT staff, not other committee members.
Chair-specific rules
If the committee chair’s institution is still under-consideration board when all but four at-large teams have been chosen, the chair must leave the room.
If the chair’s institution ends up among the last four at-large teams, the chair cannot publicly comment on that team; the vice chair handles all questions.
Voting integrity
All committee voting is conducted by secret ballot.
Exempt Teams
The NIT awards 16 exempt bids based on conference affiliation and team data metrics:
Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference:
Each conference receives two exempt bids. These go to the teams with the best average across designated data metrics (BPI, KPI, NET, KenPom, SOR, TOR, WAB), excluding any teams that make the NCAA tournament through automatic or at-large qualification.These exempt teams are also eligible to host first-round games.
Top 12 conferences (via KenPom ratings):
The 12 highest-rated conferences receive one exempt bid each. Within each of those conferences, the team with the best average of the designated metrics receives the bid and may host a first-round game.The ACC and SEC may also appear in this top-12 group; if so, their two exempt teams are determined before assigning these conference-based bids.
If a team declines its exempt bid:
The bid passes to the next eligible team from the same conference based on the same metrics.
If no eligible replacement exists, the exempt bid is removed entirely, and the number of at-large NIT bids increases by one.
First four out
The NCAA’s “first four out” teams become the top four seeds in the NIT and are given the chance to host first-round games.
If any of these teams decline to participate, the remaining “first four out” teams stay as No. 1 seeds, and the NIT committee selects replacement No. 1 seeds.
If a “first four out” team does not receive one of the 16 exempt bids, then one of the top-12-conference exempt-bid teams loses hosting rights (as determined during NIT seeding).
If a “first four out” team does receive an exempt bid, that conference does not receive an additional exempt bid. Being a “first four out” team does not prevent a team from earning an exempt bid.
Automatic bids
Automatic NIT bids go to regular-season conference champions that:
Do not make the NCAA Tournament (neither automatic nor at-large), and
Have an average ranking of 125 or better across designated data metrics (BPI, KPI, NET, KenPom, SOR, TOR, WAB).
Automatic-bid teams are not guaranteed to host first-round games.
If a regular-season champion earning an automatic bid opts out, the bid is eliminated — the conference runner-up does not receive it.
A team can be both automatic-qualification eligible and exempt-bid eligible:
If the team receives an exempt bid, that replaces the automatic bid and grants hosting rights.
Exempt status does not prevent a team from being recognized as an automatic qualifier — but the exempt designation takes precedence.
A conference may receive both an automatic bid and an exempt bid:
This occurs if the conference is a top-12 conference, and its regular-season champion is not the conference’s highest-rated eligible team based on the designated metrics.
Phase I: Selecting at-large teams
Initial ballot
Before selection meetings begin, each committee member completes an initial ballot listing eligible Division I teams:
Column 1 (At-Large Picks):
Each member selects 10 to 14 teams they believe should be at-large selections, regardless of exempt-bid possibilities.
Column 2 (Consideration List):
Members list any number of teams they believe deserve at-large consideration. Only teams legitimately warranting discussion should be included.
Members must not vote for:
Teams that have already earned automatic NCAA bids, or
Regular-season champions with a designated-metric average of 125 or better, because those teams may receive NIT automatic bids.
Any team receiving all but two eligible votes on the initial ballot becomes an at-large selection immediately.
Teams are added alphabetically if they meet any of the following:
Received at least two votes in either column but were not selected at-large.
Were nominated by more than one committee member after initial balloting.
Were regular-season champions who did not earn NCAA or NIT automatic bids.
A team can be removed from the board at any time if it receives all but two eligible votes.
When voting to remove multiple teams and one is represented by a committee member, two separate motions must be made:
One motion including the team tied to the committee member.
A second motion for all other teams.
A team may be added at any time if it receives at least two eligible votes.
Verbal nominations are allowed throughout the process.
Remaining ballots
The committee evaluates all teams on the under-consideration board.
Each member lists the best eight teams, not in ranked order.
The eight most-voted teams form the next ballot.
Members then rank those eight teams; the four lowest-point teams (e.g., highest-ranked) are added to the at-large field; the other four carry over to the next round.
Each committee member lists the best eight remaining teams on the under-consideration board.
The four teams receiving the most total votes are combined with the four teams carried over from the previous round to form the next at-large ballot.
This process repeats until all at-large spots are filled.
Teams not selected after two straight ranking ballots return to the under-consideration board.
The committee chair may adjust the number of eligible teams or number selected per round if needed.
A team can be removed from the field by all but three votes and returned to the under-consideration board.
After three tied secret voting rounds, the chair breaks the tie.
At any point, the committee may begin the seeding process.
Phase II: Seeding of teams
The committee creates a “seed list” ranking teams 1–16 in true-seed order, based on overall qualitative assessment. This list is used to maintain competitive balance across the four regions.
The NCAA’s “first four out” teams automatically become the top four seeds in the NIT.
All exempt-bid teams are placed within the top 16 seeds.
If a “first four out” team does not receive an exempt bid, then one of the top-12-conference exempt-bid teams loses hosting rights, as determined during NIT seeding.
Once finalized, the seed list does not change during bracket construction.
Bracket-building principles (e.g., avoiding matchups between conference teams) may require placing a team outside its true seed position despite the seed list remaining fixed.
Seeding procedures
The top 16 seeds in the NIT are given the opportunity to host first-round games.
Depending on how many “first four out” teams receive exempt bids:
If all four “first four out” teams get exempt bids, the remaining exempt teams are seeded Nos. 5–16.
If fewer than four “first four out” teams get exempt bids, the remaining exempt teams are seeded Nos. 5–17.
If there are fewer than 16 combined exempt teams and “first four out” teams, the committee selects at-large teams to fill the top 16.
Each committee member lists eight top teams (no order) from among exempt-bid and at-large teams.
The eight most-voted teams become the next ballot.
Members rank these eight teams, with the best team valued at one point.
The four teams with the lowest point totals are added to the seed list (in order of points). The other four teams carry over to the next ballot.
Members then again list the best eight remaining teams, which are combined with carryover teams to form the next ballot.
These steps repeat until all teams are seeded 5 through 16 (or the required number).
The chair may adjust:
How many teams are eligible to be voted on.
How many teams (up to four or fewer) advance to the seed list each round.
Once a team is seeded, it may be “scrubbed”—moved by simple majority—at any point to ensure accuracy.
Scrubbing applies only to seeds 5–16 (the top four are fixed as “first four out” teams).
After three rounds of secret voting, any tie is broken by the chair.
The seed list does not need to be built strictly sequentially.
Phase III: Building the bracket
Bracketing priorities
The committee’s main goal is to ensure competitive balance across all regions, while keeping teams as geographically close as possible to their natural areas.
Conference matchups restrictions:
Teams from the same conference who played twice during the season cannot meet until the quarterfinals.
Teams from the same conference who played once cannot meet before the second round.
Additional considerations:
If a team must be moved away from its natural geographic area, it should be placed in the next closest region whenever feasible.
Regular-season rematches should be avoided in the first round, if possible.
Bracketing procedures
Place all No. 1 seeds into the bracket to establish the four regions.
Place the No. 2 seeds in the region closest to their corresponding No. 1 seeds.
Place the No. 3 seeds in the region closest to their corresponding No. 2 seeds.
Place the No. 4 seeds in the region closest to their corresponding No. 1 seeds.
Hosting priority as teams advance:
Higher-seeded teams receive first choice to host, unless logistical issues prevent it (e.g., travel, lodging, facility limitations, championship guidelines).
If two unseeded teams advance, the team that is higher on the seed list receives hosting priority.
