It’s that time of year again. A time for teams to embark on Cinderella runs and players to become college basketball legends.
March Madness is almost here as the season comes to a crescendo with 68 teams vying to lift that storied trophy.
Here’s who has already booked their spot in the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
How teams qualify
There are different methods by which teams can make the bracket.
One avenue is by becoming an automatic qualifier. A team can do this by winning its respective conference tournament, which guarantees a place in March Madness.
A total of 31 teams book their spots via this method. The other 37 spots in the bracket will be filled by the so-called ‘at-large’ teams, with a selection committee deciding who makes the cut.
Those 37 teams will learn their fate later this week on ‘Selection Sunday’ with the opening contests of the tournament – the First Four games – taking place two days later. The championship will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7.
Although the majority of the 68 places have yet to be filled, some teams have already qualified for March Madness by winning their conference tournaments.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
The first automatic qualification of this year’s tourney was clinched by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Cougars, who booked their first-ever spot in the bracket by winning the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) championship with a 69-48 victory over Southeast Missouri State in the final.
Lipscomb University
The Lipscomb University Bison punched their ticket to The Big Dance with a 76-65 victory over Northern Alabama in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship game on Sunday. It’s just the second trip to the tournament in the school’s history.
High Point University
The High Point Panthers won the Big South conference championship on Sunday, defeating Winthrop 81-69 in the final to earn their place in the tournament.
Drake University
The Drake University Bulldogs won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Sunday with a 63-48 victory over Bradley. It was the third straight conference championship for the Bulldogs.
Wofford University
The Terriers defeated Furman in the Southern Conference final on Monday, 92-85, to earn their spot in next week’s tournament.
Troy University
The Trojans won Monday’s Sun Belt conference championship with a 13-point win over Arkansas State University, earning an automatic bid to the tournament.
Omaha Mavericks
The Mavericks’ spot had already been assured before their Summit League championship game on Sunday because their opponents in that game, St. Thomas-Minnesota, were ineligible to reach the tournament due to the school being in the final season of probation after making the jump from Division III to Division I.
Nevertheless, Omaha ensured it entered the Big Dance for the first time on a winning note, beating the Tommies 85-75 in the final game of the Summit League.
University of North Carolina-Wilmington
The Seahawks won a thriller against the underdog University of Delaware Blue Hens in Tuesday night’s Coastal Athletic Association final. The 76-72 win booked UNC-W’s first tournament bid since 2017.
Saint Francis University
The Red Flash defeated Central Connecticut in the Northeast Conference’s final on Tuesday night, 46-43.
Robert Morris University
The Colonials defeated Youngstown State in the Horizon League final on Tuesday, 89-78.
Gonzaga University
The No. 2 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated top-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels 58-51 in Las Vegas to win the school’s fifth West Coast Conference title in the last six years. The Zags were appearing in their NCAA-record 28th consecutive tournament final.
McNeese State University
No. 1 seed McNeese Cowboys topped No. 2 seeded Lamar Cardinals 63-54 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to win back-to-back Southland Conference tournament championships for the first time in school history.
American University
The American University Eagles defeated the Navy Midshipmen 74-52 to win the Patriot League tournament title in Washington, DC. The Eagles are dancing to the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2014.
University of Montana
The University of Montana Grizzlies defeated the Northern Colorado Bears 91-83 to win the Big Sky tournament crown in Boise, Idaho. The Grizzlies are heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 and the 12th time overall in program history.
To see the full list of teams qualified for March Madness and the conference tournament schedule, click here.
