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March Madness: Teams that have earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The Big Dance is made up of 68 teams. While winning the NIT can be considered a nice consolation prize, it doesn’t mean the winner is necessarily college basketball’s team No. 69.
Take Alabama, for instance. Avery Johnson’s squad is No. 59 in the NCAA’s net rankings (RIP RPI) and No. 63 in ESPN’s BPI (College Basketball Power Index), but the Crimson Tide appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Big Dance bracket. Those automatic bids, which help make March Madness what it is with epic upsets, make it so that the field of 68 isn’t the top 68.
On this Selection Sunday, with the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal hours away, here’s a look at the automatic bids already awarded. Some of these, obviously, had no effect on the bracket (e.g. Duke), but some power conference winners (e.g. Oregon) definitely impacted bubble watch.
Team, Conference
Vermont, America East
Duke, ACC
Liberty, A-Sun
Iowa State, Big XII
Villanova, Big East
Montana, Big Sky
Gardner-Webb, Big South
UC-Irvine, Big West
Northeastern, Colonial Athletic
Old Dominion, C-USA
Northern Kentucky, Horizon League
Iona, MAAC
Buffalo, MAC
N.C. Central, MEAC
Bradley, Missouri Valley
Fairleigh Dickinson, Northeast
Murray State, Ohio Valley
Utah State, Mountain West
Oregon, Pac-12
Colgate, Patriot League
Wofford, Southern
Abilene Christian, Southland
Prairie View A&M, SWAC
North Dakota State, Summit League
Saint Mary’s, West Coast
New Mexico State, WAC
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
