Championship Saturday: The games today that will shape the March Madness bracket ahead of Selection Sunday

With Selection Sunday arriving tomorrow, college basketball enters one of the most important days of the year: Championship Saturday.

Several major conference tournaments wrap up today, and their results will determine automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament while also influencing which bubble teams ultimately hear their names called Sunday evening.

Below is a look at the most important games on Saturday, March 14, including tip times, matchups and what’s at stake.

Championship Saturday schedule: Every game that could impact Selection Sunday

One of the biggest games of the day comes from the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City.

Arizona advanced with a dramatic buzzer-beater win over Iowa State in the semifinals, while Houston dominated Kansas to reach the final.

The stakes are simple. The winner earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and could improve their seeding heading into Selection Sunday. Both teams are safely in the field already, but the result could still impact where they land in the bracket.

The Big East Conference tournament concludes at Madison Square Garden with one of the marquee games of Championship Saturday.

St. John’s reached the final by defeating Seton Hall 78–68 in the semifinal, while UConn advanced by beating Georgetown 67–51, setting up the championship matchup.

The win by both teams locked in the title game - the No. 1 seed Red Storm and No. 2 seed Huskies meet for the conference championship. The winner secures the conference’s automatic bid and could potentially boost their NCAA tournament seed.

The ACC tournament championship is officially set, with No. 1 seed Duke facing No. 2 seed Virginia on Saturday night in Charlotte.

Virginia reached the final after a dominant 84–62 semifinal win over Miami, while Duke advanced by defeating Clemson 73–61 behind strong performances from Cameron and Cayden Boozer.

The winner earns the ACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and could also improve its seeding ahead of Selection Sunday. Both teams are expected to make the NCAA tournament regardless, but the result could still influence the top seed lines when the bracket is revealed tomorrow.

The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament reaches the semifinal round Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, with two games that will determine who plays for the conference title on Sunday.

The first matchup features No. 1 seed Florida taking on No. 4 seed Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. Florida entered the tournament as the top seed after a strong regular season, while Vanderbilt has continued an impressive run through the bracket.

In the second semifinal, No. 15 seed Ole Miss faces No. 3 seed Arkansas at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, scheduled to tip roughly 25 minutes after the first game concludes. Ole Miss has been one of the tournament’s biggest surprises, advancing to the semifinals as the lowest remaining seed.

The winners of Saturday’s games will meet in the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m. ET, with the victor securing the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament reaches its semifinal round Saturday, March 14, at the United Center in Chicago, featuring four teams competing for a spot in the championship and the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

The first game at noon ET on CBS pits No. 1 Michigan (30-2) against No. 5 Wisconsin (24-9). The Wolverines, reigning Big Ten Tournament champions and regular-season title winners, enter as clear favorites, having not lost to a conference team in over two months. Wisconsin stunned Michigan on the road in early January, a signature victory that helped propel their season forward, and the Badgers will look to pull off another upset to reach the title game for a third straight year.

The second semifinal, tipping approximately 25 minutes after the Michigan-Wisconsin game, features No. 7 Purdue (25-8) versus No. 6 UCLA (23-10), also on CBS. Both teams advanced with strong performances in the quarterfinals, overcoming higher-seeded opponents and building double-digit leads early. Purdue aims for their third Big Ten Tournament final in the last five years, hoping to rebound from a late-season stretch in which they lost four of six games, while UCLA seeks their first title game appearance since joining the conference.

The winners of Saturday’s matchups will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game on Sunday, March 15, with the conference crown and automatic NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

The Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament continues Saturday, March 14, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, with the conference championship game on the line.

The first semifinal at 1 p.m. ET on CBSSN features No. 1 seed Saint Louis (27-4) against No. 4 Dayton. The Billikens, led by Robbie Avila, enter the tournament as the top seed and one of the nation’s stronger mid-major teams. After winning a share of the regular-season crown, Saint Louis looks for their first A-10 Tournament title since 2019. However, the Billikens stumbled down the stretch, going 3-3 in their last six games, including losses to Rhode Island and George Mason, which leaves the door open for a potential upset.

The second semifinal, tipping at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBSSN, pits No. 2 VCU (24-7) against No. 3 St. Joseph’s. VCU, coached by Phil Martelli Jr. in his first season, shares a regular-season crown with Saint Louis and is currently on the NCAA bubble, making this game critical for securing the conference’s automatic bid.

The winners of Saturday’s matchups will meet in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game on Sunday, March 15, at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, one of the final conference title games before Selection Sunday.

Teams already in March Madness with automatic bids

Several schools have already secured their spots in March Madness by winning their conference tournaments earlier in the week.

• Queens (N.C.) - ASUN
• Idaho - Big Sky
• High Point - Big South
• Hofstra - Colonial Athletic Association
• Wright State - Horizon League
• Siena - Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
• Northern Iowa - Missouri Valley Conference
• Long Island (LIU) - Northeast Conference
• Tennessee State - Ohio Valley Conference
• Lehigh - Patriot League
• Furman - Southern Conference
• McNeese - Southland Conference
• North Dakota State - Summit League
• Troy - Sun Belt Conference
• Gonzaga - West Coast Conference

Across Division I, 31 conference champions will receive automatic bids to the NCAA tournament field.

By the end of Saturday night, several more automatic bids will be locked in and the overall picture for the NCAA tournament will become clearer. Still, the final bracket won’t be revealed until Selection Sunday, when the committee announces the 68-team field and seeds.

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