College basketball conference tournaments 2026: Full schedule, locations and how to buy tickets

Championship Week is the stretch of the college basketball calendar where a regular season's worth of momentum can evaporate in a single bad quarter — or where a team nobody expected can play its way onto the national stage. Before the NCAA Tournament bracket drops on Selection Sunday, all 31 Division I conferences will crown a champion and hand out an automatic bid, and for a lot of programs, this two-week window is the postseason.

From early-round games on campus courts to title games inside iconic NBA arenas, this 2026 conference tournament schedule covers every date, city and venue you need — plus a guide to why these tournaments are worth attending in person and how to find tickets on SeatGeek.

How the college basketball conference tournaments work

All 31 Division I conferences hold single-elimination postseason tournaments to crown a champion. Each tournament winner earns an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which features a 68-team field.

Formats vary by conference. Some include every team in the league, while others seed the top finishers with first-round byes. The Horizon League tips off first on Sunday, March 2, and the Big Ten championship wraps things up on Sunday, March 15 — just hours before the Selection Sunday broadcast.

Smaller conferences tend to start earliest, often with early rounds played at campus sites before shifting to a neutral venue. Power conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and SEC close out the week at major neutral-site arenas. The NCAA Selection Committee fills the remaining 37 at-large spots based on regular-season performance and tournament results.

Key rules and format details to know

Conference tournament week can feel overwhelming if you're not familiar with how the brackets shake out. Here are the structural details worth understanding before tracking games.

• Automatic qualifiers vs. at-large bids: Only tournament champions earn guaranteed NCAA Tournament spots. Strong teams that lose early can still make it as at-large selections, but nothing is guaranteed on the bubble.

• Bye systems: Many conferences reward top seeds with byes. The ACC gives its top four seeds double byes and the Big Ten's top four seeds receive triple byes in the new 18-team format. Some mid-major leagues like the WCC build in multiple byes for top seeds as well.

• Single-elimination pressure: One loss ends a team's guaranteed path to March Madness. That dynamic is what makes every game feel urgent from the opening tip.

• Format expansion: The Big Ten tournament expanded to 18 teams for 2026, creating a new six-day bracket with 17 total games. It's the biggest structural change of the year.

• Campus vs. neutral sites: Early-round games in smaller conferences may be played on the higher seed's home court before shifting to a neutral championship site.

College basketball conference tournament schedule and locations

The 2026 conference tournament window spans two full weeks, from early March tip-offs through Selection Sunday.

Key tournament windows

• March 2–7: Early-tip conferences including the Horizon League, Ohio Valley, Summit League, ASUN, Big South, Northeast Conference and Patriot League.

• March 5–10: Mid-major tournaments heat up with the WCC, MAAC, Missouri Valley, CAA, Southern Conference and Big Sky.

• March 10–15: Power conference week when the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and SEC all overlap alongside the AAC, Atlantic 10, Mountain West, MAC and others.

Power conference venues

• ACC Tournament: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC (March 10–14) — Charlotte hosts for the 15th time, with 15 of 18 ACC teams competing.

• Big Ten Tournament: United Center, Chicago, IL (March 10–15) — all 18 teams in the new expanded format across six days.

• Big 12 Tournament: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO (March 10–14) — SeatGeek is the Official Ticket Marketplace of the Big 12, with 16 teams in the bracket.

• Big East Tournament: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (March 11–14) — college basketball's longest-running conference championship at the same venue, dating to 1983.

• SEC Tournament: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN (March 11–15) — all 16 SEC teams compete in a week that consistently delivers dramatic finishes.

Notable mid-major locations

Las Vegas hosts three tournaments simultaneously: the Mountain West at Thomas & Mack Center, the WAC at Orleans Arena and the WCC at Orleans Arena (March 5–14 across all three). If you're building a destination trip around Championship Week, Vegas offers the chance to catch multiple conferences in one city.

The Atlantic 10 heads to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh (March 11–15), and the Missouri Valley Conference holds "Arch Madness" at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (March 5–8). The Mid-American Conference settles into Rocket Arena in Cleveland (March 12–14), where SeatGeek is the Official Ticketing Partner.

Complete 2026 conference tournament schedule

Dates are for the 2026 men's tournaments. "Campus sites" means higher seeds host on their home floors. When both campus and neutral sites are listed, early rounds are on campus with later rounds at the neutral-site arena.

College basketball conference tournament ticket tips and planning advice

Tickets are on sale now for most major conferences, and prices vary widely depending on the tournament and session.

• Session passes vs. single games: All-session tickets offer the best value if your team advances deep into the bracket. Single-session tickets are a safer bet if you only want to catch early rounds or a specific matchup.

• Best value windows: Tuesday and Wednesday sessions are significantly cheaper than semifinal and championship sessions. If you're flexible on which round you attend, early-round games deliver the same elimination intensity at a fraction of the cost.

• Championship game demand: Saturday and Sunday finals command premium prices, especially at iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and United Center.

• Rivalry matchups: When ranked teams meet in the bracket, secondary market prices tend to spike. Keep an eye on seeding announcements.

• Neutral-site advantages: Power conference tournaments at NBA arenas offer better sightlines and amenities than campus gyms. The MAC Tournament at Rocket Arena in Cleveland — where SeatGeek is the Official Ticketing Partner — is a strong example of a mid-major tournament in a world-class building.

• Travel planning: Book hotels early for tournament cities. Nashville, Kansas City and New York fill up fast during Championship Week.

• Women's tournaments: Many run parallel at the same or nearby venues. The ACC women's tournament takes place March 4–8 at Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA, and the Big Ten women's tournament starts March 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

How to buy college basketball conference tournament tickets on SeatGeek

With 31 tournaments spread across the country in a two-week window, finding the right conference tournament game at the right price can feel like its own bracket challenge.

Search for the specific conference tournament name — like "Big 12 Tournament" or "SEC Tournament" — or browse the college basketball category to see all available Championship Week sessions in one place. Every listing shows the all-in price upfront, so you can compare a $360 lower-bowl seat at T-Mobile Center against a $4,600 courtside option without worrying about surprise fees at checkout.

Deal Score rates each conference tournament ticket from 1 to 10 based on price relative to comparable seats, which is especially helpful when you're weighing early-round bargains against championship-game premiums. Interactive seat maps let you preview your view from specific sections at neutral-site arenas like United Center, Spectrum Center and Rocket Arena.

You can filter by session to compare first-round doubleheaders against semifinal and title-game options, or look at all-session passes if you're planning a full tournament trip. Mobile tickets are delivered right to your phone after checkout, so you can manage all your Championship Week games in one app.

So pick your spot — a weekend in Vegas, a bucket-list trip to Madison Square Garden, a local conference final — then grab your seats on SeatGeek. Championship Week only comes once a year, and the best stories always start with someone who was actually in the building.