Conference Tournaments 2021: Schedules, Brackets, NCAA Tournament Autobids
It's conference tournament season in college basketball, which means championships—as well as automatic bids for the 2021 NCAA tournament—are about to be handed out. Conference tourneys come in two waves, with some underway this week and others kicking off next week.
For most mid-major teams, winning the league tournament is the only way to earn a bid to the Big Dance. And for Power 5 teams lacking the résumé for at-large bid, a surprising conference tournament run is an opportunity to make up for an otherwise disappointing season.
Below, Sports Illustrated is tracking every men's conference championship winner, along with a schedule of title games and which channel they will be broadcast on. Conference finals will begin on Saturday, March 6 and wrap up on the afternoon of March 14, which is also Selection Sunday.
Morehead State became the first team to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament via a conference tournament championship, beating top-seeded Belmont 86–71 in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference final.
All times are Eastern. Click on a league name to view full bracket and tournament schedule.
| CONFERENCE | START DATE | TITLE GAME INFO | CHAMPION |
|---|---|---|---|
March 3 | March 6 (7 p.m. ESPN2) | Morehead State | |
Feb. 27 | March 7 (12 p.m. ESPN) | Winthrop | |
March 3 | March 7 (2 p.m., ESPN) | Liberty | |
March 4 | March 7 (2:10 p.m, CBS) | Loyola Chicago | |
March 5 | March 8 (7 p.m., ESPN) | Mercer | |
March 5 | March 8 (7 p.m., ESPN2) | Appalachian State | |
Feb. 25 | March 9 (7 p.m., TBD) | Cleveland State | |
March 6 | March 9 (7 p.m., CBSSN) | Drexel | |
March 6 | March 9 (7 p.m., ESPN2) | Mount St. Mary's | |
March 6 | March 9 (9 p.m., ESPN2) | Oral Roberts | |
March 4 | March 9 (9 p.m., ESPN) | Gonzaga | |
Feb. 27 | March 13 (11 a.m., ESPN2) | Hartford | |
March 7 | March 13 (1 p.m., ESPN2) | Norfolk State | |
March 8 | March 13 (4 p.m., ESPNU) | Iona | |
March 10 | March 13 (6 p.m., ESPN) | Texas | |
March 10 | March 13 (6 p.m., ESPNU) | Texas Southern | |
March 10 | March 13 (6 p.m., CBS) | San Diego State | |
March 10 | March 13 (6:30 p.m., FOX) | Georgetown | |
March 11 | March 13 (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) | Ohio | |
March 10 | March 13 (8 p.m., ESPNU) | Eastern Washington | |
March 9 | March 13 (8:30 p.m., ESPN) | Georgia Tech | |
March 10 | March 13 (9 p.m., CBSSN) | North Texas | |
March 10 | March 13 (9:30 p.m., ESPN2) | Abilene Christian | |
March 11 | March 13 (10 p.m., ESPNU) | Grand Canyon | |
March 10 | March 13 (10:30 p.m., ESPN) | Oregon State | |
March 9 | March 13 (11:30 p.m., ESPN2) | UC Santa Barbara | |
March 3 | March 14 (12 p.m., CBSSN) | Colgate | |
March 10 | March 14 (1 p.m., ESPN) | Alabama | |
March 3 | March 14 (1 p.m., CBS) | St. Bonaventure | |
March 11 | March 14 (3:15 p.m., ESPN) | Houston | |
March 10 | March 14 (3:30 p.m., CBS) | Illinois |
