The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships
The men’s and women’s tournaments feature a 76-team bracket, composed of 32 automatic qualifiers and 44 at-large teams.
32 automatic qualifiers — Teams that win their conference tournaments receive automatic bids.
44 at-large teams — The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees use a combination of metrics and evaluation tools to choose the at-large teams.
Each tournament features a 12-game Opening Round, followed by first and second rounds, regional semifinals and finals — affectionately known as the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively — and the Men’s and Women’s Final Fours.
Men’s and women’s teams that do not make the field of 76 are eligible for the National Invitation Tournament and the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. The NIT and WBIT are both managed by the NCAA and have their own selection process.
Who selects the teams?
The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees, respectively, oversee the selection, seeding and bracketing process for the Division I men’s and women’s tournaments. These committees evaluate teams starting with the first night of the season and continuing all the way through Selection Sunday using data-driven metrics, game results and expert observations to determine the best at-large teams and ensure competitive balance in the tournaments. The committees meet multiple times throughout the season to analyze team performance and adjust rankings accordingly. That’s nearly five months of evaluating!
The Division I men’s and women’s committees are composed of conference commissioners, athletics directors and experienced administrators from across Division I basketball. Each committee consists of 12 members serving five-year terms, ensuring a fair and balanced approach to selection.
Selection begins with each committee member submitting an initial ballot on the first day of the selections meeting, followed by rounds of voting and discussion until the final bracket is set.
Conference monitoring
Selection week gets all the attention, but the committee’s process of evaluating team begins on the opening day of the season, specifically via the conference monitoring program. Each member is responsible for serving as the primary or secondary monitor for up to six conferences. However, members may not monitor the league they represent on the committee. It’s important to note that committee members are not working on a league’s behalf during the selection process. Rather, they are charged with sharing information learned from observing games involving teams in the league and from talking to conference personnel throughout the season. The conference monitoring program’s objectives are:
- To broaden conference coverage to ensure maximum relevant and current knowledge among committee members.
- To organize and streamline the information flow for the committee.
- To afford conferences the opportunity to directly provide information for the committee’s review.
- To provide committee members with essential information throughout the season and in advance of the selection meeting.
What metrics are used to evaluate teams throughout the season?
Committee members rely on a broad set of observation, consultation and data resources throughout the season and during selection week to make informed decisions.
These resources include game evaluations, conference monitoring, coaches rankings, box scores, head-to-head results, common-opponent results, imbalanced conference schedules and results, nonconference strength of schedule, quality wins and losses, road performance, player/coach availability and computer metrics. While data is important, no single metric determines selection or seeding decisions. Committee members evaluate teams using numerous data points, observations and discussions throughout the season.
Two commonly referred-to computer metrics used in the men’s and women’s process are the NCAA Evaluation Tool and Wins Above Bubble.
How are the brackets built?
The Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees are responsible for selecting the 44 at-large teams and ranking them into their respective brackets. While there are some differences in the details of how each bracket is created, the general process and principles of selecting the teams and seeding them are similar.
The initial ballot
- The first step of the process, which takes place Wednesday afternoon of selection week, is for each committee member to submit an initial ballot. This involves a private vote with members each identifying no more than 28 teams that, in their own opinion, are worthy of an at-large selection based upon play to date (even if the team could represent its conference as an automatic qualifier based on conference tournament results later in the week). During the same process, committee members each identify a list of teams they believe should receive consideration for possible inclusion as an at-large team based on how they have played up until that point. Each committee member is asked to give at least 56 teams one of the two designations (at-large or under consideration) during the casting of the initial ballot.
- Any team receiving all but three eligible votes as an at-large team is moved into the field. Remember, committee members may not vote for their own school’s team, so a team not represented on the committee needs at least nine of the 12 votes to make it in, while a team that is represented needs at least eight of the 11 eligible votes.
- If a team received at least four initial ballot votes, but not enough support to make it into the field as an at-large team, it earns a spot on the under-consideration board. It is from that list of schools that the committee votes teams into the field.
Debunking NCAA tournament myths
Even with this look into the postseason process, there are plenty of misconceptions about how teams are selected, seeded and placed in the brackets for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.
Some of these misconceptions include:
- The NET ranking is the only factor that matters.
- Conference affiliation plays a role in selection.
- Winning 20 games guarantees a tournament spot.
- The committee ensures certain matchups for drama.
- The last four in and first four out are set in stone.
- The committees favor blue-blood programs.
- Committee members work together to rank teams for selection and seeding purposes.
- Late-season performance is the most important factor.
- Television networks influence the bracket.
- A winning conference record ensures a bid.
Learn more: Debunking NCAA tournament myths.
While many of the myths surrounding Selection Sunday have persisted over the years, the reality is that the committees follow a thorough, structured process that prioritizes fairness and balance.
The NIT and WBIT
The National Invitation Tournament and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament provide additional postseason championship opportunities for Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams. The NIT and WBIT showcase competitive programs beyond the NCAA championship field and give student-athletes the chance to continue their seasons on a national stage.