Bracket Watch: The bubble may have burst for Stanford and Virginia Tech, but not for SMU

By Canadian Press on March 11, 2026.

It’s unlikely anybody that played Tuesday is going to win the ACC Tournament.

It was still an important day, with three bubble teams trying to squeeze out as many wins as possible before Selection Sunday.

Stanford and Virginia Tech failed to do that, losing to Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, but SMU can feel a little better about its position after beating Syracuse. In the Big 12 Tournament, Cincinnati picked up a win over Utah. The Bearcats have won seven of nine to enter the NCAA Tournament conversation.

Wright State, Hofstra, Siena and Gonzaga earned automatic bids to the men’s tournament Tuesday.

Bubble watch

Stanford and Virginia Tech weren’t in great shape before Tuesday, so it’s hard to feel good about their chances now. There’s little they can do but hope there are no bid thieves the rest of the week.

The experts say

Last four in according to …

ESPN: Central Florida, SMU, Virginia Commonwealth, Indiana.

The Athletic: Santa Clara, SMU, VCU, Indiana.

First four out according to …

ESPN: Auburn, New Mexico, Stanford, Virginia Tech.

The Athletic: Auburn, New Mexico, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech.

Automatic bids

Here’s who has claimed an automatic bid to this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament: Long Island University (NEC), Tennessee State (OVC), Northern Iowa (MVC), High Point (Big South), Queens (ASUN), North Dakota State (Summit), Troy (Sun Belt), Furman (SoCon), Wright State (Horizon), Hofstra (CAA), Siena (MAAC), Gonzaga (WCC).

— Kellen Pickett’s blocked shot in the final seconds enabled Wright State to hold off Detroit Mercy in the Horizon final.

— Hofstra is in the Big Dance for the first time since 2001. The Pride are coached by Speedy Claxton, who also led Hofstra to the tournament as a player.

— Gerry McNamara, a national champ as a player at Syracuse, coaches Siena. The Saints are headed to the NCAAs for the first time since 2010.

Up next

The next couple days will be busy, with the power conferences in the early rounds of their tournaments before thinning out. Plenty of bubble teams are in action Wednesday:

— Auburn faces Mississippi State, and a loss would drop the Tigers to 16-16 on the season.

— SMU can further solidify its tournament hopes with a win over Louisville.

— Indiana needs to avoid a bad loss when it takes on Northwestern.

— Cincinnati tries to keep its push going when it faces UCF.

The Southland (Stephen F. Austin vs. McNeese State), Patriot (Boston University at Lehigh) and Big Sky (Montana vs. Idaho) settle their automatic bids Wednesday. McNeese State needed three overtimes to beat UT Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday night.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Noah Trister, The Associated Press