2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament: 5 Biggest March Madness Snubs

The men's NCAA Tournament field was released on Selection Sunday, and the 68-team field is set. Some teams that expected to see their name selected by the committee were left out. Their spots were taken by bid-stealers such as VCU out of the Atlantic 10, and Akron out of the Mid-American conference, or fellow bubble teams with stronger resumes. 

Here were the five biggest snubs from the men's NCAA Tournament.

1. Auburn Tigers

Auburn men’s basketball was left out of the NCAA Tournament field on Sunday. The Tigers lost their chance at an automatic bid after losing to Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Thursday.

Because of that defeat, their fate was at the committee’s discretion, who opted to exclude Auburn from March Madness.

The Tigers (17-16, 7-11 SEC) had an up-and-down season as they played one of the hardest schedules of any Division I program (third, per KenPom). While that might have provided challenges to prepare for postseason play, Auburn wasn’t able to earn enough victories to get there.

Apart from the difficult slate, Auburn had an uphill battle from the beginning. Coming off a trip to the Final Four in 2025, the Tigers lost five starters. And just before the season, 11-year head coach Bruce Pearl turned the reigns over to his son, Steven.

The Tigers peaked when they beat then-No. 4 Florida in Gainesville on January 24th. But losses in nine of their last 12 games ensured the Tigers would miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. 

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2. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson dribbles past Northwestern's Jordan Clayton during the second round of the 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.  (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

Indiana men’s basketball won’t be a part of the NCAA Tournament field after not hearing its name called by the selection committee on Sunday.

The Hoosiers lost control of their postseason destiny after falling, 74-61, to Northwestern on Wednesday, a disastrous Quad 2 loss in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament.

It's been three years since Indiana has made the NCAA Tournament, as head coach Darian DeVries was unable to author a turnaround in his first year at the helm. DeVries came to Indiana after one season at West Virginia and six seasons at Drake, bringing his son Tucker DeVries and signing top transfers such as guards Lamar Wilkerson and Tayton Conerway.

Indiana secured strong wins against NCAA Tournament teams such as in-state rival Purdue and at UCLA, but the Hoosiers' loss to Northwestern was the final nail in the coffin.

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3. Seton Hall Pirates

Seton Hall men’s basketball missed out on the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates clawed for a spot over the last few weeks, challenging UConn in Storrs, Connecticut, and St. John’s in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

Ultimately, the Pirates (21-12) didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the 68-team field. With the Big East having a down year, there weren’t as many opportunities to snag quality wins, and each loss was more detrimental.

It’s now been two seasons since Seton Hall made March Madness.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 13: Mike Williams #23 of the Seton Hall Pirates dribbles as Rubén Prey #17 of the St. John's Red Storm defends during the 2026 Big East Men's Tournament - Semifinal game at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

4. San Diego State Aztecs

Attempting to relive their glory days from 2023, the Aztecs came out short, ending up absent in the official bracket on Sunday. 

After losing four out of their last five games heading into the conference tournament, they needed to win the Mountain West Tournament to ensure an auto-bid to the Big Dance. Ultimately, Utah State came out on top, 73-62, stealing the championship game and the automatic bid. 

The team battled injuries to key depth players like junior forward Miles Heide and freshman guard Elzie Harrington late in the year. Making the tournament five consecutive years, this was their first bump in the road since 2019. 

5. Oklahoma Sooners

Arkansas' D.J. Wagner defends Oklahoma's Derrion Reid during the 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Despite a strong end-of-season push that saw the Sooners reach the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, they didn't do enough to earn an at-large bid. It's now the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Porter Moser that Oklahoma has missed the NCAA Tournament.