The 2025–26 men’s college basketball regular season has officially come to a close, which means one of the most exciting stretches of the calendar has arrived: Champ Week. Conference tournaments across the country are now underway as teams battle for automatic bids to the 2026 NCAA Tournament and a chance to extend their season into March Madness.
MORE: Predicting winners in college basketball conference tournaments this week
Feb 16, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) reacts during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
How to Watch Champ Week 2026
- Date: Monday, March 9 – Sunday, March 15, 2026
- Time: 2:00 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: ESPN (watch now)
For many programs, Champ Week represents their final opportunity to reach the NCAA Tournament. Winning a conference tournament guarantees an automatic berth in the 68-team bracket, making every game a win-or-go-home scenario. At the same time, bubble teams are hoping strong performances can boost their resumes before Selection Sunday.
The action will continue throughout the week before culminating with the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game on Sunday. That final game will take place just hours before the NCAA Tournament bracket is unveiled during Selection Sunday, when the full field for the 2026 edition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is revealed.
How to Watch Champ Week 2026
Watch Champ Week Live on ESPNFans can catch the biggest conference tournament games throughout the week across the ESPN family of networks. If you’re looking to catch every game, you will need an ESPN subscription, which gives you access to Championship Week and a wide range of other sports, including NHL games and MLB.TV, NBA, and more.
Champ Week games will air on:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPNU
- SEC Network
- ACC Network
Key 2026 Conference Championship Dates (Men’s):
- ACC: March 10–14 (Final: March 14, 8:30 p.m. ET)
- Big 12: March 10–14 (Final: March 14, 6 p.m. ET)
- Big Ten: March 11–15 (Final: March 15, 3:30 p.m. ET)
- Atlantic 10: March 11–15 (Final: March 15, 1 p.m. ET)
- American (AAC): March 11–15 (Final: March 15, 3:15 p.m. ET)
- Mountain West: March 11–14
- Conference USA: March 11–15
Champ Week is one of the most dramatic weeks in sports because it combines championship stakes with NCAA Tournament implications. Smaller conferences often produce Cinderella stories, where underdog teams catch fire and steal an automatic bid with a surprise tournament run.
Meanwhile, power conferences like the ACC, SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten use their tournaments as a final proving ground for teams hoping to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding.
By the time Sunday arrives and the conference tournaments wrap up, the picture for March Madness will finally come into focus. The selection committee will reveal the full bracket later that evening, setting the stage for the most anticipated postseason in college basketball.
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