The 2026 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will return to Hutchinson Sports Arena from Saturday, March 21 through Saturday, March 28, bringing the nation’s top junior college programs back to the Sunflower State.
Sixteen district champions have already secured automatic bids to the 24-team national tournament, with the remaining eight at-large bids to be announced during the selection show on Monday at 5 p.m. via the NJCAA Network. The selection show will also reveal the full bracket and seeds, with the top eight seeds earning first-round byes into the second round.
Automatic qualifiers (district champions):
- Monroe University (East District, Region 15) – 27-4
- Walters State Community College (Appalachian District, Region 7) – 30-1
- Jones College (Gulf District, Region 23) – 25-9
- Vincennes University (Central District, Region 24) – 31-2
- Brunswick Community College (Atlantic District, Region 10) – 28-5
- Mineral Area College (Midwest District, Region 16) – 21-11
- Trinity Valley Community College (Mid-South District, Region 14) – 28-5
- Indian Hills Community College (North Central District, Region 11) – 30-2
- Trinidad State College (Northwest Plains District, Region 9) – 17-16
- Butler Community College (Plains District, Region 6) – 24-9
- Bishop State Community College (South District, Region 22) – 17-15
- Chipola College (South Atlantic District, Region 8) – 26-7
- Northern Oklahoma College-Enid (South Central District, Region 2) – 20-13
- South Georgia State College (Southeast District, Region 17) – 23-10
- Howard College (Southwest District, Region 5) – 29-4
- College of Southern Idaho (West District, Region 18) – 31-2