March Madness May See Tournament Expansion

As March Madness approaches, there’s talk about some notable changes. The NCAA is reportedly considering expanding its men’s basketball tournament from 68 to 76 teams for the 2026-27 season.

While discussions are ongoing, the contract isn’t finalized yet.

The opening games will still take place on Tuesday and Wednesday before the main event kicks off on Thursday. However, reports suggest these matches will occur at two different sites rather than just in Dayton, Ohio.

An anonymous executive referred to this change, highlighting it as a shift from the traditional “First Four” branding to what they’re calling the opening round.

The selection process for the new opening round remains similar—12 low-seed automatic qualifiers will face off against each other, while the remainder of the selection will unfold in a conventional format.

NCAA Chairman Charlie Baker addressed concerns during a National Press Club meeting, noting that he doesn’t believe expanding the tournament will directly boost revenue from television partners. He pointed out that the extra games aren’t significant profit generators.

Baker emphasized the ongoing challenge of excluding strong teams from the tournament. He remarked, “There are really good teams that don’t get to participate, often for various reasons. With 32 automatic qualifiers from conference champions, only 36 spots are available for the rest.”

Interestingly, just a couple of months ago, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, indicated that the tournament would remain at 68 teams for 2026. He confirmed that any potential expansion discussions would be focused on the 2027 championship, contemplating either a move to 72 or 76 teams.