March Madness is getting closer to another expansion. NCAA officials presented at least two models of an expanded NCAA tournament field to Division 1 conference commissioners on Wednesday.
One had four additional teams on the field, while another had eight, according to a report. report from Yahoo Sports.
The first expansion would take place during the 2025-2026 season, and any expansion of the men’s tournament would likely take place on the women’s side as well.
Officials declined to speak publicly about the details of the models, but the proposals include an increase from 68 to 72 or 76 teams, with additional at-large selections as well as at least one additional First Four site.
The expansion is proposed in part as a way to avoid eliminating the 28 mid-major conference automatic qualifiers – which enjoy broad fan support – and is popular with Power Conference leaders as a way to ‘get more of their programs into the postseason.
Officials don’t want to impact the traditional 64-team field, meaning any expansion will be added to the play-in model. This raises additional questions, such as which seed these play-in teams will be put into and whether mid-major automatic qualifiers will be made part of the play-in games, which has been a hot-button question for conference commissioners .
Expansion of the NCAA Tournament remains a controversial topic, with many fans feeling that March Madness is perfect as is and that adding more mediocre major programs only dilutes the product. But money talks, and power conference commissioners certainly have the influence to get things done in the not-too-distant future.
