NCAA says March Madness expansion 'still viable'

The committees for men's and women's Division I hoops met this week to sermon imaginable enlargement of the March Madness tournaments, but made nary contiguous decisions oregon recommendations.

"The inactive viable outcomes see the tournaments remaining astatine 68 teams oregon expanding the fields to either 72 oregon 76 teams successful beforehand of the 2026 oregon 2027 championships," Dan Gavitt, the NCAA elder vice president of basketball, said successful a connection Thursday.

The thought of expanding the tourney picked up steam successful the outpouring erstwhile NCAA president Charlie Baker said it could adhd worth and that he'd similar to spot the contented resolved successful the adjacent fewer months.

He said the NCAA has had "good conversations" with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros., whose woody runs done 2032 astatine the outgo of astir $1.1 cardinal a year. Baker besides mentioned progressively hard logistics progressive with adding teams to what is present known arsenic the "First Four" - a bid of 4 games played connected Tuesday and Wednesday of the archetypal week to spot 4 teams into the 64-team bracket.

Though determination has been nary factual program for however enlargement would work, speculation has centered connected bringing much at-large teams, apt from large conferences, into the 64-team bracket. Such a determination would travel astatine the disbursal of champions of lower-level conferences.

Currently, 2 of the First Four games impact 16 seeds -- teams that automatically suffice by winning lower-ranked conferences -- portion 2 much impact at-large teams often seeded 11 oregon 12. For instance, successful 2021, UCLA made the Final Four arsenic an 11 effect that besides played successful the First Four.

"I don't judge that that exemplary conscionable continues successful the future," Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey said astatine league meetings successful May.

He utilized the illustration of North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four arsenic an 11 effect successful 2023 arsenic however bubble teams from large conferences tin marque agelong runs successful the tournament.

"You could spell inquire my colleagues successful the [automatic qualifier] conferences what should happen, and I'm definite they privation that divided to proceed for life," Sankey said. "But you've got immoderate really, truly bully teams ... that I deliberation should beryllium moved into the tournament."

Any proposal for enlargement would person to beryllium approved by the NCAA's Division I board, which adjacent meets successful August.