Despite objections from its audience, the NCAA officially expanded the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments to 76 teams on Thursday.
As part of the increased field, a decision first reported as a realistic possibility in April, the 12 lowest-ranked at-large programs and 12 lowest automatic qualifiers will play in games dubbed the “March Madness Opening Round” on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the traditional Thursday-Friday Round of 64.
The number of No. 16 seeds has increased from six to eight, and No. 15s from four to six, to accommodate the expanded field.
While that means fewer mid-major conference champions will make the opening round, that could be more beneficial than one might initially think, particularly in the revenue-sharing era.
