What we all fear (and know is inevitable) may be happening soon. Like next season soon.
We’re a month away from the 2025-26 college basketball season, and it could very well be the last for college hoops as we know it. And love it.
Ross Dellenger, from On3, reported Thursday that executives are “inching closer” to expanding the NCAA Tournament from 68 to 76 teams beginning in 2026-27.
Now that that’s off my chest let’s break it down.
Dellenger reported that the addition of eight at-large teams will create 12 “opening round” games over two days. Half of these games would be in Dayton, the current host of the play-in games, and half likely be at a basketball-centric Western location. The 24 teams in these games would be 12 lower-seeded automatic qualifiers and the last 12 at-large teams.
With this format, 37.5% of the automatic qualifiers will have to win their way into the Round of 64. You’ve got to be kidding me. Here’s what the NCAA would be saying to these conference champions: “Congratulations! You qualified to qualify again!”
To paraphrase a line from “Semi-Pro,” these teams that lose in this new opening round will have won a giant title that says NCAA Tournament participant.
Pssst. They’re not NCAA Tournament participants.
But remember, this move would be all about access. More Division I teams means we need more NCAA Tournament teams.
Well, there’ll be more at-large teams. We all can get behind that, right? WRONG.
We don’t need more .500 or below .500 power conference teams watering down the greatest sporting event. Who remembers Virginia in 2024? The Cavaliers, who scored 14 – yes, 14 – points in the first half of their First Four loss to Colorado State, scream to everyone a team worthy of having a chance to win a national championship.
So, why is this change so imminent? Money, of course.
Everything is money related.
The NCAA already looked into expanding for the upcoming season. The upshot: the added games will not lead to the boost of revenue those in power were hoping.
If the math doesn’t work for 2025-26, it doesn’t work for 2026-27. Or any time thereafter.
“There is simply no logical defense when it comes to messing with one of the few things in sports that just about everyone agrees shouldn’t be messed with it,” SB Nation’s Mike Rutherford wrote.
We all know that change is the one constant in life. But maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t have to be here.
The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution uses the term “more perfect.” But we already have perfection – a 68-team field (I would argue 64 would be better, but I digress). Why are we going to change it? More perfect doesn’t really exist for March Madness.
