NCAA to implement player availability reports for 2026 March Madness

The NCAA announced Thursday that it will introduce player availability reports for the 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in an effort to address the pressures of sports betting on student-athletes.

The reports aim to protect player “well-being and competition integrity from sports betting influences” by publicly disclosing whether athletes are “available”, “questionable”, or “out” before tournament games, the NCAA said in a statement.

“After months of thorough discussion and exploration, I applaud the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees for taking such important action,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressures for the enhancement of their college experience.”

NCAA announces implementation of player availability reporting for 2026 DI Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. https://t.co/jHWKf8VGfP

— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) October 30, 2025

The reporting system will require teams to submit updates the night before and two hours before each game. Inaccurate or incomplete reports could result in penalties determined by the NCAA committees.

The NCAA will review the program after the 2026 tournaments to consider expanding it to other championships. The initiative is part of the NCAA’s broader effort to combat sports betting risks through integrity monitoring, athlete education, and advocacy for the removal of prop bets involving college players.

The influence of sports betting on athletes has been a big topic of late. Earlier this week, at the urging of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, the NCAA agreed to delay the implementation of a rule that would allow college athletes to bet on pro sports.

And last week, NBA guard Terry Rozier and NBA coach Chauncey Billups were among those arrested in an FBI probe into illegal gambling. Rozier was accused of allegedly taking himself out of a game on purpose in 2023 so a co-conspirator could place a bet and win. In the same case, former NBA player Damon Jones was accused of using his knowledge of a teammate’s health status to instruct a co-conspirator to make a “big bet” on the other team.

FBI director Kash Patel said of the case, “This is the insider trading saga for the NBA.”