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ESPN college basketball broadcaster Jay Bilas said the NCAA’s decision to expand the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments to 76 teams was unnecessary.
Bilas, 62, said that while he is indifferent to the NCAA’s decision to expand, no one was clamoring for it.
“I don’t want to say I don’t care, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s not a decision I would have made for the NCAA because… I’m not one of those guys that says ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ because no one ever says, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t improve it or don’t maintain it.’ But I don’t think it was necessary,” Bilas told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
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Sportscaster Jay Bilas plays golf during the first practice round of the 2025 ACC Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on July 9, 2025. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)
“No one was clamoring to see a .500 team from a major conference make the tournament.”
Bilas noted that if the tournament had been expanded for last season, there would have been .500 teams in the tournament.
In the new expanded tournament, the first two days of the tournament would be drastically different. That Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 games would be played between 24 teams due to the eight added at-large bids. The games would be played at two different sites.
Bilas said it might be “a little confusing” for the average fan to fill out their bracket. He called the added games “inconsequential.”
“The overwhelming majority of fans do not believe the tournament will start until the first Thursday of the 64-team bracket,” Bilas said.
NCAA TOURNAMENTS EXPAND TO 76 TEAMS: NEW FORMAT, REVENUE BOOM AND ADDITIONAL GAMES FOR THE FUTURE
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas stands courtside before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Florida Atlantic Owls at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 5, 2023. (Porter Binks/Getty Images)
“People still watch the games and especially basketball nerds like me watch them religiously, but for most fans, they’re kind of… I don’t want to say inconsequential, but they are.”
Bilas said that the teams that win the play-in matches will be rewarded financially.
“What it does is it gives a bunch of teams a chance to win an NCAA Tournament game. Even though most fans won’t give them credit for it, they’ll get credit in money. They’ll get an NCAA Tournament unit and they’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, we won an NCAA Tournament game, even though it was against a team with the exact same seeding,'” Bilas said.
“It’s okay. I don’t think it’s as important as some people think,” Bilas continued. “Money is a good reason to do something. That’s fine with me.”
UConn head coach Danny Hurley was among the coaches who worried that expanding the tournament could devalue the regular season. Bilas said he understands Hurley’s point and agrees.
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ESPN College GameDay host Jay Bilas prepares to broadcast before the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on February 1, 2025. (Lance King/Getty Images)
“I get it, and I think it does a little bit. So the argument about who’s in and who’s out diminishes. Now, if we’re going to have .500 major conference teams make the tournament now, do I think that’s a good thing? No, I don’t,” Bilas said.
“But it’s not a big deal. Most of those teams will be out the first weekend anyway. You might have someone who puts it together at the end of the year and is better than their record, but I think that horse is already out of the barn.”
American Century Tournament
Bilas will play in the American Century Tournament July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe.
The tournament has raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates tournament fundraising to drive direct donations to Stowers each year.
Bilas said he was invited six or seven years ago and called it the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters.
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ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player Jay Bilas watches during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on October 19, 2012. (Lance King/Getty Images)
“When they invited me six or seven years ago and I was excited. I just couldn’t believe I could do it. And they have been, they must have a very low bar, but I’ve been invited again since then. And for me, getting that invitation has to be the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters. So when you get the invitation, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe they invited me back.’ And it’s an automatic yes.” Bilas said.
“It’s just exciting. And it’s equally exciting once you’re there because it’s a beautiful setting in Lake Tahoe at the Edgewood Resort. The weather is always spectacular. Seventy thousand people are there in shorts and summer dresses and just enjoying seeing some of their favorite celebrities.”
Bilas said he loves competing in the tournament, but said the atmosphere is what makes it special. He credited CEO Justin Thomas for being so welcoming and creating a family atmosphere that everyone loves, in addition to the tournament’s notable charitable work. The tournament will air on NBC and Peacock.
