It’s official, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are expanding to 76 teams after committee members voted to approve the transition on Thursday.
In what has become a focal point of dissent among college basketball fans over the past year, the surge of teams that will now make up the postseason field went through multiple layers to its final stage.
“The expanded pool format will not impact the regular season or conference championship schedules,” the NCAA said in its statement.
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Some might wonder why the NCAA is expanding the tournament again. Look no further than the revenue it will create for schools across the country, which is tied to television contracts and sponsorship dollars that were too lucrative to turn down.
In the new agreement, the NCAA will also open new avenues for sponsorship deals, which will include beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer, just to name a few options.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a call during the second half of an NCAA Tournament semifinal game against Illinois in the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
Over the past month, NCAA officials met with media partners to discuss what the addition of 12 teams would generate in terms of revenue for the postseason tournament, and Turner Sports would be allowed additional games to broadcast each year.
In the new format, the First Four will now advance to the opening round, which will see 24 teams take part in 12 matches over a two-day period. Half of these matchups will take place in Dayton, Ohio, while the other games will be decided at a location to be announced.
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How will additional teams be configured within the tournament field?
For these first round games, there will be a mix of at-large teams and automatic bid qualifiers. Each 16-seeded team and half of the 15-seeded teams will participate in these games, while the rest will be set for 11, 12, and the potential for a 13-seeded team.
The winning teams will go on to play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday and Friday.
Yes, I know this is a bit much, which has become a very entertaining conversation on social media and within athletic departments in recent weeks.
UConn’s Dan Hurley warns NCAA tournament expansion could make regular season ‘meaningless’
Nimari Burnett of the Michigan Wolverines poses with his teammates holding the Midwest Regional Championship trophy after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on March 29, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It’s hard not to argue that college basketball isn’t simply about doling out more offers to increase a school’s chances of receiving its participation ribbon.
But we’re also seeing a substantial increase in spending across all college campuses, which is another reason why expansion was critical for schools.
“The NCAA will be able to award more than $131 million in new revenue distributions to member schools participating in basketball tournaments over the remaining six years of the NCAA’s broadcast agreements,” the organization announced.
Additionally, the NCAA will see an increase of $300 million in revenue from the media rights deal over the course of six years.
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley speaks during a press conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Phoenix on April 4, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
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“Expanding the Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships is the right decision for the student-athletes and programs who will now have access to the biggest events in college sports,” said Virginia Tech President of the Board of Trustees Tim Sands.
Now, with the tournament preparing for a larger number of participants, we can look ahead to the upcoming television contract negotiations, where there will no doubt be talks about expanding the number of teams once again.
