If you want to gauge the pulse of NCAA Tournament expansion, listen to the collective groan from the Alabama crowd as Pete Thamel laid out March Madness’ future on Saturday’s College GameDay.
Love it or hate it, it’s coming — and it’s not going anywhere.
Right now, there are 68 teams in the field. And judging by Joe Lunardi’s current bubble projections, which include a 14-11 North Carolina team (7-6 in the ACC) among the first four out, that might as well be the perfect number.
Well, not to the NCCA, who is interested in expanding to 72 or even 76 teams for March Madness.
There hasn’t been meaningful expansion in over 40 years, and for good reason. The NCAA has abided by the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mantra for the better part of four decades. And while the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff created more parity than ever, that doesn’t necessarily translate to the NCAA Tournament.
With the current NIL landscape, the gap between the haves and have-nots is wider than ever. But that’s not stopping the NCAA from pursuing what seems like an unpopular move. According to Thamel, they’ve already started talks with media rights partners.
“There’s development behind the scenes about what this tournament could look like in 2026,” the GameDay insider reported. “NCAA president Charlie Baker is on the record, saying there’s been discussions about growing the tournament to either 72 or 76 teams. I’ve had multiple high-ranking sources tell me this week that the more likely option — if the tournament were to expand — would be to 76.”
Here’s our @CollegeGameDay report on *potential* NCAA tournament expansion for the 2026 season. If the tournament is to expand – and it remains an IF – the “more likely option” is to 76 teams, per multiple-high ranking sources. pic.twitter.com/Xzo7TDr1lu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 15, 2025
Thamel added that the NCAA has been working with media partners for some time now, and a decision on whether to expand to 76 teams could come in the next few months. If it happens, this would be the largest expansion since 1985. The logistics are still up in the air, but it’s likely that an additional site—like Dayton for the ‘First Four’—would be added, with a venue outside the Eastern Time Zone a possibility.
The NCAA and its media partners remain in discussions, with a decision likely within the next few months. Expansion to 76 would mean a likely additional site to join Dayton, which would be expected to be outside of the Eastern Time Zone for travel.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 15, 2025
Seth Davis also noted another thing hindering expansion beyond 76 would be just finding the necessary shelf space from television partners.
“One of the many complications the committee must wrestle with is the compressed calendar. The NCAA Tournament is preceded by conference tournaments, which are both lucrative and locked into long-term TV contracts. It is followed immediately by The Masters, which has been an important property for CBS since 1956. That’s why the models currently being floated center on adding four or eight teams as opposed to the ridiculous and unworkable 32 that was efforted in 2011.”
One key wrinkle mentioned by Thamel is that if the men’s tournament expands, the women’s tournament likely will follow suit. There are many variables at play, and Thamel points out that financial stability for all parties involved is crucial. Power conferences have driven the push for expansion, but the big questions remain: Can the money come together?
The details of what 8 additional teams would look like are still being hashed out, and sources stress there’s plenty of complications. The women’s tournament would be expected to grow to 76 alongside of it, if there is expansion.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 15, 2025
That’s the crux of it.
The current media rights deals reportedly don’t include an expansion escalator clause, meaning the NCAA will have to justify the move beyond just adding more games. Whether this results in a more competitive tournament or simply more teams chasing revenue remains to be seen.
