No decision reached on NCAA Tournament expansion, per report

The will-they-won’t-they of NCAA Tournament expansion will seemingly continue for a bit longer.

According to a report by ESPN insider Pete Thamel, the NCAA has not yet decided on expansion to both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments following meetings held this week.

Sources: The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball committees have finished meeting this week and did not come to a decision or make a recommendation on tournament expansion. All options remain on the table, and discussions are continuing. pic.twitter.com/sEFFdbRjKs

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 10, 2025

Per Thamel, “The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball committees have finished meeting this week and did not come to a decision or make a recommendation on tournament expansion. All options remain on the table, and discussions are continuing.”

Throughout the offseason, reports have emerged that the NCAA is considering expanding both its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to either 72 or 76 teams. If and when expansion does happen, it’ll likely come with a modest pay bump on the men’s side from CBS and TNT Sports, while ESPN will not be required to increase its rights payment for the women’s tournament.

The economics of expansion aren’t all that lucrative. Considering that only four or eight more teams will be added, any expansion will result in only a few more play-in games, which are already among the least-watched NCAA Tournament windows. Moreover, there aren’t any obvious television windows to put additional play-in games in the first place. The Tuesday and Wednesday nights immediately following Selection Sunday already have doubleheaders. It’s unclear how additional play-in games would be scheduled to avoid playing during the workday.

Anecdotally, expansion also seems to be pretty unpopular among fans. Though we all know fan considerations often rank pretty low on the list when it comes to leagues trying to make an extra buck.

According to a report by Front Office Sports earlier this week, a decision about expansion will need to be made in the coming weeks, should it be implemented for the upcoming season. If not, it appears the NCAA will take another year to consider its options.