Latest news with #FirstFour
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
NCAA basketball tournament won't expand for 2026, possible in 2027
"Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men's and women's basketball championships. However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships," Gavitt said. One of the most divisive topics in college hoops, the expansion of the tournament had been picking up steam in recent months by the high powers of college sports. At a Big 12 meeting in May, NCAA president Charlie Baker told reporters the NCAA had "good conversation" with its media partners about the possibility of increasing the number of teams in the field and wanted a final determination in the coming months. On July 10, Gavitt said no decision was made on tournament expansion after it was "discussed at length" during meetings for the committees. While those in power had building toward expansion, the possibility of it has drawn the ire of college basketball enthusiasts, with the common belief adding more teams ruins what is considered a perfect tournament, with any and all tweaks unwarranted. The men's tournament expanded from 53 teams to 64 in 1985, and the format stood until 2011, when the First Four was introduced and grew the field from 65 to 68 teams. On the women's side, the bracket increased from 48 teams to 64 in 1994, and the First Four was also implemented in 2022. When the First Four was expanded, it meant more at-large selections and conference tournament champions had to play their way into participating in the first round of the tournament. It led to Cinderella runs to the Final Four like Virginia Commonwealth in 2011 and UCLA in 2021. NCAA Tournament expansion history Here's a look at the history of the NCAA men's tournament expansion: 1951 : expands from eight to 16 teams : expands from eight to 16 teams 1953 : grows to 22 teams : grows to 22 teams 1975 : expands to 32 teams : expands to 32 teams 1979 : grows to 40 teams : grows to 40 teams 1980 : expands to 48 teams : expands to 48 teams 1983 : grows to 52 teams : grows to 52 teams 1985 : expands to 64 teams : expands to 64 teams 2001 : adds one team for opening round play-in, expands to 65 : adds one team for opening round play-in, expands to 65 2011: First Four added, grows field to 68 Here's the expansion history of the NCAA women's tournament: 1982: 32 teams 32 teams 1983: grows to 36 teams grows to 36 teams 1984: dwindles back to 32 teams dwindles back to 32 teams 1986: grows to 40 teams grows to 40 teams 1989: expands to 48 teams expands to 48 teams 1994: grows to 64 teams grows to 64 teams 2022: First Four added, expands to 68 teams Contributing: Craig Meyer
New York Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
NCAA makes March Madness expansion decision for 2026
March Madness won't be expanding — not yet, at least. The NCAA announced Monday that it will not look to expand the current NCAA Tournament fields from 68 teams for the 2026 championships, but discussions will continue about potential expansion beyond next year. 'Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men's and women's basketball championships,' Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement. 'However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships.' Advertisement 4 General view of the court before the Final Four Game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. NCAA Photos via Getty Images NCAA president Charlie Baker had previously said that his goal was to expand the tournament by 2026, but this solidifies that the NCAA will fall short of that goal. March Madness began in 1939 with an eight-team field, doubling to 16 teams in 1951. Advertisement The tournament expanded to 22 teams in 1953 and then grew again to 32 teams in 1975 before eventually moving on to 64 teams in 1985. 4 A general view of the court during the first half of the game between the Omaha Mavericks and the St. John's Red Storm in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025. Getty Images The 'First Four' grew the field to 68 teams in 2011, although that's technically a play-in tournament to get into the 64-team bracket. The women's tournament did not expand to 68 teams until 2022. Advertisement 4 The NCAA March Madness Tournament has been heralded as the best sporting event. NCAA Photos via Getty Images 4 Lauren Betts #51 of the UCLA Bruins looks for an open shot against the UConn Huskies during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Amalie Arena on April 4, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. NCAA Photos via Getty Images The NCAA has viewed expansion as a positive despite some outcry from sports fans who think the tournament would be watered down. 'It has been brought up before, but there was never the kind of consensus interest as there is now,' Gavitt told The Post in February. 'Doesn't mean it is going to happen, but there's a lot more interest than there's even been in the last decade.'
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA basketball tournament won't expand in 2026, still possible for 2027
March Madness will not expand − for now. NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt announced on Aug. 4 the men's and women's basketball NCAA Tournament will keep its current format for the upcoming season, with the possibility of expansion happening the following year. The announcement means the 2026 NCAA Tournament will remain at 68 teams. 'Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men's and women's basketball championships. However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships," Gavitt said. One of the most divisive topics in college hoops, the expansion of the tournament had been picking up steam in recent months by the high powers of college sports. At a Big 12 meeting in May, NCAA president Charlie Baker told reporters the NCAA had "good conversation" with its media partners about the possibility of increasing the number of teams in the field and wanted a final determination in the coming months. On July 10, Gavitt said no decision was made on tournament expansion after it was 'discussed at length' during meetings for the committees. While those in power had building toward expansion, the possibility of it has drawn the ire of college basketball enthusiasts, with the common belief adding more teams ruins what is considered a perfect tournament, with any and all tweaks unwarranted. The men's tournament expanded from 53 teams to 64 in 1985, and the format stood until 2011, when the First Four was introduced and grew the field from 65 to 68 teams. On the women's side, the bracket increased from 48 teams to 64 in 1994, and the First Four was also implemented in 2022. When the First Four was expanded, it meant more at-large selections and conference tournament champions had to play their way into participating in the first round of the tournament. It led to Cinderella runs to the Final Four like Virginia Commonwealth in 2011 and UCLA in 2021. NCAA Tournament expansion history Here's a look at the history of the NCAA men's tournament expansion: Here's the expansion history of the NCAA women's tournament: Contributing: Craig Meyer
Fox Sports
11-07-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
March Madness Expansion to 72 or 76 Teams Floated; Change Could Come Soon
The committees for men's and women's Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations. "The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships," Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement Thursday. The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value and that he'd like to see the issue resolved in the next few months. He said the NCAA has had "good conversations" with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros., whose deal runs through 2032 at the cost of around $1.1 billion a year. Baker also mentioned the increasingly difficult logistics involved with adding teams to what is now known as the "First Four" — a series of four games played on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week to place four teams into the 64-team bracket. Though there has been no concrete plan for how expansion would work, speculation has centered on bringing more at-large teams, likely from major conferences, into the 64-team bracket. Such a move would come at the expense of champions of lower-level conferences. Currently, two of the First Four games involve 16 seeds — teams that automatically qualify by winning lower-ranked conferences — while two more involve at-large teams often seeded 11 or 12. For instance, in 2021, UCLA made the Final Four as an 11 seed that also played in the First Four. "I don't accept that that model just continues in the future," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at league meetings in May. He used the example of North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2023 as how bubble teams from big conferences can make long runs in the tournament. "You could go ask my colleagues in the [automatic qualifier] conferences what should happen, and I'm certain they want that split to continue for life," Sankey said. "But you've got some really, really good teams ... that I think should be moved into the tournament." Any recommendation for expansion would have to be approved by the NCAA's Division I board, which next meets in August. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Basketball Women's College Basketball recommended Item 1 of 1 Get more from the College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
San Francisco Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
March Madness expansion to 72 or 76 teams floated; change could come as soon as next season
The committees for men's and women's Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations. 'The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships," Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement Thursday. The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value and that he'd like to see the issue resolved in the next few months. He said the NCAA has had 'good conversations' with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros., whose deal runs through 2032 at the cost of around $1.1 billion a year. Baker also mentioned increasingly difficult logistics involved with adding teams to what is now known as the 'First Four' — a series of four games played on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week to place four teams into the 64-team bracket. Though there has been no concrete plan for how expansion would work, speculation has centered on bringing more at-large teams, likely from major conferences, into the 64-team bracket. Such a move that would come at the expense of champions of lower-level conferences. Currently, two of the First Four games involve 16 seeds — teams that automatically qualify by winning lower-ranked conferences — while two more involve at-large teams often seeded 11 or 12. For instance, in 2021, UCLA made the Final Four as an 11 seed that also played in the First Four. 'I don't accept that that model just continues in the future,' Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey said at league meetings in May. He used the example of North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four as an 11 seed in 2023 as how bubble teams from big conferences can make long runs in the tournament. 'You could go ask my colleagues in the (automatic qualifier) conferences what should happen, and I'm certain they want that split to continue for life,' Sankey said. 'But you've got some really, really good teams ... that I think should be moved into the tournament.' Any recommendation for expansion would have to be approved by the NCAA's Division I board, which next meets in August. ___
