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CNN
04-08-2025
- Sport
- CNN
March Madness men's and women's tournament field will stay at 68 teams in 2026 but could expand in 2027
Basketball FacebookTweetLink The next edition of March Madness will stay the same size in 2026. The NCAA is sticking with 68 teams for this upcoming season for the field size of the men's and women's basketball tournaments – though the discussion of future expansion is still on the table. 'Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men's and women's basketball championships,' said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's senior vice president of basketball. 'However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships.' According to the Associated Press, the spring NCAA president Charlie Baker expressed interest in expansion and wanted a decision made in the next few months. In 1939, the inaugural NCAA men's basketball tournament had eight teams. It expanded to 16 teams in 1951, jumped up to 32 teams in 1975, and then doubled to 64 teams in 1985. It expanded to 68 teams in 2011. The women's tournament began as a 32-team field in 1982 and adopted the 64-team field format in 1994. The current format of 68 teams has been in effect since 2022. The 2026 NCAA men's Final Four will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In 2027, it will be at Ford Field in Detroit. The NCAA women's Final Four in 2026 will be held in Phoenix at PHX Arena, while Columbus, Ohio, plays host in 2027 at Nationwide Arena.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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: 1951: expands from eight to 16 teams 1953: grows to 22 teams 1975: expands to 32 teams 1979: grows to 40 teams 1980: expands to 48 teams 1983: grows to 52 teams 1985: expands to 64 teams 2001: 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 1983: grows to 36 teams 1984: dwindles back to 32 teams 1986: grows to 40 teams 1989: expands to 48 teams 1994: grows to 64 teams 2022: First Four added, expands to 68 teams Contributing: Craig Meyer This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA basketball tournament won't expand for 2026, possible in 2027
