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Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; The NCAA March Madness logo is seen on a basketball in the first half between the Texas Longhorns and the Purdue Boilermakers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Like it or not, ready or not, the NCAA tournament is going to expand to 76 teams, starting next season.
No one much likes it, with coaches and fans at the front of the line. Money speaks, though, so they’ll water it down.
Now we’ll get 32 automatic bids and 44 at-large bids.
The First Four is gone; in its place, we’ll get the Opening Round.
It’s very likely to hurt with Cinderella teams, and NIL and essentially free agency won’t help. So the Power Conferences should do quite well. Arkansas coach John Calipari points out that with, say, 14 bids from a big conference, bracket balancing is done. So Duke would see, say, Miami, Clemson, or UNC early.
Losing the Cinderella aspect of the tournament will be a real shame. There might occasionally be a solid team that comes of out nowhere, but now those teams will have a lot to overcome.
Whatever. It’s a Brave New World whether we like it or not.
- NCAA tournament expansion FAQ: What you need to know now that it’s official
- 76-team Bracketology from ESPN
- Wetzel: NCAA tournament expansion is bad, but it’s happening. Here’s how to lessen the damage
- 2027 NCAA Tournament Bracketology: Projecting the first-ever 76-team Big Dance as expansion clears big hurdle
- NCAA tournament expansion FAQ: What you need to know now that it’s official
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