The NCAA believes bigger is better when it comes to March Madness. The organization will expand both the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments to include 76 teams, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
Both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball selection committees approved the move and voted on Thursday morning to expand. The motion was then ratified by the basketball oversight committees and the DI Board of Directors and Board of Governors.
Starting in 2027, there will be eight additional at-large teams, per the NCAA, which laid out how the 76-team tournament will be structured. The announcement ends months of reports suggesting tournament expansion was on the horizon.
While speculation was rampant for months, the NCAA released a statement in late April throwing cold water on reports suggesting expansion was finalized. The statement said any expansion would need approval from multiple committees, and no decisions had been made at that time.
After Thursday’s news, it’s clear the NCAA was able to get those committees on board. The move will expand the “First Four” round by eight games. The first two days of the tournament will include 24 teams playing 12 games over two days.
The idea of expansion received support from the Big 12, ACC and NCAA president Charlie Baker, who said too many good teams were being excluded under the previous format. With the approvals on Thursday, the tournaments will have a new look in the future.