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
