Discussions around NCAA Tournament expansion continue to swirl among college basketball conference commissioners and other power brokers, and according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, a decision on whether to increase the field to 76 teams beginning in 2026 could be on the near horizon. Thamel said on College GameDay that March Madness decision-makers lean towards a 76-team field over a 72-team field, but they have yet to reach a consensus on whether to expand the bracket in the first place.
The NCAA Tournament most recently expanded in 2011 when it added the First Four to the bracket, bringing the team total from 65 to 68. The most significant change came 40 years ago when the field doubled from 32 teams to 64 teams.
“There’s development behind the scenes about what this tournament could look like in 2026,” Thamel said. “NCAA president Charlie Baker is on the record saying there’s been discussions about growing the tournament to either 72 or 76 teams. I had multiple high-ranking sources tell me this week that the more likely option if the tournament were to expand would be to 76. The NCAA has been in discussions with its media partners for a while on this now, and a decision on whether it does go to 76 would come in the next few months.”
The selection committee on Saturday unveiled its midseason top 16 seeds for the 2025 tournament, which begins in just over a month. Auburn holds the No. 1 overall spot in the early bracket, while Alabama, Duke and Florida round out the top seed line.
“The move to 76 would be historic,” Thamel said. “By adding eight teams, it would be the biggest jump in what the tournament looks like since 1985. The logistics of what that could look like have not been set yet, but it’s likely that an additional site — like they have Dayton for the First Four — would be added. Think of a place outside of the Eastern Time Zone for that to happen.”
Postseason expansion is not universally popular. Countless college basketball fans and media personalities have been outspoken in their opposition to a larger bracket while discussions heated up over the last year. Alabama and Auburn fans in attendance at College GameDay booed emphatically while Thamel delivered the report.
“One likely wrinkle here is that if the men’s tournament expands by eight teams to 76, the women’s tournament would expand, as well,” said Thamel. “So there’s a lot of variables here. Everybody would have to stay financially whole for this to happen. This has obviously been driven by the power conferences through expansion. You’ve heard Greg Sankey and Tony Pettiti be bullish about this expansion. So ultimately can the money come together and can the sides come together to get to 76?”
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