March Madness to remain at 68 teams, for now

#1
Freak

Freak

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The 2026 men's and women's NCAA basketball brackets will continue in their current form, with the decision to stay put made on a joint Zoom call Monday afternoon between the Division I men's and women's basketball committees, sources told CBS Sports. The move comes a little less than a month after the committees' separate in-person gatherings in Georgia (men's) and Philadelphia (women's) when, despite anticipation of a verdict, no action was taken.
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As for what to do with 2027 and beyond, the topic remains up for scrutiny and debate. The committees have thoroughly looked into the logistics, financials and frameworks of going to 72 or 76 teams. At this stage, sources said, the long-term decision is going to ultimately come down to whether to remain at 68 or move to 76; increasing to 72, while not officially off the table, isn't seen as a worthwhile endeavor and is regarded as a long shot third option.
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www.cbssports.com

NCAA to keep 2026 March Madness men's and women's basketball tournaments at 68 teams

Monday was a big win for basketball fans who prefer the NCAA Tournament to remain untouched, but expansion still looms
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
 
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#4
#4
I don't really know how I feel about this. I wouldn't mind seeing more small conference teams get in, creating more chances for a "Cinderella" run. On the other hand, 68 teams seems like a more than adequate number.
 
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#5
#5
Freak said:
I don't really know how I feel about this. I wouldn't mind seeing more small conference teams get in, creating more chances for a "Cinderella" run. On the other hand, 68 teams seems like a more than adequate number.
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You can let more small conference team in by leaving out UNC last year (or any P4 10th place team)
 
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#6
#6
I kinda hate the format, and the changes being discussed are going in the wrong direction imo. I wish it were 32 teams with no automatic qualifiers - just the top 32 teams competing. But I know these decisions are not being driven by the spirit of competition and sportsmanship, so I just gotta deal with it lol.
 
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#7
#7
Freak said:
I don't really know how I feel about this. I wouldn't mind seeing more small conference teams get in, creating more chances for a "Cinderella" run. On the other hand, 68 teams seems like a more than adequate number.
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Realistically, more small teams wouldn’t be getting in. It’d be more like an 18 win Nebraska team that has a losing conference record, or something like that
 
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#8
#8
Vol49er said:
Realistically, more small teams wouldn’t be getting in. It’d be more like an 18 win Nebraska team that has a losing conference record, or something like that
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I think that's a good point, but I'd say that both small conferences teams and mediocre big conference teams would increase. Any way you cut it, it's dilution that, imo, is not serving a good purpose other than driving up revenue.
 
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#14
#14
I don’t mind 68 instead of 64. Something to watch on TV before the huge 2 days to kick off the tournament all day on Thursday and Friday. Plus it makes it more difficult for the 61-68s to advance to the weekend. They don’t deserve a spot, so go ahead and run them while rewarding the first 4 seeds with an easier opening round game.

I think that when DeVoe was at UT he was an advocate of letting everybody in. Kind of odd since he had a lot of success in the NIT.
 
#15
#15
TheMookieMonster said:
There are not 68 teams deserving or capable of winning a national championship, so there are certainly not 72 or 76 teams. Any expansion regardless of what the media tells you is purely about money.
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Agree. Any media hack who tries to sell that it is about anything but money is just that, a hack. What any expansion will result in are more play-in games between mediocre teams in mostly empty venues, unless they have them at the college sites. I find it hard to believe that this would really move the needle as far as more revenue in the March Madness media deal, which begs the question as to what the point is?
 
#19
#19
Hulavol said:
How many Cinderella stories did you see last year ? None? You know why? The portal.

Players who are good at Slippery Rock one year are going to be playing at Big Bucks U the next year.
Slippery Rock knocking off Big Bucks U is getting less less likely…
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Not disagreeing with you but “less likely “ and wiping Cinderellas completely off the map aren’t the same are they?
 
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