Overview
- ESPN reported Tuesday that the NCAA has begun final steps to expand the men’s and women’s tournaments to 76 teams next season, with a mid-May announcement targeted.
- The NCAA said no decision is final and that multiple committees must approve any change, including the men’s and women’s basketball committees and the Division I governance groups.
- The working format adds eight at-large bids and turns the current First Four into 12 opening-round games for 24 teams at two sites, with Dayton expected to remain a host and a second site located west of the Eastern time zone.
- Media partners met with NCAA officials last week and are close to contract tweaks, but sources say the added games bring only a modest financial bump because they occur early in the week.
- CBS Sports reporting indicates all No. 16 seeds and roughly half of the No. 15 seeds would play in the opening round, a shift critics say will squeeze mid-major champions and steer more bids to power-conference teams.