It’s time for everyone’s favorite offseason game show “The NCAA expansion that nobody asked for!”
There are a boat load of issues facing, and plaguing, collegiate athletics. Until any of those stop the NCAA and conferences from making billions of dollars, they apparently won’t be addressed.
That was the message that NCAA President Charlie Baker effectively sent while speaking with the media on Thursday. When asked if he wanted to see the NCAA Tournament expand from the current 68 team field, Baker had this to say.
“I think there’s some very good reasons to expand the tournament, so I would like to see it expand,” Baker said.
NEW: NCAA president Charlie Baker backs the expansion of March Madness:
“We’re still talking about it… I would like to see it expand.”
(h/t @jeffborzello)https://t.co/LQIQN9DTcs pic.twitter.com/dHBdyCe0j1
— On3 (@On3) February 19, 2026
The debate on expansion of the tournament has waged on for the last four years. The idea has been met with almost universal opposition from fans and media. Still, a move to 72 or 76 teams seems almost imminent the way Baker has glowingly spoken about it. This comes just 15 years after expanding the tournament to 68 teams in 2011.
There’s a method to madness according to Baker. His reasoning lies in the fact that 32 teams get automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament every year leaving 36 at-large bids to a field that could include up to way more than 36 deserving teams.
“That means you’re going to leave a bunch of the top 50 teams out of the tournament, right? … I mean, couple years ago I was kind of bummed when Seton Hall and Indiana State didn’t get in the tournament, because they both had quality wins and quality schedules. … The more you do to create opportunities for the so-called bubble teams each year to get into the tournament, first of all, it puts some other really good teams that probably might belong there. But it also protects the AQs, right? Because I don’t want to end up in a situation where people say we need to do something about the AQs because we’re keeping too many good teams out of the tournament.”
The other side is the real reason – money.
College Sports fans everywhere: Please fix the transfer rules, college football calendar, and provide eligibility clarity.
Charlie: how bout an expanded NCAA Tournament.
College Sports fans everywhere: no, we don’t want that.
Charlie: we’re gonna do it anyway. https://t.co/COvgtVfnEC
— John Williams (@john9williams) February 19, 2026
Just five years ago a report on the fiscal earnings of the NCAA Tournament was released. It stated that the gross earnings of the tournament with broadcast rights, sponsors, etc. exceeded $890 million. That’s in just a three week tournament. Expansion could add another weekend entirely and easily push the revenue into the billions.
As of now there will be no expansion in the 2026 or 2027 tournaments. However, Baker was adamant that he would like to see expansion at some point and the 2027 tournament was not off the table.
