The NCAA Tournament is expanding to 76 teams

By Chris Marler

Finally. They heard our cries. They heard our complaints. They heard our requests. 

The NCAA is expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams. Hallelujah.  

In a time where there are so few things that need to be addressed in collegiate athletics, I for one am so thankful that the NCAA knocked out one of the top priorities left on their very short to-do list. If there’s one thing the NCAA is going to do it’s have their finger on the pulse of their own product, sports, and the people consuming the product. 

This was something that everyone was asking for. Not just executives and television networks, everyone. 

Should we fix the transfer portal? Should we crack down on tampering? Should we put at least a singular guardrail in place for NIL? I mean, probably. But, not before we get four more meaningless NCAA tournament games on a Tuesday night in Mid-March. I mean can you imagine if we didn’t? TruTV isn’t going to watch itself guys. 

Thank God. 

Sources: The NCAA has initiated the final steps to expand the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments to 76 teams. The expansion is on track to be formalized in the upcoming weeks, with mid-May as the target. The 76-team tournaments begin next year. https://t.co/2ZGUjZR0uJ

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 28, 2026

News came down on Tuesday that the shift from 68 teams to 76 teams will most likely go into effect in the coming year. That means we get four more games to awkwardly wonder about how to pick in our office and online bracket pools.

Was I hoping that the NCAA would start cracking down on the wild, wild west nature of college sports? Sure. But not nearly as much as I was hoping to see Tarleton State and the 13th best team from a Power Four conference play for the right to face a No. 6 seed in round one of the tournament. 

In a time where there is chaos surrounding us in so many areas, it’s nice that the NCAA continues to be a beacon of structure and guidance.

According to Pete Thamel and his sources, the move isn’t about money but rather being able to give more access to at-large bids for power conferences. The added finances from the additional four games are just a bonus that will “cover the additional logistics cost for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.”

Noted good guys alert – the NCAA! Just out here trying to stand up for the little guys and make Power Four conferences more visible. Finally. It’s about time the four conferences controlling everything finally caught a break. 

So what does this mean moving forward? Nothing. It means we will get four additional games between eight additional teams that weren’t deserving enough to make the already expanded field of 68.

And we’ll watch, because that’s what we do every March. It will be entertaining, too. Then, in about five to ten years when they come up with another thinly veiled reason to make more money, it will expand to 84. Then 96. Then whatever is next. 

Because that’s what we all wanted right? Don’t answer that. It doesn’t matter. 

And it never has.