NCAA governing body issues blunt response to ESPN’s expansion report appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the biggest issues that seemingly most fans and pundits are against when it comes to college basketball is the potential expansion of the NCAA Tournament. ESPN recently released a report suggesting that NCAA Tournament expansion was a foregone conclusion. But a statement released by the NCAA themselves said to pump the brakes on that, as per Pete Nakos of On3.
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“Expanding the basketball tournaments would require approval from multiple NCAA committees, including the men’s and women’s basketball committees, and no final recommendations or decisions have been made at this time,” the statement read.
As per the ESPN report, the NCAA Tournament is to be expanded to 76 teams, adding 12 new teams to the current number of 64. In reality, the current tournament format is 68 teams with eight teams participating in the First Four games to earn the final tournament seeds.
If the ESPN report is to be believed, the NCAA would begin tournament expansion with the upcoming year in 2026-27. It is expected to be administered to both the men’s and women’s tournament brackets. By adding 12 more tournament seeds, the First Four games are also supposed to be expanded to 24 teams competing in 12 games for the final seeds.
Scouring the social media realm, the issue remains a hot topic with no shortage of fans against the idea of tournament expansion. Should the plans become final, it remains to be seen how it affects how teams are selected for the tournament.
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The Michigan Wolverines were the tournament champion on the men’s side this season, while the UCLA Bruins were the tournament champion on the women’s side.
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