Imagine an NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with almost 90 teams tipping off March Madness.
Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday that the NCAA Transformation Committee’s final report recommends that all championship tournaments be expanded to include 25% of teams.
As there are 358 teams this season in NCAA Division I, that would result in an NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament of around 90 teams. The current format includes 68 teams.
News: NCAA Transformation Committee’s final report recommends an expansion of championship tournaments to incorporate 25% of teams.
NCAA bball tournament would expand to ~90 teams. However, individual sport oversight committees will give final approval
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 3, 2023
Dellenger notes this is far from a done deal, as “individual sport oversight committees will give final approval.”
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors appointed the 21-member committee in October of 2021 to “remake Division I to serve the needs of today’s student-athletes” and “to give Division I the speed and flexibility it needs to meet its most significant challenges going forward.” The final report can be viewed in PDF form here.
The committee’s suggestion to add roughly 20 teams was previously leaked in an October report.
College basketball fans quickly trashed the idea of expanding March Madness on Twitter.
“I love the NCAA tournament more than any other postseason. 90 teams (TWENTY-TWO MORE) seems egregious,” tweeted Caroline Darney.
I love the NCAA tournament more than any other postseason. 90 teams (TWENTY-TWO MORE) seems egregious.
— Caroline Darney (@cwdarney) January 3, 2023
“We don’t need 90 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Why are they trying to ruin an event that everyone loves?” tweeted John Talty.
We don’t need 90 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Why are they trying to ruin an event that everyone loves?
— John Talty (@JTalty) January 3, 2023
“I’m gonna get a few dudes from my 40+ YMCA rec league team to enter,” tweeted D.R. Miller.
I’m gonna get a few dudes from my 40+ YMCA rec league team to enter.
— D.R. Miller (@drmiller166) January 3, 2023
“So weird, March Madness is the gold standard of playoff systems, it’s the one system that almost everyone agrees has the right number of teams involved, why try to fix what isn’t broken?” tweeted Steve Silver.
So weird, March Madness is the gold standard of playoff systems, it’s the one system that almost everyone agrees has the right number of teams involved, why try to fix what isn’t broken?
— Steve Silver (@SteveTSRA) January 3, 2023
[Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated]