NCAA Officials Present Models for Expanded Men's Basketball Tournament

NAPLES, Fla. - This week, NCAA officials have taken a significant step towards expanding the NCAA men's basketball tournament. During their presentation to Division I conference commissioners on Wednesday, at least two models were unveiled, including one with an additional four teams and another with an additional eight teams, according to commissioners who spoke to Yahoo Sports. However, officials have refrained from disclosing details about these models.

If implemented, the models would widen the current 68-team field to either 72 or 76 teams. This expansion would include more at-large selections and also include at least one additional First Four site. It is expected that the expansion would not occur until the 2025-26 season, following an extensive approval process.

The NCAA vice president for the men's basketball championship, Dan Gavitt, presented these models at the annual summer meeting of the commissioners, marking the culmination of months of work. The expansion movement has predominantly been championed by the power conferences, as previously reported by Yahoo Sports in February.

To maintain the tradition of including all 28 small-conference automatic qualifiers, NCAA and conference leaders are considering the addition of at-large selections, as done in the past. In 2011, the last expansion of the tournament added four at-large teams and introduced the First Four play-in games in Dayton, Ohio.

Although any expansion to the field is anticipated to bring about at least one additional First Four site, the decision is complex. Retaining the current 64-team bracket would require adjusting the space to accommodate play-in game winners. This could potentially mean that more 10-12 seeded teams would have to win play-in games to secure their spots in the first round.

Moreover, officials need to address the sensitive issue of potentially relegating more small-conference automatic qualifiers to play-in games. This decision may not sit well with commissioners of lower-resourced leagues.

Another crucial aspect to consider is whether the additional games would generate more revenue. Currently, CBS and Turner are not obligated to increase their payments, according to sources familiar with the contract terms.

This modeling of a possible expanded field by Gavitt is just the first step in a lengthy approval process. Multiple groups, including the NCAA basketball oversight committee in the coming weeks and the NCAA basketball selection committee next month, will examine and discuss the expansion proposals.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is not only the largest but also the most lucrative revenue stream for the organization. With a television deal in place with CBS and Turner until 2032, the NCAA distributes approximately $700 million annually to its member schools. This funding helps support not only the organization itself but also hundreds of small-college athletic departments.

While the majority of the revenue is currently allocated to the power conferences, leaders of the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 have expressed their desire to expand the field to provide more opportunities for their schools. Meetings between the NCAA president and commissioners have taken place this spring to discuss the tournament's expansion, with a strong push from the commissioners for growth.

The tournament has a history of expansion, starting from the inclusion of 32 teams in 1975 to accommodate a second team representing each conference. The field grew to 40 teams in 1979, then further expanded to 48 in 1980, and reached 64 teams in 1985. In 2001, the tournament added a play-in game before eventually expanding to the current 68 teams in 2011.

As discussions continue and models are analyzed, the NCAA men's basketball tournament could undergo another significant transformation, altering what is widely regarded as one of the most popular sporting events in college athletics and American sports as a whole.