Why expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams is bad news for college basketball
The NCAA recently made a decision that college basketball fans shouldn't like.
Why expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams is bad news for college basketball originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . After heavy speculation, it’s finally happening.
The NCAA Tournament is set to expand from 68 teams to 76 starting next season, according to a recent report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “The NCAA has initiated the final steps to expand the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments to 76 teams,” Thamel stated Tuesday. “The expansion, which has been discussed for well over a year, is on track to be formalized in the upcoming weeks and would begin this coming season.
Sources indicated mid-May as a potential timeline for an announcement. ” “While there are still steps to take in terms of approvals via various NCAA committees, a source indicated "those are just formalities. " While many are excited about the highly anticipated move, it would be challenging to argue against the notion that it’s bad news for college basketball.
The current NCAA Tournament puts ample pressure on bubble teams to play their best basketball down the stretch of the regular season and during the start of the postseason to earn an at-large bid to the Big Dance. If they don’t deliver, they’ll run the risk of being on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday. Take Auburn this past season, for example.