Wisconsin HC Greg Gard reacts to NCAA Tournament expansion
The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments are on track to look much different in the near future. According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, the NCAA is just a few weeks away from expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams, barring approval from various NCAA committees. Thamel's report indicated that those are simply formalities, and the NCAA is anticipating an official announcement in mid-May.
On Wednesday, Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard joined former Badger Ben Brust on ESPN Madison, and when asked about the expansion news, he didn't appear dissuaded. "I think it's good," Gard said. "I know people out there will say it'll water it down [and] it's made for coaches job security.
We've expanded about every other sport you can think of. College football has expanded. It's probably going to expand again.
Major League Baseball has added the wild card. The NBA has added the in-season tournament and an expansion. The NFL has added wild card playoff games and gotten more teams involved.
I think it's good. We need to continue to grow the sport. " Here's the full clip: Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard gives his thoughts on the expansion to 76 teams in the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments #Badgers 🏀 pic.