NCAA Tournament set to expand to 76 teams in 2026-2027
It appears as though college basketball’s postseason will indeed be expanding next year
Last month, we wrote about the possibility of NCAA Tournament expansion and what that would mean for USC men’s and women’s basketball. Well, based on a decision by the NCAA Thursday, that possibility appears to be happening. “On Thursday, the Division I men's and women's basketball committees unanimously voted in favor of NCAA tournament expansion beginning in 2027, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander,” Tyler Nettuno of College Sports Wire wrote .
“The move still needs to be approved by several other committees, however. “The men's and women's oversight committees scheduled an emergency meeting for Thursday, and expansion will also need to be approved by the Division I cabinet when they meet on May 22. After that, it will go to the NCAA board of governors for approval.
“At this point, though, that is likely all a formality. Thursday's move signifies that the NCAA is indeed moving toward an expanded field, which will create eight new at-large bids beginning next season. ” Based on the online reaction to the news, the nearly unanimous opinion among college basketball fans is that tournament expansion is a negative thing for the sport.
However, it is a positive thing for the NCAA making more money, which unfortunately, tends to be the deciding factor with decisions like these far more often than not. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: NCAA Tournament set to expand to 76 teams in 2026-2027