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Coaches' Opinions Mixed on NCAA Tournament Expansion. Some Say It Fixes Something that's Not Broke
The plan would add an opening round and force 24 teams to win seven games, drawing criticism from coaches who say it weakens the bracket.
- The NCAA is set to expand the March Madness tournament field to 76 teams beginning in 2027, marking the first change to tournament size since 2011, when it went from 65 to 68 teams.
- UConn head coach Dan Hurley publicly opposes the expansion, arguing it renders the regular season meaningless. "What I think makes the tournament special is the qualification for it," Hurley told CBS Sports.
- Gonzaga coach Mark Few called the move "totally unnecessary," claiming it "dumbs down the regular season," while Arkansas head coach John Calipari urged focusing on transfer rules instead.
- Under the proposed format, 52 teams will be slotted directly into the 64-team bracket, with 24 schools competing in an expanded opening round replacing the previous eight-team First Four.
- Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill expressed optimism that expansion will benefit his one-bid conference financially, though questions remain whether mid-major programs possess sufficient resources to compete for these additional spots.
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Coaches' opinions mixed on NCAA tournament expansion; some say it fixes something that's not broke
There is no consensus among coaches in college basketball about the competitive value of expanding the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams.
·Terre Haute, United States
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Associated Press News+18 Reposted by 18 other sources
Coaches' opinions mixed on NCAA Tournament expansion. Some say it fixes something that's not broke
There is no consensus among coaches in college basketball about the competitive value of expanding the NCAA Tournament from 68 to 76 teams.
·United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left15Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 43%
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