Could big changes be coming to the NCAA Tournament? Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark recently revealed that he supports expanding the tournament field to 76 teams and believes a decision could come in the next few months, with the possibility of changes being implemented as early as next year.
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This isn’t the first time March Madness has seen changes. This year’s edition of the tournament will be the 40th men’s bracket since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, later growing to the current 68-team format. The women’s bracket increased to 64 teams in 1994 and added four more teams in 2022.
Last year, the NCAA suggested expanding the men’s and women’s tournaments by adding four or eight teams while also considering keeping the field at 68 teams. The classic 64-team bracket would stay the same, with the extra teams competing in play-in games for the 10-through-12 seeds.
Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark today expressed his support for expanding the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to 76 teams.
I’m in favor of adding an entire new round if they can assure regular season conference champs get the automatic bidpic.twitter.com/xjXOb6l6W1
— Schut Basketball Institute (@SchutBasketball) March 11, 2025
Yormark shared his thoughts before the start of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday.
“I’m in favor of expansion to 76. I think that’s the right number,” he said. “I think the economics candidly have to work. CBS and TNT have a marquee (television) asset with the tournament. I know they know that. But in order for us to expand, they need to come to the table and provide the right economics.”
NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt recently told CBS Sports that he doesn’t expect a vote on expansion anytime soon, though he left open the possibility of a spring vote. He mentioned that changes in game operations and travel are some of the key issues to consider, adding that the decision is “not taken in a lighthearted way at all.”
“Expansion, even at a modest level, is complex—more complex than I think has been recognized and reported because it is expensive,” said Gavitt, whose father, Dave Gavitt, helped oversee the 1985 expansion as chair of the selection committee.
During the CBS interview, Gavitt said he isn’t sure if the field should expand, but he sounded more open to the idea than he did a few years ago. The rise of NIL, conference realignment, and the transfer portal have changed the landscape of college sports, and Gavitt believes men’s basketball may be ready to handle the shift.
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“There’s no sport that is deeper overall and has more parity than men’s college basketball,” he said. “There’s great basketball played at every level in men’s basketball right now. So I think it’s important to keep the tournament contemporary and relevant, based on what is going on in college athletics.”
Yormark also believes changes could be coming soon as discussions around expansion continue. “I think there will be some decisions over the next 90 days, 60 days,” Yormark said. “No one wants to be diluted, and we have a great asset here. We’ll see how it plays out.”
If the tournament does expand, it could create more opportunities for teams and add excitement for fans. With key decisions expected in the coming months, college basketball could be heading toward a new era.
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