Amid rising tensions over NCAA Tournament reform, President Charlie Baker voiced support for expanding the field slightly, proposing a shift from 68 to either 72 or 76 teams. Speaking Thursday at Big 12 spring meetings, Baker said he aims to finalize a decision.
The discussions coincided with broader conversations around NIL, the transfer portal, and the House settlement. While some critics warn alternatives could harm the event’s distinctiveness—with analyst Andy Patton, even calling them a “death sentence.”
Analyst Slams Alternatives as ‘Death Sentence’ While Backing Baker’s Expansion Pitch
As NCAA President Charlie Baker pushes for a modest expansion of the men’s basketball tournament field as early as 2026, analyst Andy Patton has emerged as a reluctant supporter—driven less by excitement over more at-large bids and more by concern over what might happen if expansion doesn’t occur.
Speaking on the “Locked On College Basketball” podcast, Patton delivered a pointed critique of current tournament dynamics and warned that alternatives to expansion could deal a devastating blow to the essence of college basketball.
Patton initially pushed back on including more mediocre power-conference teams.
“The SEC was great last year is true, but it doesn’t mean that their mediocre teams,” he said, pointing to Oklahoma’s 6–12 record in conference play and their subsequent blowout loss to UConn in the tournament.
“Do they realistically need to make it? Would the world have been worse off if Oklahoma was replaced by UC Irvine or San Francisco or Indiana State? Probably not.”
While Patton made clear he is no fan of rewarding sub-.500 major-conference programs, he conceded that his stance on expansion has shifted.
“The reason that I’ve come around to NCAA tournament expansion a little bit is because I fear that it eventually will kind of come to a choice—either it’s expanding the NCAA tournament or it’s a quest to get rid of the automatic qualifiers, which to me is a death sentence.”
He emphasized that maintaining automatic bids is central to preserving the tournament’s character.
“If that rule goes away, then what is the point? Then immediately, you have 200 out of the 364 Division I teams that have less than a 0.1% chance of ever making it.”
Patton described the current format—where every team, at least through February, has a legitimate chance to earn a bid—as foundational to the sport’s drama.
“The magic of the sport is how anything can happen… the Cinderella, the upset story. That’s what everybody loves about this sport.”
For Patton, expansion isn’t ideal, but it’s the lesser evil.
“Even if they’re crappy sub-.500 power-conference teams… if that will quiet that potential to lose the automatic qualifier, fine. So be it. Let’s do it.” He added, “We’ll play some crappy basketball on Tuesday and Wednesday… and if that’s what we need to do to prevent the loss of what makes college basketball great, then fine.”
KEEP READING: 2025 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
With Baker eyeing a move to 72 or 76 teams and planning a decision soon, voices like Patton’s are helping reframe the expansion debate—not as a growth strategy, but as a line of defense against deeper threats to March Madness.
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