The NCAA has announced that both the men's and women's March Madness tournaments will expand from 68 to 76 teams starting next season. The change, which was widely anticipated, will add eight extra games to the opening week of each tournament, increasing the total number of games in the preliminary round from four to 12. This round, previously known as the First Four, will be rebranded as the 'March Madness Opening Round'.
The 12 winners from the opening round will advance to the main 64-team bracket, which will begin on Thursday for the men and Friday for the women, as is customary. This marks the first expansion of the tournaments in 15 years, following the increase to 68 teams in 2011.
The NCAA expects to distribute over $131 million in new revenue to participating schools, funded by expanded television advertising opportunities, including alcohol ads that were previously restricted. The value of the broadcasting rights agreement is set to increase by an average of $50 million per year over the next six years.
Most of the eight new slots are likely to go to teams from the power conferences, such as the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC, which already dominate the tournament entries. Keith Gill, chairman of the Division I men's basketball committee, described the expansion as 'a nice way to create some access but make sure we have the bracket we all love when we start Thursday at noon.'
The move reflects the changing landscape of college sports, including conference expansions and the financial pressures on mid-major programmes. While the expansion may help preserve the NCAA's flagship event, it is not expected to significantly alter the current television deal, which is worth $8.8 billion and runs through 2032.
