• Loading stock data...
Thursday, October 23, 2025

NCAA Exploring March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams in 2026

NCAA president Charlie Baker is ready to expand men’s March Madness to up to 76 teams as soon as the 2026 tournament.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — NCAA president Charlie Baker said discussions are underway with March Madness media-rights holders CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery about expanding the men’s tournament from 68 to 72 or 76 teams, beginning in 2026.

“We’ve had good conversations with CBS and WBD,” Baker said Thursday at the Big 12 spring meetings. “Our goal here is to try to either get to yes or no sometime in the next few months, because there’s a lot of logistical work that would be associated with doing this, if we were to go down this road.”

Baker confirmed expansion could come immediately. “That would be the goal—to try and do this for next year, which is why the window to actually negotiate it will probably end sometime early summer,” he said.

“We’ve been talking about 72 and 76,” Baker added. “Those have been the numbers the basketball committee’s talked about. It would obviously be one or the other, won’t be more.”

Baker’s comments came a day after Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self said Big 12 men’s coaches were in favor of expanding March Madness.

Earlier this year, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said he approved of expansion, too, if CBS and WBD were committed to paying more for their media rights.

Thursday afternoon, media executives told FOS that the additional games were not worth much. One executive who declined to be named was very straightforward: “I believe CBS and TNT will offer them zero—or a minus amount. They’re expanding the earliest round for no apparent reason other than the powers that be think it’s worth more.”

Creating the Best Bracket

While Baker said the NCAA has no intention of changing the 31 automatic qualifiers for March Madness, he admitted those entries keep out teams that are tournament-worthy, in his mind.

“If you have a tournament that’s got 68 teams in it, you’re going to have a bunch of teams that are probably among what most people would consider be the best 68 or 70 teams in the country that aren’t going to make the tournament—period—because you get a whole bunch of people who win their conference tournaments who aren’t in that group,” Baker said.

“So, the point behind going from 68 to 72 or 76 is to basically give some of those schools that probably were among the best teams in the country a way into the tournament.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 10, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; A NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.

College Athletes Can Bet on Pro Sports Starting in November

An NBA player and coach were charged Thursday in a sports betting investigation.

Gambling Issues Dogged Adam Silver’s NBA Before Latest Scandal

Silver vocally backed legalized sports betting in 2014.
Billups

Chauncey Billups Played Key Role in Elaborate Poker Fraud, FBI Says

Billups and Jones attracted victims to play rigged games, the FBI says.

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.

Raptors, Leafs Shift Games to Make Way for Blue Jays’ World Series..

The Maple Leafs and Raptors adjust game times during the World Series.
Adam Silver
October 22, 2025

Adam Silver Kicks Off Another Cycle of WNBA Labor Tension

The CBA expires next week.
October 23, 2025

As the NFL, NBA, and NHL Go Global, the Masters Is Looking..

The tournament’s chairman touted new qualification measures.
Sponsored

Michelle Wie West: Women’s Sports Doesn’t Need Charity

The LPGA legend on redefining women’s sports and the future of golf.
Tony Parker
October 22, 2025

NBA Wants to Launch European League in ‘Next Two Years’

The league is eyeing 10–12 cities for its European venture.
January 8, 2023; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort - The Plantation Course.
October 22, 2025

PGA Tour Cancels $20M Season Opener After Moving Out of Maui

The 2026 season will now begin a week later at the Sony Open in Honolulu.
October 22, 2025

NFL’s Goodell Stands by Bad Bunny: ‘It’s Going to Be a Great..

The commissioner is undeterred by political criticism of the halftime show choice.
Oct 15, 2022; Elmont, New York, USA; An exterior view of UBS Arena before a game between the New York Islanders
October 22, 2025

NHL Cancels Olympic Send-Off, Gives Islanders 2027 All-Star Game

Players will head to the 2026 Olympics without a mid-season NHL event.