A decision on future NCAA Tournament expansion for men’s and women’s basketball isn’t expected to happen before the end of this season, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt told CBS Sports on Thursday. Beyond that, Gavitt told CBS Sports there remains a possibility that the tournament doesn’t expand at all, at least not in the “near-term.”
“The most important thing to get across,” Gavitt said on the Eye on College Basketball podcast, “this is definitely not a fait accompli. The recommendation to not expand the tournaments is absolutely a potential outcome here in the short-term.”
The reasons for potentially deferring a decision on expansion are tied to myriad cumbersome financial issues, in addition to differing opinions within the NCAA on the competitive viability of expanding both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Many in the NCAA are proud of the tradition, distinct marketability and symmetrical appeal of the March Madness bracket that’s been built out over the past 40 years, with a formula that is unmatched in American sports.
“The committees are continuing their ongoing analysis of whether or not to expand the championships, and if so, how to go about doing that,” Gavitt said.
CBS Sports reported in June of 2023 that a decision had been made to either keep the tournament at 68, or expand the field to 72 or 76 teams. The men’s and women’s committees have met multiple times on this topic since, with incremental advancement on a decision that has long been met with resistance by plenty of college basketball fans.
Gavitt also made a point Thursday to push back on media speculation in recent weeks and months that framed expansion in the near-future as all-but-official. While that remains a distinct possibility, Gavitt said there are major logistical challenges and unknown realities that await for the NCAA and its member schools. College sports leaders are bracing for the…
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