Way to get rid of the fun.
After hinting at it for the past two years, the NCAA finally did what many people didn’t want and expanded its basketball tournaments, upping the field from 68 teams to 76 beginning next season.
Historically, it makes sense given this tournament has had significant growth since the first edition of eight teams in 1939. In fact, the 42 years without a major shift was the longest it had gone without expanding.
Why so long? That’s because it finally found the perfect balance. Now, the NCAA is trying to ruin its most sacred postseason, dismantling all the work necessary to make March the spectacle it is.
The organization will tell you it’s expanding the field because it was necessary, giving one-fifth of its 361 teams a shot at the exclusive spot. More teams means better matchups, so more drama and opportunities for madness. The NCAA also won’t mind the extra money that comes with it.
However, do those teams that are just missing out really deserve a shot? Because it has shown none of it looks pretty.
It has everything to do with who is getting these extra spots. You know who this expansion is really for, and if you need a hint: it’s not those small schools.
The NCAA tried to say since the first four out started in 2011, 42% of teams to just miss the cut came from non-power conferences. With that logic, more of the mid-majors will get in, right?
No way. The smaller conferences have dwindled recently. Of the 24 teams to miss out since 2021, just seven were mid-majors. That’s just 29%. Plus with the new seeding, automatic qualifiers all get bumped a seed down. So a No. 13 seed in the field of 68 can end up a No. 14 in the field of 76.
That’s why those at the mid-major level are skeptical they will see any benefits of this.
“I think the intention of expansion is only to get more power conference teams in the tournament, and that’s frustrating. Every year, there’s a couple of teams in that mid-major group that I think would add a lot to the tournament that get excluded,” UC Irvine coach Russell Turner told USA TODAY Sports in July. “You could be optimistic, but knowing how the tournament bids are being chosen with the formulas that they’re using, I don’t think that optimism is well placed.”
More and more, the selection committee has pushed away mid-majors in favor of power teams, and it’s an ugly way to go about it. Just look at who barely missed out on the field in 2026.
Congratulations, 18-14 Indiana and 17-16 Auburn get a shot to play for a title. Quality wins or not, they have zero business being in the bracket compared to teams that did more in their respective conferences.
With the way the tournament is trending, the regular season loses even more of its luster, and puts a bigger spotlight on the bigger conference teams that should be behind the curtain.
Now, those fringe contenders are going to do everything to schedule easier buy games to make the lipstick look a little bit better on the pig, leaving those quality mid-majors scrambling for opponents like Miami (Ohio).
When the race to the tournament really begins in February, we’re going to be discussing teams hovering around .500 because they are getting punched around in the Big Ten or SEC, but that one or two Quad 1 wins suddenly makes them a contender. Rather than make it an exciting sprint to the end, we’ll be spending time focusing on teams you want to shield your eyes from. It’s getting close to the “SEC-Big Ten-Big 12-ACC-Big East” invitational status.
It’s unfortunate, because the build up to Selection Sunday is part of the magic. You want to see quality teams fighting to get in, not a mid-off between squads fighting one of the worst fights you’ll ever watch.
The NCAA wants to get more people inside the door. The problem is the teams being let through are ones that shouldn’t even be knocking in the first place, and those that should get in aren’t even getting the invite. Let in a 26-6 Belmont team that won the Missouri Valley regular-season title over middling Indiana who’s limping on the porch because of program recognition.
Thankfully, this isn’t the complete end of the tournament. Teams like 2024 Indiana State and 24-win Boise State in 2025 that barely missed out then will get a shot in the future, and that’s what most teams are asking for. If there is a better focus on getting the right teams – not brands – then expansion wins.
The days leading up to Selection Sunday will be ugly, but this doesn’t wreck the tournament completely. The first round and everything after stays intact, meaning the first round madness is still going to happen. For as much has been changed, the best part is untouched. It will just be an unfortunate start before the greatest show in basketball can officially begin.
The NCAA hasn’t killed the NCAA Tournament, but it’s getting better at ruining it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does NCAA Tournament expansion kill March Madness? No, but it’s worse