It’s official, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are expanding to 76 teams after committee members voted to approve the move Thursday.
In what has become a point of contention among college basketball fans over the past year, the rise of teams that will now make up the postseason field went through several layers to its final stage.
“The expanded bracket format will not affect the regular season or conference championship schedules,” the NCAA said in its release.
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Some may wonder why the NCAA is expanding the tournament again. Look no further than the revenue it will generate for schools across the country tied to television contracts and sponsorship dollars that were too lucrative to turn down.
In the new deal, the NCAA will also open up new avenues for sponsorship deals, which will include beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer, to name just a few options.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a call during the second half of an NCAA Tournament semifinal against Illinois at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
Over the past month, NCAA officials met with media partners to determine what the addition of 12 teams would generate in terms of revenue for the postseason tournament, with Turner Sports given the opportunity to broadcast additional games each year.
In the new format, the top four will now make it to the opening round, which will include 24 teams participating in 12 matches over a two-day period. Half of those matches will take place in Dayton, Ohio, while the other matches will be decided at a location to be announced.
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How will the additional teams be configured within the tournament field?
For these opening round games, there will be a mix of at-large teams and automatic bid qualifiers. Each of the 16-seeded and half of the 15-seeded teams will participate in these games, while the rest will be configured with 11, 12 and the potential for a 13-seeded team.
The winning teams advance to play in the actual opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday and Friday.
Yes, I know that’s a bit much, which has become a very entertaining conversation across social media and within sports departments in recent weeks.
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Nimari Burnett of the Michigan Wolverines poses with teammates holding the Midwest Regional Championship trophy after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on March 29, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It’s hard not to argue that college basketball isn’t simply handing out additional bids to increase the chances of a university receiving its participation ribbon.
But we’re also seeing a significant increase in spending on each college campus, which is another reason why expansion was essential for the schools.
“The NCAA will be able to award more than $131 million in new revenue allocations to member schools participating in the basketball tournaments over the remaining six years of the NCAA’s broadcast agreements,” the organization announced.
In addition, the NCAA will see a $300 million increase in revenue from the media rights deal over six years.
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley speaks during a news conference at the NCAA college basketball tournament Final Four in Phoenix on April 4, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
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“Expanding the Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships is the right decision for student-athletes and programs that will now have access to the biggest events in college sports,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands.
Now that the tournament is preparing an increased field, we can look forward to the next television contract negotiations, where there will undoubtedly be talk of expanding the number of teams once again.
