Current:Home > StocksNCAA presents options to expand March Madness tournaments from current 68 teams, AP source says -TrueNorth Capital Hub
NCAA presents options to expand March Madness tournaments from current 68 teams, AP source says
View
Date:2025-04-13 17:23:37
The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the lucrative men’s and women’s basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, according to a person familiar with the details.
The proposals were outlined to the commissioners this week by NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA Vice President for Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman, the person told The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because no official announcements have been made. The news was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
Under the proposal, expansion of the 68-team field included both four- and eight-team models. The NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket but would add play-in games involving the 10 through 12 seeds.
If the men’s tournament were to expand it is expected the women’s tourney would as well.
There are many in college basketball who have said they believe the 68-team fields and three weekends of play are ideal but pressure has grown to add teams and games to one of the most popular sports events on the U.S. calendar. Last year, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved recommendations that included allowing one quarter of teams in larger sports to compete in championship events; in that scenario, March Madness tourneys could expand to nearly 90 teams.
The NCAA is currently in the midst of an eight-year extension of its TV deal for the men’s tournament worth $8.8 billion that runs through 2032. That would not be expected to change if a handful of teams are added.
More games would provide a small boost through ticket sales and merchandise, but the pool of money the NCAA uses to pay out conferences and member schools would essentially stay the same. What could change, however, is how that money would be divided up if the tournament broadens.
Expansion would also mean the men’s tournament would have to find an additional site besides Dayton for its First Four games. The Ohio city already has games on Tuesday and Wednesday and wouldn’t be able to host additional play-in games ahead of the tourney’s traditional first-round opening on Thursday. Women’s play-in games are at the same campus sites as the first two rounds of the tournament.
Expansion is largely backed by larger conferences and smaller leagues do not want to lose the automatic bids that come with a conference tournament championship or face the prospect of always being slotted for the play-in games.
The earliest the NCAA Tournament could expand would be the 2025-26 season, the person told AP. The NCAA basketball oversight committee meets next week and the tournament selection committee has a meeting next month.
The men’s tournament last expanded in 2011 when it went from 64 to 68 teams. The women’s tournament matched that in 2022.
The women’s tournament is coming off its most successful year ever that included a record audience of 18.7 million for the title game win by South Carolina over Iowa, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years. It outdrew the men’s championship game — UConn winning its second consecutive title with a win over Purdue — by nearly 3 million viewers. The women’s tournament also had record attendance.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
veryGood! (66)
Related
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Snapchat Inc. to pay $15 million to settle discrimination and harassment lawsuit in California
- Kevin Costner Breaks Silence on Jewel Romance Rumors
- GOP lawmaker from Vermont caught on video repeatedly dumping water into her Democratic colleague's bag
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- House collapses in Syracuse, New York, injuring 11 people
- How New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole fared in his 2024 debut
- Machine Gun Kelly Shares Rare Look at Dad Life With Daughter Casie
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Kristin Cavallari Sets Record Straight on Her Boob Job and Tummy Tuck Rumors
Ranking
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Robert Plant, Alison Krauss are a bewitching pair onstage with Zeppelin and their own songs
- Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, team work lead Celtics to 18th NBA championship
- Kroger is giving away 45,000 pints of ice cream for summer: How to get the deal
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Firefighters battling fierce New Mexico wildfires may get help from Mother Nature, but rain could pose flood risk
- Judge rejects mayor’s stalking lawsuit against resident who photographed her dinner with bodyguard
- House Ethics Committee reviewing sexual misconduct, obstruction allegations against Matt Gaetz
Recommendation
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Turmoil rocks New Jersey’s Democratic political bosses just in time for an election
California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools
New Boeing whistleblower alleges faulty airplane parts may have been used on jets
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Shonda Rhimes on first Black Barbie, star of Netflix documentary: 'She was amazing'
Machine Gun Kelly Shares Rare Look at Dad Life With Daughter Casie
Julia Roberts' Rare Photo of Son Henry Will Warm Your Heart Indefinitely