NCAA moves toward 76-team field, widening pre-tournament play-ins
TL;DR
The NCAA is close to officially expanding the men’s and women’s tournaments to 76 teams for the 2026-27 season, adding more pre-tournament play-in games (eight more teams must win a play-in to reach the traditional 64-team bracket). TV rights talks are ongoing, with ESPN not expected to pay more for the women’s tournament while CBS/TNT are likely to pay modest increases for the men’s. The change is framed as boosting access rather than revenue and has drawn fan skepticism.
- NCAA Tournament taking ‘final steps’ towards expansion to 76 teams Awful Announcing
- Sources: NCAA basketball tournaments set to move to 76 teams ESPN
- What 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket could have looked like with 76 teams: No. 12 seeds brawl in opening round CBS Sports
- NCAA’s March Madness field could grow to 76 teams for 2027 season CNN
- Proposal for historic NCAA tournament expansion reaches final stages: report Fox News
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