Will the NCAA Tournament ever expand?

During the Division 1 Men’s Basketball Committee’s three-day meeting in mid-July, the possibility of an expanded NCAA Tournament field was discussed. 68 teams get an opportunity to compete in March Madness at the moment, but back in January, it was rumored that the number would increase as early as next season. While the committee pointed out that a larger NCAA Tournament field “is not imminent” on Thursday, NCAA senior vice president of basketball, Dan Gavitt, acknowledged the fact that “they are committed to doing their due diligence looking at a few different models to make an informed decision that’s in the best interests of the championship, and that may very well include deciding against expansion.” Additionally, “the committee and staff will continue studying options and gathering feedback from various constituents. Whether the tournament expands or not remains to be seen.” 

What would be the best option in my opinion? Well, I don’t believe that any substantial changes to the NCAA tournament format are necessary. Sure, the annual tradition of snubbing March Madness worthy/deserving teams will continue, but making a few more slots available in the future will only open up the door for extreme criticism. The selection process is designed to be challenging, so why make the NCAA Tournament feel less prestigious by inviting more teams than you need to? Heck, the more important question is, why would you want certain bubble teams to slam the breaks toward the end of the regular season?

With the current format, NCAA Tournament hopefuls can easily play their way out of the Big Dance if they slack off in late-February/early-March, but a larger Tournament would only allow those teams to play uninspired basketball with no real consequences. Keep the Tournament the way it is, and you’ll keep forcing ball clubs to earn their way into March Madness, which is the way it should be. Simply put, If the Division 1 Men’s Basketball Committee feels like your overall body of work is strong enough, you’ll receive an opportunity to participate in the Big Dance.