The men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments will not be expanding this season, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt announced Monday.
“Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball championships,” Gavitt said in a statement. “However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships.”
The idea of expanding the tournament to either 72 or 76 teams had picked up steam in the spring.