NCAA Vice President of Basketball Releases Statement on March Madness Expansion

The NCAA Basketball Tournament will remain at 68 teams for now, despite recent discussions about expanding it to 72 or 76 teams. NCAA senior vice president Dan Gavitt confirmed that while the possibility of expansion was discussed at length during meetings of the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees this week, no decision or recommendation was made.

Gavitt stated that viable options still include keeping the tournaments at 68 teams or expanding them to either 72 or 76 teams, potentially by the 2026 or 2027 championships. However, expansion for the 2026 tournament is considered unlikely due to the event being only eight months away, leaving limited time for necessary format changes.

While not ruled out entirely, a final decision on potential expansion will be made at a later date. The tournament last expanded in 2011, moving from 65 to 68 teams, which introduced the current format including the First Four games.