NCAA Tournament expansion ‘growing more unlikely,’ per report

It looks like the 68-team NCAA Tournament format will be around for at least one more year, according to a new report.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, NCAA president Charlie Baker concurred with remarks made by ACC commissioner Jim Phillips earlier this week, suggesting that NCAA Tournament expansion would be “tough” to pull off this year. According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Baker characterized Phillips’ comments as “reasonable,” before further suggesting that “logistics” would make expansion difficult for the upcoming season.

Dellenger, citing the sport’s executives, writes that “Any expansion of the NCAA basketball tournaments is growing more unlikely for this upcoming season.”

However, Baker did continue to endorse expansion to 72 or 76 teams in the future. “There are every year some really good teams that don’t get to the tournament for a bunch of reasons,” Baker said, per Yahoo. “One of the reasons is we have 32 automatic qualifiers (for conference champions). I love that and think it’s great and never want that to change, but that means there’s only 36 slots left for everybody else.

“I don’t buy the idea that some of the teams that currently get left out aren’t good. I think they are. And I think that sucks,” the NCAA president said.

Prior reporting indicates that any type of additional TV revenue earned from expansion would be incremental at best. CBS and TNT Sports, the two networks that broadcast the men’s tournament, would likely require the NCAA to provide some ancillary benefits, such as allowing alcohol sponsorships, in order to make the finances work. ESPN, which broadcasts the women’s tournament, is not required to pay an additional fee should the tournament expand.

Any expansion to 72 or 76 teams would not add high-value games. Both formats would simply add more play-in games on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the tournament begins in earnest. Dellenger reports that any expansion would likely require another “First Four” site in addition to Dayton, Ohio.

Expansion continues to be a polarizing topic amongst fans. With logistics proving a challenge for this upcoming season, traditionalists can rest easy knowing the 68-team format is likely here for at least another year.