Charlie Baker: NCAA Tournament expansion ‘certainly is possible’

This marks the first year in college football we will see an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. According to NCAA President Charlie Baker, we may see an even further expanded playoff in college basketball soon.

The NCAA Tournament has used a 68-team format since 2011 when four extra teams were added to make up the First Four.

In a conversation with college basketball reporter Seth Davis, Baker hinted at a “modest” expansion of the current 68-team format. However, he did admit that the Masters, which is also broadcast on CBS annually like the NCAA Tournament, does present an obstacle for an expanded tournament due to a potential overlap.

“I think that there’s a real opportunity to do something modest,” said Baker. “I mean, the calendar, remember the calendar is really defined right? We have to finish before the Masters and we can’t start until after the conference tournaments are over. So, you know, there’s not a lot of extra days in there. I think for both the men’s and the women’s tournaments, whatever we do here would have to be done within the frame that’s already available.

“Do I think it’s possible that we come up with something where we could make this work? I think it certainly is possible. We’re working on it, we’re working with the committees on it. We’re working with the conferences on it. We’re working with our media partners on it. I think it’s probably gonna take a lot of effort on the part of everybody to come up with something that would expand the tournament. But I don’t think you’re gonna see dramatic expansion. I certainly think you see enough expansion so that a whole new set of folks will end up being on the bubble.”

Based on these comments, it sounds like conference tournaments would either need to be pushed up or fewer rest days would be okayed for tournament teams if they want to avoid going past the start of the Masters. Last season, only three days separated the National Championship and the opening round of the Masters.

One factor that may potentially hold up an expansion is the fact that neither CBS nor Turner, the two networks that hold the media rights to the NCAA Men’s Tournament through 2032, have an escalator clause in their contract. This means that neither network would be required to pay more if additional games were added to the tournament, nullifying a major part of the appeal for the NCAA.

Baker did hint at working with media partners on an expansion so it’s possible we could see that issue settled whenever an expansion is officially worked out.

Either way, given the year-over-year rise in viewership for both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament this past season, an expansion might be seen as a positive for everyone involved (except, perhaps, purists).

[Hoops HQ on X]