“NCAA Tournament Expansion? Coaches Sound Off — And the Sport May Never Be the Same”
With the 2026 NCAA Tournament just months away, basketball’s biggest decision still hangs in the balance.
It’s late July, and we’re just 238 days from Selection Sunday — but no one can say with certainty how many teams will take the floor in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Will it be the familiar 68? Or could it balloon to 72 or even 76? The answer could reshape college basketball forever.
Behind closed doors, expansion talks are heating up. But out in the open, so is the debate and the coaching community is split down the middle.
At the Peach Jam recruiting event last week, The Athletic surveyed 35 college basketball coaches and assistants including representatives from both high-major powerhouses and scrappy mid-majors to get their raw, anonymous thoughts on whether the Big Dance should grow. Their answers revealed a sport at a crossroads.
The Scoreboard:
- 14 coaches for expansion
- 14 coaches against
- 7 coaches indifferent
🟢 Why Some Want Expansion:
Many in favor see opportunity for players, programs, and their own job security. With over 360 Division I teams, they argue, why should just 68 make it?
One mid-major head coach put it bluntly:
“The NCAA Tournament is life-changing… we’re only letting 15–20% of players experience it. Adding eight more teams won’t hurt anyone.”
Others pointed to financial reasons. As one high-major coach said:
“Double the tournament, and you double the revenue.”
And in an age where coaching jobs hang on March success, expanding the field might literally mean saving careers.
“Think how many guys missed the tournament by one game and got fired. If they’d made it, maybe they’d still have their jobs,” another coach added.
🔴 Why Others Want to Hold the Line:
Then there’s the other half those who want to protect the magic of March.
“It’s the best sporting event in the country,” one high-major assistant said. “Why mess with that?”
“If you’re not good enough to make it, get better,” another coach snapped.
Others worry that expanding will water down the prestige of qualifying, shifting expectations unfairly and possibly increasing the pressure on coaches.
“If the field gets bigger, just making the tournament won’t be good enough anymore,” a veteran coach warned.
And some fear a bloated bracket could lose the very magic that makes the Madness matter.
“Our sport is March Madness. The whole country locks in. Why mess with something that already works?”
🟡 And Those In Between:
Some coaches didn’t pick a side but made one thing clear: this is all about the money.
“We’ll do whatever makes the most money,” one assistant shrugged.
But others made nuanced points. One mid-major coach said he’d support expansion if it helped regular-season champions who currently miss out.
“You win your league by three games, then have a bad weekend and miss the tournament? That’s not OK.”
🎯 What Coaches Really Want:
Regardless of how many teams get in, many coaches agreed that the current selection process is broken especially for mid-majors.
“Conference tournaments shouldn’t matter as much,” one high-major coach said. “The regular season should.”
Another assistant added:
“We need more respect for teams who grind all year. Win your league you should be in.”
What’s Next?
No official vote has been taken. But as the NCAA’s basketball committees continue to meet and the 2026 bracket slowly comes into focus, it’s clear that the future of March Madness is far from settled.
The question isn’t just how many teams should get in it’s who deserves the chance, and how we decide.
One thing’s for sure: however this plays out, it will reshape the path to college basketball’s ultimate stage. And the clock is ticking. ⏳
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