The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will expand to 76 teams starting with the 2026-27 season. A formal announcement is expected in mid-May after contracts are signed.
24 teams will qualify for the Tuesday-Wednesday play-in games instead of 8, at two sites. Dayton is expected to remain one of them, the other will be west of the Eastern Time Zone.
This means that 8 teams that would have previously started tournament play on Thursday or Friday will start on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hasn’t just gotten a bit out of hand. It is almost to a point now where making the big dance isn’t that big of deal.
John Papenhagen
**nolan**List Manager
The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will expand to 76 teams starting with the 2026-27 season. A formal announcement is expected in mid-May after contracts are signed.
24 teams will qualify for the Tuesday-Wednesday play-in games instead of 8, at two sites. Dayton is expected to remain one of them, the other will be west of the Eastern Time Zone.
This means that 8 teams that would have previously started tournament play on Thursday or Friday will start on Tuesday or Wednesday.
There were three post-season tournaments other than the NCAA Tournament last year. One of them announced at the last minute that it was not going to have a 2026 tournament, whether it exists in 2027 remains to be seen. The Crown tournament, which Nebraska won a year ago, reduced the number of teams for 2026. The NIT has been limping along for decades.
Will any of them survive to 2028?
Having 24 teams play-in on Tuesday/Wednesday instead of 8 will be a significant change in tournament strategy.
Mike Nolan