The NCAA tournament is nearing expansion, according to a report from Ross Dellenger of On3.
An agreement has yet to be finalized, but the new proposed format that is being floated to television partners is an expanded field from 68 to 76 teams. Eight games are expected to be added to the First Four, which is currently a set of four games featuring the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the last four at-large teams in the NCAA tournament field. The new first 12 games will be referred to as the opening round, where 24 teams would play in 12 games over the first two games. The games would take place at two different sites.
The move to 12 games in the opening round would keep the first actual round of the tournament to 64 teams, like it is right now.
With the expanded field, eight more at-large teams, which in the current format have been able to avoid the First Four games and have a secure spot in the field of 64, will now have to play prior to the Thursday/Friday first-round games.
The primary driver of this, of course, is money and more television inventory for one of the most exciting events on the annual sports calendar. The consequence would be a soft bubble and teams earning their way into the field that likely don't belong based on regular season results.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NCAA Tournament Is Reportedly Nearing Expansion.
