The NCAA Tournament is facing calls for expansion, and conference commissioner Brett Yormark believes that expanding the tournament field to 80 teams could be a popular model among those in the sport. However, specifics of how much expansion is needed are still being considered. The recent wave of realignment in college sports has led to increased competition, with four power conferences adding members in 2024. This has raised concerns about maintaining opportunities for automatic qualifiers from smaller leagues. Conference commissioners, including Yormark, are planning to meet with NCAA president Charlie Baker to discuss potential expansion further.
Yormark emphasizes the importance of maintaining the greatness of the NCAA Tournament while exploring opportunities for modification. He believes that while the tournament is already a great spectacle, there may be chances to provide more access and enhance the experience. Yormark suggests that periodic audits of systems, even successful ones like the NCAA Tournament, can lead to improvements and a fresh perspective on how things are done. While there is still much debate about how much expansion is needed and what it would look like, one thing is clear – the NCAA Tournament will continue to be a significant event in college sports for years to come.