Pre-Final Four deadline set for future NCAA Tournament expansion

Field Level Media|published: Tue 9th December, 17:27 2025

NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship

Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; A general view during the first half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Connecticut Huskies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A decision on expansion of the NCAA Tournament in future years from 68 teams to 76 has a pre-Final Four deadline.

NCAA president Charlie Baker said Tuesday at the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum that talks are active and include media rights holders CBS and Warner Brothers Discovery.

"We are certainly still working on it," he told CBS Sports. "And I believe that we have a window and our window probably gets us to about April."

Not up for discussion is whether the 2026 NCAA Tournament is expanded. The NCAA kept the existing 68-team structure, which begins with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17, in place for the tournament this season. The Final Four in Indianapolis will be played April 4 and 6.

What began in 2024 as talks to add four teams and expand the total NCAA Tournament field to 72 now has a 76-team target.

The tournament last expanded in 2011, adding the First Four to what had been the Field of 64.

Baker has said logistics challenges and structure of an expanded field were hurdles. Those conversations continued and the concept of on-campus games or destination, neutral-site games a la the First Four are not out of the question.

Selection Sunday is a staple wrapping up the week of conference tournaments, where automatic bids are won, the NCAA plans to retain. The SEC and Big Ten are among conferences with TV and media rights deals to stage conference championship games on Selection Sunday.

But not moving off of the staple of Sunday bracket reveal contributes to what rapidly becomes a coast-to-coast travel and logistics crunch.

Baker did not confirm reports the plan would call for an increase from the current arrangement for four total games on Tuesday and Wednesday, recognized by the NCAA as the First Four, to a whopping 12 games total those two days.

The winners then feed the traditional 64-team bracket starting with Thursday first-round games.

"The other (issue) is just: Can you get everybody in the place they need to be in time for them to practice?" Baker told CBS. "This is like a starter's pistol. It goes off Sunday ... and people are playing Tuesday."

--Field Level Media

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