The NCAA announced this week that Wichita, Kansas, will serve as one of the host sites for the Opening Round of the 2027 and 2028 Division I men’s basketball championships, joining Dayton, Ohio, in a dual‑city arrangement that will see three games apiece on the Tuesday and Wednesday that follow Selection Sunday.
The expansion from a 68‑team field to 76 teams, now in its second year, has forced the association to spread early‑round contests across a broader geographic footprint, a move that committee chair Keith Gill says reflects the “basketball‑crazed community” and strategic centrality of Wichita.
A New Era for March Madness
Games are slated for March 16 and 17, 2027, featuring the twelve lowest‑seeded automatic qualifiers alongside at‑large selections, with pairings determined by seeding. The following year will mirror the format, while the tournament’s regional rounds will be staged in a rotating slate of venues that includes Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City and San Antonio from March 25 through 28.
The Final Four is scheduled for April 3 and 5 in Detroit, Michigan, capping a path that begins in the heartland and ends in the Midwest’s motor city.
Alongside the logistical reshuffle, the committee revised the Wins Above Bubble (WAB) baseline to 55, a metric adjustment designed to accommodate the larger pool of at‑large teams, and appointed Stu Jackson as vice chair for the 2026‑27 season, with a promotion to chair in 2027‑28.
Jackson, a veteran of coaching, commissioner and executive roles within the NBA, brings a wealth of experience to a role that also sees the committee relax a longstanding prohibition on hosts competing at their own sites, a rule change that could influence future scheduling decisions.