The New Tournament Landscape
The NCAA announced this week that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will grow from 68 to 76 teams, introducing an opening‑round format that has already sparked near‑universal criticism from The Athletic’s readership, with nearly 90 percent of respondents opposing the change.
Coaches who have made the jump from Division II to Division I see the shift as more than a change in competition level; Ben McCollum of Omaha and Josh Schertz of Saint Thomas both stress that the biggest differences lie off the court, from recruiting pressures to media obligations that accompany a national platform.
For Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president for basketball, 76 teams represent the practical ceiling, he says, citing logistical strain and the financial burden of further expansion. The conversation about who truly wields power in college basketball often circles back to a handful of coaches—Jon Scheyer, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, Dusty May, Geno Auriemma, Dan Hurley, Dawn Staley, Matt Painter, Kelvin Sampson, John Calipari, and others—who command influence that can eclipse even their schools’ football leaders.
The article also reflects on a lineage of consensus Player of the Year winners such as Zach Edey, Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer, and looks ahead to the 2026‑27 season, where names like Tyler Hansbrough, Kevin Durant, JJ Redick and a new generation of standouts—including Jeremy Fears Jr., Thomas Haugh, Thijs De Ridder, Braden Huff, Juke Harris, John Blackwell, Tyler Tanner and Johni Broome—are already being whispered as potential candidates.