LAS VEGAS — NCAA president Charlie Baker is “bullish” on the prospect of the NCAA basketball tournaments increasing to 72 or 76 groups within the close to future.
Baker stated he has been having productive conversations with tv companions and members of the NCAA’s basketball committees on increasing from the present 68-team bracket. He stated the NCAA must decide to maneuver ahead by the top of this yr’s March Insanity to be able to implement the expanded area for the 2026 match.
He stated the match is unlikely to develop any larger than 76 due to the restricted window they need to schedule video games between the time when convention championships finish and protection of the Masters begins.
“I am bullish on the conversations we have had about going to 72 or 76, and I feel the committees are keen to think about that, however I do not assume it may be something past that,” Baker stated after talking about the way forward for the NCAA at a convention hosted by Sports activities Enterprise Journal.
The NCAA’s basketball committees introduced proposals to broaden the match final June after a number of main conferences and leaders comparable to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey publicly pushed to create extra at-large bids for his or her faculties.
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“We’re freely giving extremely aggressive alternatives for automated qualifiers [from smaller leagues], and I feel that stress goes to rise as we have now extra aggressive basketball leagues on the prime finish due to enlargement,” Sankey informed ESPN final March.
Baker informed reporters his focus within the coming yr is to implement modifications made to the NCAA by the pending, industry-shifting antitrust settlement that may permit faculties to start out paying gamers straight. He stated he expects to start working in January on the small print of a system that may present extra freedom for the foremost conferences to kind guidelines which can be higher suited to their financial actuality.
When requested if the NCAA’s expertise in organizing March Insanity may present any assist to the Faculty Soccer Playoff — which isn’t operated by the NCAA — in its choice course of, Baker stated that some disappointment within the choice course of is inevitable.
“There are at all times going to be individuals who thought it labored precisely the best way it ought to and individuals who assume in any other case,” Baker stated.
He added that one of many important variations between the 2 choice processes for the 2 tournaments is the Faculty Soccer Playoff’s weekly launch of recent rankings through the second half of the common season. The NCAA choice committee shares restricted rating data solely as soon as earlier than making its closing choices about match seeding.
“I am unable to determine in my very own head if it generates pleasure and is attention-grabbing to folks or if it simply makes folks loopy because the season goes on to have this factor always transfer,” Baker stated.