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NCAA tourney expansion a done deal
The 2027 NCAA Tournament expected to grow to 76 teams. Here's the latest. plus: Kansas lands the top 2026 high school prospect, Gonzaga gets an elite big man, UNC adds frontcourt help, and much more.
Sean Paul
April 29, 2026
Good morning! Guess Rob and Jeff need to investigate a name change.
Let’s dive in.
In partnership with D1.relocation
1. NCAA plans to expand March Madness to 76 teams
Sometime next month, the NCAA Tournament will officially expand to 76 teams.
This has been in the works for more than a year, with an announcement expected next month. CBS Sports reported that the decision has not yet been voted on, and that there’s a “very, very small chance” of any reversal. ESPN reported that various NCAA committees “have what they need to move forward.”
There hasn’t been NCAA Tournament expansion since 2011, when the field went from 64 teams to 68 teams with the introduction of the First Four in Dayton. That will remain one of the sites as 24 teams likely will play 12 games in two different sites, which will now be labeled as “the opening round.”
And it’s not like the opening round will just be at-large teams. Expect plenty of automatic bids to play those games. Per CBS Sports:
The expanded opening round will be split between at-large teams and teams that have won automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. All No. 16 seeds and half the No. 15 seeds will slot into those play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday of the opening round. The other half of the games will be a mix, depending on team quality, comprised of No. 11 seeds, all No. 12 seeds and potentially a game that will feed into the No. 13 line for the first round that Thursday or Friday.
So, why does the NCAA want expansion?
ESPN reported that "The primary driver of this move hasn't been money, but rather access for at-large bids for power conferences. The expansion has been pushed by power conferences, which have grown throughout the course of the current deal."
To get an idea of what kinds of programs those would’ve been this season, here’s a projection.
So, if you were a true bubble team this season, you'd be in the tournament in 2027. Those might be the only programs in favor of this expansion.
2. Tyran Stokes picks Kansas over Kentucky
Kansas got a potential game-changer for its 2026-27 roster on Tuesday when Tyran Stokes — the top-rated high school senior in the class of 2026 — committed to the Jayhawks. He chose KU over Kentucky.
Stokes signed his non-revenue paperwork with Kansas early in April, prior to his Kentucky visit. It’s the second-straight season that coach Bill Self landed an elite incoming freshman. We’ll see if Stokes is healthier than Darryn Peterson.
Stokes, a 6-7, 230-pound forward, is super skilled for his size, which will allow him to play on the wing next to Keanu Dawes and the starting center, though he could easily play some forward if Kansas goes small.
Stokes will team up with another 5-star guard in Taylen Kinney, a point guard from Overtime Elite. Self will need those freshmen to deliver as Kansas returns just two players from its 2025-26 roster, and both of those players (Kohl Rosario and Paul Mbiya) were bench players.
