NCAA’s Latest March Madness Decision Has College Basketball Fans Overjoyed

NCAA’s Latest March Madness Decision Has College Basketball Fans Overjoyed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Every year, college basketball fans of all kinds rush to the office pools and family pools to fill out a bracket for the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness, as it is widely known, has become a smashing success for die-hards and casual fans across the country as they try and predict the winner of the 68-team bracket.

However, there had been talks of the NCAA expanding the field from 68 to 72 or even 76 teams.

On Monday, those talks were put to bed, for now, per a statement from NCAA Senior VP Dan Gavitt, per CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein.

"Expanding the tournament is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men's and women's basketball championships," the statement read. "However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships."

Currently, the NCAA Tournament field is at 68 teams, although four of those are labeled as "First Four" teams that must win a play-in game to be officially in the 64-team bracket.

An expansion would possibly mean more play-in games before the first round, although nothing had been set in stone.

Fans React to NCAA's March Madness Decision

After the decision came through, fans wasted no time reacting to the news.

"LETS GOO," one fan replied. "About time the NCAA did something right," said another.

"DON'T LET UP, DON'T GIVE IN NO EXPANSION IN 26 NO EXPANSION IN 27 NO EXPANSION EVER," another stated.

"Great news for this year! But please stop it entirely," another said. "Good, no one wants expansion," another wrote. "A win for college basketball, for now," stated another.

Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde even called expansion a "terrible idea," so this has been a common thought across the world of college basketball.

When Did March Madness Expand to 68 Teams?

Originally, the NCAA Tournament began with an eight-team format in 1939, then moved to 16 teams in 1951.

In 1985, the field was changed to 64 teams, and then 65 teams in 2001 when the Mountain West Conference joined Division I.

In 2011, the field then increased to 68 teams, changing it to the current four-game "First Four" slate.

However, moving the field to 72 or 76 teams would change things considerably, although it remains a bit unclear how the new format would work if it expanded in any form.

Nonetheless, for now, it is staying at 68 teams, much to the delight of college basketball fans.

Related: NCAA President Reveals Major March Madness Change Likely Coming in 2026

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.