Men’s basketball coaches in the Big 12 are in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament, Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters Wednesday.
Self said the coaches discussed the topic at the conference’s spring meetings in Orlando, Fla., and supported increasing the number of participating schools.
This 2025 NCAA Tournament marked the 40th men’s bracket since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In 2011, the NCAA added the First Four round, increasing the field to 68.
A potential expansion to 72 or 76 teams, perhaps as soon as 2026, has been under consideration for at least a couple of years.
NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt told CBS Sports in February that “committees are continuing their ongoing analysis of whether or not to expand the championships, and if so, how to go about doing that.”
Gavitt said organizers are still studying the financial burden and travel demands of staging a larger tournament, while also weighing opinions on whether expanded fields would water down the competitive viability of the events.
Seven Big 12 teams made the men’s NCAA Tournament in 2025, including recent conference additions Arizona, BYU and Houston.
Self, 62, has led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament every season it has been held since he took over in 2003-04, winning championships in 2008 and 2022.
–Field Level Media
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