96 team tournament?

**ARCHIVADO98** · 03-19-25, 02:00 PM

Originally posted by stevenash

The buzz, hot fuss, hot take, call it what you will, is should the NCAA tournament expand to 96 teams?
I heard both sides of the coin and yes it would be terrific for business, but seriously, do we need more 18-15 type teams like American U or Omaha?

I'm all for a good midmajor underdog and all, but any more mediocre mid-major teams would just dilute this thing.
The tournament is just fine as it is, greed will just kill it.

Keep it as is.

**Chiefs83** · 03-19-25, 03:01 PM

Would the season even matter if 2/3rds of the teams qualified

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 03-19-25, 03:14 PM

I've written about this b4. I think 80-teams would be the ideal #. Here's

**ChuckyTheGoat** · 03-19-25, 03:18 PM

why:
1) The Conf Tournaments mostly suck in the Big Conf. Some teams don't care b/c their seed is solidified. Top 20 Reg Sea champs should be exempt from Conf tournament, they qualify by winning the Reg Sea.
2) All Conf Tournaments (w/ remaining teams) are now a true Win-and-In. 32 teams?
3) Remainder = 28 At-Large teams.

...If you can't make it with two chances to qualify (Reg Sea or Tournament), you can't bitch about being the 29th At-Large.
...Play the 16 games on Tues/Wed, like they do now (on campus). Get it down to 64 by Thur/Fri.

This makes sense to me on multiple fronts. Add some value back to the Regular Season for a few teams. All those games do matter.

**str** · 03-19-25, 05:37 PM

Only exception might be a Loyola - Chicago situation when the nuns get involved.

Learned young not to mess with them or the priests for that matter.

**pavyracer** · 03-19-25, 05:40 PM

Just make it 128 teams and all teams qualify. In regular season players should be sitting out games to get healthy.

**johnnyvegas13** · 03-19-25, 06:45 PM

Pass

**Mr KLC** · 03-19-25, 07:06 PM

If I were to expand it, make a play in for all #16 and #12 seeds. That way the bottom of the barrel of the small conferences and the big schools can duel it out to earn the right to be in the final 64.

**Reload** · 03-20-25, 07:52 AM

Could see this happening. Seed the play-in teams #17-24 and have the higher seed host the first game. Would get some buzz going.

**S0BRiquet** · 03-20-25, 09:02 AM

No way should there ever have been more than 64 teams invited. One of the main criteria should be 'schools that have not been to tourny since...' = another words place teams that have never been or have not been in a long while. Everything else eventually becomes a hairsplitting spat amongst the know-it-alls. UNC did NOT need to be in it this year but like Syr will prob go to Elite 8 !
BTW, THE DUMBEST thing ever in sports was tacking on 4 more teams to this overstocked event.