The 76-team NCAA basketball bracket

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

They can make the NIT the mid-major tournament, just like they've always wanted.

 

[HanSenSE]

The Cleveland State division

Will Cleveland State even be eligible?

 

[HanSenSE]

The NIT should stay. The CBI and whatever the other third-tier tournaments are should be killed off.

I suspect that is the goal.

 

[wicked]

The NIT lost any relevance it had when the finals moved out of MSG. I get why they did it, but still.

 

[tapintoamerica]

The NIT should stay. The CBI and whatever the other third-tier tournaments are should be killed off.

The Crown won’t die. It pays the poor, mistreated players.

 

[MarkWatney]

Expand the NCAA field to the full 305 or whatever, then make the NIT a redemption tournament for teams that lose in the first week.

 

[dixiehack]

Hell, let’s make the rim move from side to side also, like it’s Chuck E Cheese.

JFC

 

[Gym Beam]

Hell, let’s make the rim move from side to side also, like it’s Chuck E Cheese.

JFC

I swear those Pop-A-Shot rims are too small to take the ball. That has to be the explanation.

 

[Chet Lemon]

The biggest red flag for me with this expansion is a recency bias - the first group of teams out of this year's NCAA bracket were such absolute ass that I can't stomach them getting rewarded with a berth.

I’m an Indiana fan all my life and I don’t think I’d have watched their tournament game on principle.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Pat Forde nails it

Pat Forde: An Expanded 76-Team March Madness Bracket Is a Greedy Mistake

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Maybe Northwestern and Climpson can make it into the field of 76 now. :)

 

[tapintoamerica]

Maybe Northwestern and Climpson can make it into the field of 76 now. :)

Biggest beneficiaries: Northwestern, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Oklahoma State.

 

[wicked]

I look forward to the 14th-placed team in the 15-team ACC being on the bubble. "If BC only loses to Duke by 20, they might get to play in Spokane!"

 

[Letsuchem]

I also wonder if we'll see a big shift in the conference schedules and the conference tournament schedules.
Teams that finish on Saturday or Sunday on selection weekend and wind up in the play-in games are going to be at a big disadvantage turning around and playing again Tuesday or Wednesday — and then again once or twice later in the week.
Figure a team that makes a run in their conference tournament and finishes on Saturday in the finals or semifinals has probably just played at least three games in three days. Then add the play-in round and two main-bracket games and they might be playing six or seven games in about 10 days.

Good luck with that. By the way, it is interesting to observe how in various spheres more and more attention is paid to regulation and fair conditions for participants. For example, among fans of online entertainment MGA casino sites MGA Casinos in Canada – Best MGA Licensed Casinos for 2026 are often discussed, as licensing and transparent rules are considered important factors for user trust and stable operation of platforms.

I'll be curious to see if some of the big conferences chop two games off the regular-season schedule somewhere — either conference games or non-conference by starting the conference season earlier — so they can play the tournament that week before Selection Sunday and give their teams some extra rest.

It is possible that some conferences will indeed revise their schedules, as the workload on teams in this format seems very serious. Playing several games in a row in a short period of time can significantly affect both the physical condition of the players and the quality of the game itself.

I will also be interested to see if the major conferences make changes to allow for additional rest for the teams. Even shortening the regular season by a few games may be justified if it helps to avoid overwork and makes the tournament more competitive and fair for all participants.

 

[Cosmo]

If I’m a small conference, I don’t want my eighth place team to have a chance at getting the auto bid. Go the Ivy route, top four make the tournament, that’s it.

 

[HanSenSE]

Wichita is the new Dayton.