Greg Sankey backs March Madness expansion — with a caveat

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey revealed where he stands on NCAA Tournament expansion.

At the APSE Southeast Region meeting in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Sankey answered whether he thought expanding the men's and women's basketball field from 68 teams to 76 was necessary.

“Addition seems appropriate...” Sankey said.

Opinion: NCAA Tournament expansion won't kill March Madness but will make it worse

'Why and who cares?' Rick Pitino questions expanded March Madness pushback

The new opening round will grow from eight teams to 24, be played Tuesday/Wednesday prior to the first round for men and Wednesday/Thursday for women and feature at-large teams and automatic qualifiers.

Sankey’s said the NCAA Tournament should feature ”the top 50 analytically, committee-determined teams.”

“You know, there’s a combination eligible to participate. What we do is give away spots for automatic bids, because that’s the ethos of the term. It seems a reasonable balance,” Sankey said. “And I think all the criticism and negativity, that’s the way social media rolls.”

The move has been anticipated since conversations began in 2025 as NCAA president Charlie Baker has strongly vouched for expansion. Multiple college athletic directors and coaches confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on April 28 there’s an “expectation” for it to grow.

“The apple cart hasn’t been upset, burned, thrown down the hill and discarded,” Sankey said.