NCAA unanimously votes to increase the NCAA tournament to 76 teams

If you’re worried that the UCLA Bruins may be on the bubble for next year’s NCAA tournament, the path got a bit easier on Thursday with the NCAA announcing the tournament will expand to 76 teams beginning this upcoming season.

There was already little-to-no excuse for a program as historic as UCLA to be missing the NCAA tournament entirely but with the rule change, the Bruins margin for error got a bit wider. The NCAA selection committees voted on tournament expansion on Thursday, with the decision to expand to 76 teams passing unanimously.

Hopefully the added teams in the tournament aren’t a factor for either UCLA squad. The Bruins women’s team is fresh off setting a program-record in wins en route to a national title, while the men’s team was bounced in the Round of 32 as a No. 7 seed in the tournament.

It’s not the first time that the tournament has expanded, the tournament was once 53 teams before getting bumped up to 64 in 1985. The men’s tournament then kept growing, raising it from 64 to 68 teams in 2011. The women’s tournament made the move to 68 teams in 2022 but were at 48 teams until jumping to 64 in 1994.

NCAA president Charlie Baker said that the move had been "anticipated” since last month. USA TODAY writer Jordan Mendoza has more on the increased tournament turnout.

“With eight more spots, the new NCAA tournament will have a First Four play-in that will go from eight teams in four games to 24 teams playing 12 games to advance to the first round of the tournament. It has yet to be determined where the games will be played, but it is expected to take place Tuesday and Wednesday prior to when the first round begins on Thursday,” Mendoza wrote. “The first round of 64 and ensuing rounds remain intact.”

Mick Cronin will enter an important season of his UCLA tenure but the chances of the Bruins missing the tournament entirely decreased with Thursday’s expansion news.