Thursday Dots: March Randomness

Yahoo SportsYesterday3 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

The NCAA will expand its men's and women's basketball tournaments to 76 teams starting in 2027, primarily for financial reasons. This change will allow more teams, including the struggling UW men's program, to participate.

Key points

NCAA basketball tournaments to expand to 76 teams in 2027
Expansion driven by financial motives, not competition
More slots for struggling programs like UW men's basketball

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 06: Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines and Tarris Reed Jr. #5 of the UConn Huskies tip-off in the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will expand to 76 teams beginning in 2027. The move is purely financial, as it does not elevate competition within the tournament. It does create more slots for the UW men’s program, which has struggled mightily in recent years, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend to support the expanded format. The NCAA, college sports decision-makers as a whole, does its best to ignore the advice that says, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” On the bright side, expanding the tournament won’t cause a drastic shift in the sport, so it isn’t the worst thing ever. Still, it’s very unnecessary.

A look at the new bracket 👀 pic.twitter.com/esm18WdUSJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 7, 2026 NCAA tournament expansion means on Tuesday/Wednesday there will be 12 games with 24 teams at two different locations with 8 additional at-large bids.

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) May 7, 2026 These 8 teams would've made the NCAA Tournament this past season if a 76-team field would've been in place.

The NCAA announced today that they will be expanding March Madness to include 76 teams. Do you like this move? pic.twitter.com/4QcBZQTpXd

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 7, 2026 Football: NEWS: UW-commit 2027 4⭐️ DL Jon Ioane (Tustin – CA) received a visit from Huskies DL coach Jason Kaufusi on Wednesday.

Ioane has his official visit to Washington set for June 5-7. @jonnioane @CoachKaufusi @Tiller\_Football

UW OV Tracker:

— Kevin Cacabelos (@SeaTownKev) May 7, 2026 Hear from @UW\_Football’s Rashid Williams and Emmanuel Karnley and what they’re looking forward to this season in Seattle ☔️ pic.twitter.com/nko8eM19He

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) May 7, 2026 Basketball: BREAKING – 2026 PG Zamir “Bam” Paschal (Central Catholic – OR) made a visit to Washington per his Instagram. Received an offer on his visit.

Q&A

Why is the NCAA expanding the basketball tournaments to 76 teams?

The NCAA is expanding the tournaments to 76 teams primarily for financial reasons, not to enhance competition.

How many additional teams will be included in the NCAA tournament expansion?

The expansion will add 8 additional at-large bids, increasing the total number of teams to 76.

What impact will the 76-team format have on the UW men's basketball program?

The expanded format will create more slots for the UW men's basketball program, which has faced challenges in recent years.

Thursday Dots: March Randomness

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

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