KU Jayhawks hoops coach Bill Self has thoughts about NCAA Tournament’s expansion
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bill Self said the reasons for expansion "have not been explained to me in detail."
- The NCAA announced the men’s and women’s fields will expand from 68 to 76 teams in 2027.
- NCAA says expansion allows more championship access and adds $131M in new distributions.
The expansion of the NCAA men’s’ and women’s basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams, starting in March 2027, has been criticized by several prominent figures around the sport, including long-time ESPN analyst Dick Vitale.
Vitale wrote on X Thursday, the day the expansion was officially announced: “It sickens me they water down the tournament. ... More teams that are mediocre at best will be added.”
Coaches such as UConn’s Geno Auriemma have started to weigh in, too. Auriemma called it “strictly a money grab for the Power Four conferences to get teams that finished 6-10 in their conference to get into the tournament.” Gonzaga’s Mark Few, UConn’s Dan Hurley and Arkansas’ John Calipari told CBSsports.com that it was unnecessary, with Few calling it “the dumbing down of the regular season.”
Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self on Friday morning offered his first public comments on the matter in a brief phone interview with The Star.
“I would say I am not personally up to speed on the reasoning positively on why it was done,” the Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer said. “But (I) certainly would like for it to be explained to me, the pros and cons of expansion.”
The expansion marks the most significant alteration of the men’s tournament format since 1984-85, when the field was expanded from 53 teams to 64. The women’s format grew from 48 teams to 64 in 1994.
“I would say the tournament for decades has been one of the greatest sporting events at any level each and every year,” Self said. “There have been modifications to it over time that made our tournament stronger and better. Going from 68 to 76 I’m sure was done with good reason, I just haven’t had it explained in a way I actually know what that reasoning is.
“It has not been explained to me in detail all the reasons for the expansion, but I certainly hope the interest level and prestige of the tournament only improves over time.”
Asked if he was “OK with the change (from 68 to 76),” Self told The Star: “My initial thought is why change something that is so good unless it has been well vetted and discussed to a level there is confidence this makes the tournament even better? I haven’t heard publicly reasons for it yet.”
So how was the decision reached? Both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball selection committees approved the move and voted Thursday morning to expand. The motion was then ratified by the basketball oversight committees and the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors and Board of Governors.
The NCAA explained its decision to expand in an article at NCAA.org. The author of the piece was not identified.
“The primary benefit is straightforward: more championship access for student-athletes,” the story says. “The NCAA tournament is the biggest stage in college basketball. Expanding the field gives more teams and more student-athletes the chance to earn that experience, while still preserving the competitive structure that makes March Madness unique. For the student-athletes on those additional teams, expansion means more than a line in a bracket. It means Selection Sunday, a national television stage, a championship experience and the chance to turn one game into a lasting March Madness memory.
“The NCAA also will provide additional financial support to participating schools. Because of the tournament expansion, the NCAA will be able to award more than $131 million in new revenue distributions to member schools participating in the basketball tournaments over the remaining six years of the NCAA’s broadcast agreements. After expenses, the rest of the projected surplus will be used to continue investments in the basketball tournaments and enhance the championship experience for student-athletes.
“That investment matters in the current college sports environment. Schools are investing more in student-athlete benefits, scholarships, resources and revenue sharing. Expanding the tournament provides more schools with meaningful financial support and national exposure connected to one of the most revered events in college sports. The NCAA also will continue to provide transportation and funding for lodging, meals and other incidentals for teams in the expanded format.
“The expansion comes at a time when interest in college basketball continues to surge. The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship averaged 10.9 million viewers across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, up 7% from 2025. It was the second-most watched tournament since 1994. The men’s national championship game averaged 18.3 million viewers, the most for the title game since 2019, and peaked at 20.4 million viewers. The Men’s Final Four averaged 14.2 million viewers, up 11% from 2024.
“The women’s game also continues to build on record-setting momentum. The 2026 women’s national championship game between UCLA and South Carolina averaged 9.9 million viewers across ABC and ESPN networks, up 15% from the previous year’s title game, and peaked at 10.7 million viewers. The 2026 Women’s Final Four semifinal games averaged 5.2 million viewers, making it the second-most watched national semifinals since ESPN acquired the rights in 1996.
“That momentum extended across digital platforms, too. March Madness men’s basketball social media accounts generated 49 million engagements during the 2026 tournament, while March Madness women’s basketball accounts generated 12.7 million social engagements. Now, both tournaments will create more excitement,” the NCAA article indicated.
Dan Wolken of Yahoo!Sports was extremely critical of the tourney expansion in an article written Thursday.
“Every single person who signed off on the decision to expand the NCAA basketball tournament to 76 teams understands they are doing something fans didn’t ask for and that nobody in a position of power can justify,” Wolken wrote.
“It is the Seinfeld of expansions — a decision about nothing, that gains nothing for college basketball, that exists mostly because the current leadership class led by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti are bound and determined to wreck everything in college sports that used to make sense.
“Faced with a choice between adding eight more teams to the tournament or starting a game of chicken between the velociraptors at the top of the food chain and the 200-plus schools that would be cut out completely if the Big Ten and SEC someday walk away, the NCAA has once again jumped into the cage and made itself the meal.
“As we’ve come to expect in a college sports world led by Sankey and Petitti, there are endless solutions for problems that don’t exist. The stuff that really matters always seems to be someone else’s job.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 12:50 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks hoops coach Bill Self has thoughts about NCAA Tournament’s expansion."
