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NCAA talks expanding hoops tourney to 72 or 76

Related Topics: Charlie Baker, NCAA

LAS VEGAS -- NCAA President Charlie Baker is "bullish" on the prospect of the NCAA Basketball Tournaments expanding to 72 or 76 teams in the near future.

Baker said he has been having productive conversations with television partners and members of the NCAA's basketball committees on expanding from the current 68-team bracket. He said the NCAA would have to make a decision to move forward by the end of this year's March Madness in order to implement the expanded field for the 2026 tournament.

He said the tournament is unlikely to grow any bigger than 76 because of the limited window they have to schedule games between the time when conference championships end and coverage of the Masters begins.