To start 2023 off with some controversy, the NCAA’s Division I Transformation Committee recommended and the DI Board then endorsed a recommendation that championship fields in team sports be expanded to include up to 25 percent of the total number of participating schools—as long as at least 200 DI schools sponsor the sport. Implementing such a change for men’s basketball—currently sponsored by 351 full Division I members (with 11 schools reclassifying up and Hartford dropping down to Division II)—would lead to an 88-team field, with a 90- or 91-team event on deck once Lindenwood, Queens, Southern Indiana, Stonehill, and Texas A&M-Commerce earn postseason eligibility in time for 2027’s edition of March Madness.
Reimagining College Basketball’s Postseason
