GW Hoops / Get Ready For The First 12

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 10/03/2025 11:23 am

NCAA tournament expansion is coming, perhaps as early as next season.

68 teams become 76 teams. Two doubleheaders in Dayton becomes two tripleheaders presumably in Dayton and in some other city. Have to figure that some streaming service will become involved with The First 12.

Those rate 16's over 1,s and less rare 15.'s over 2's (and even a couple of 14's over 3's) will now mean that most of these schools (all 15's and 16's, and some 14's) could first need to win a game before having this opportunity to produce a big upset. Of course more at large teams will make the field as well though they will be relegated to play-in status. It remains to be seen as to how many majors (often disinterested in the NIT or Crown) this group includes relative to the number of higher quality mid-majors. A Boise State would clearly have been included last year but we can debate how many other mid-majors also would have.

An expanded field certainly helps GW's chances in general but to what extent is very much up in the air.

**Posted by GW Alum Abroad** 10/03/2025 12:58 pm

Glad to see the NCAA respond positively to those mass marches, consumer boycotts and acts of Congress demanding this happen. What is that? Those things never happened? Well, I never (loudly clutches pearls)!
I guess if a gambling firm or broadcaster (or gambling firm that "partners" with a broadcaster) is willing to finance these additional games then why should common sense stop it? Nothing builds a brand quite like exploiting and expanding it to the point of meaninglessness, right? Maybe the NFL should turn the Super Bowl in to a best-of-three series (think about it: more sponsor placements, more halftime shows, more eyeballs!)
At this point, they should just seed the top 16 teams and give them byes to the round of 64, then at random draw all the remaining DI teams in to a 300+ team bracket. That would be less demeaning than artificially expanding the field to include teams whose poor little feelings might get hurt by not being in the top 64.