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NCAA says "no" to expanded 'March Madness' tournament

After ACC coaches lobbied on Wednesday for an expanded NCAA Tournament this spring featuring EVERY Division I program, the NCAA quickly shot down the idea and says its not happening

Ryan Kostecka

Well that was quick.

The NCAA Tournament will stay as is!

One day after ACC coaches took to social media and posted statements regarding their wish to expand the upcoming NCAA tournament, the NCAA dismissed the idea by saying there are no current plans to do so.

"Every college basketball team's goal is to play in the NCAA tournament because everyone loves March Madness. Certainly, we missed it this year and can't wait for 2021," said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of men's basketball. "While all who care about the game are entitled to their opinion, and we'll always listen respectfully, at this time we are not working on any contingency plan that involves expanding the tournament."

Gavitt released a statement on Thursday detailing the NCAA's desire to keep the tournament as is.

Out of the 357 Division I programs throughout the nation, NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham said 346 of them are eligible to play in next year’s tournament.

“This is not a regular season,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “It is clearly an irregular season that will require something different. Our sport needs to be agile and creative. Most importantly, an all-inclusive postseason tournament will allow a unique and unprecedented opportunity for every team and every student-athlete to compete for a national championship.”

Essentially, the opening rounds would be taking the place of conference-championship tournaments and early-round bracketing based on geography. By the second week, the tourney would look pretty much like normal: 64 to 68 teams.

That means that there would be no Pac-12 tournament, no ACC tournament, no conference tournaments of any kind. Rather, you would probably get Utah, BYU, Utah State, Colorado, Colorado State, UNLV and other teams that are nearby geographically competing in tournaments.

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

“This is a time to think differently,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said, adding: “After all these players have been through, what better way to reward them than the opportunity to compete in an unprecedented version of the most exciting event in sports.”

According to Virginia coach Tony Bennett, the ACC coaches are “united in strongly pursuing this" in order to make up for last season's cancellation. The coaches believe that creating a tournament of this magnitude would provide all of the incentives needed for coaches and programs to have the safest conditions possible upon returning to play.

The 2020-21 college basketball season is still slated to be held as scheduled, with the season kicking off on Nov. 10 — but it could potentially be pushed back a few weeks as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic — Duke is set to face Michigan State in the State Farm Champions Classic, with Kansas and Kentucky finishing up the double-header in Chicago.

The first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament is currently set for March 16. The Final Four will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 3. 

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Ryan Kostecka
RYAN KOSTECKA

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