The Division I committees for both men’s and women’s basketball voted unanimously Thursday to expand both NCAA Tournaments from 68 to 76 teams, multiple outlets reported.
The votes were placed during what was considered an emergency joint meeting of the committees.
The expansion still needs to be approved by the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees, the Division I cabinet and then the NCAA Board of Governors.
ESPN reported on Wednesday that after expansion talks for more than a year, and contracts with the men’s tournament media partners near completion in late April, the final steps are expected to be smooth.
Multiple outlets reported last month that the NCAA plans for 52 teams to slot into the main bracket and the other 24 teams to face off in 12 games on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday. Those winners will fill out the Round of 64.
Those games will no longer be called the “First Four,” with the terminology expected to be “opening round” for the play-ins and “first round” for the Round of 64.
The 12 games in the expanded opening round are expected to be in Dayton, Ohio, current site of the First Four, and a second site to be determined.
First Four contests in the women’s tournament have been single games at on-campus sites.
It would mark the first expansion of the tournament since the field moved from 65 to 68 teams with the addition of the First Four games in 2011. The field had previously been 64 or 65 teams since 1985.
The Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference were the leading voices behind tournament expansion, Yahoo Sports reported in April. NCAA president Charlie Baker has also voiced his support.
“I said all along that I think there are some very good reasons to expand the tournament,” Baker told ESPN in February. “So, I would like to see it expand.”
