A decision on the future expansion of the NCAA tournament for male and female basketball should not occur before the end of this season, said the main vice-president of NCAA basketball, Dan Gavitt. Beyond that, Gavitt told CBS Sports that there was a possibility that the tournament does not develop at all, at least not in “short term”.
“The most important thing to cross,” Gavitt said on the eye basketball podcast“It is certainly not a fait accompli. The recommendation of not The expansion of tournaments is absolutely a potential result here in the short term. “”
The reasons for the difference in a decision on expansion are linked to a myriad of heavy financial problems, in addition to different opinions within the NCAA on the competitive viability of the enlargement of male and female tournaments. Much in the NCAA are proud of tradition, distinct marketing and the symmetrical attraction of Mars madness support which has been built in the past 40 years, with an unrivaled formula in American sports.
“The committees are continuing their analysis in progress of the opportunity to expand the championships, and in the affirmative, how to proceed,” said Gavitt.
CBS Sports reported in June 2023 That a decision had been made to keep the tournament at 68 years old, to extend the land to 72 or 76 teams. The male and female committees have met several times on this subject since then, with progressive progress on a decision that has long been encountered by many university basketball fans.
Gavitt also argued Thursday to repel media speculation in recent weeks and months that have designed expansion in the quasi-future as everything but official. Although this remains a distinct possibility, Gavitt said that there are major logistical challenges and unknown realities that await NCAA and its member schools. University sports leaders are preparing in the most progressive and volatile era in the more than 100 years of history of the institution: billions of dollars of value of Variation of income for university athletes for the rest of this decade and in the 2030s following the Imminent house case regulations.
“This has the impression, in some cases, in recent months, there have been more reports on:” Well, it’s a matter concluded, it will happen “, and I can assure you that this is not the case,” said Gavitt. “I couldn’t predict when I sit here today what the result will be.”
It is possible that the NCAA decides to hold a final verdict on this subject until 2026 or 2027. There is still enough time to wait and see. The current media treat with CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery takes place until April 2032.
“I think there will be an opportunity to make a decision about ’26 in the coming months, but if this decision does not consist in moving forward with expansion, I do not know that it will solve the problem in the next five to eight years,” said Gavitt. “Could be that the most intelligent thing to do is to wait and see if the house’s regulations occur or not and is approved by the judge on April 7, what are the ramifications of this in the future, and if this should be a subject that is considered a year or two from now on, more to date.”
There is no compulsory and specific deadline for male and female basketball committees to determine the opportunity to develop by 2026, but Gavitt said that at the end of April / early May was the window that must be filled if a change was to come for 2026.
“The expansion, even at a modest level, is complex, more complex, I think, that what has been recognized and reported, because it is expensive,” said Gavitt. “It is expensive because of additional team trips, game operations for the game, but also basketball performance funds, the units that are won throughout the male and female basketball championships.”
The more the teams added to the tournament, the less money to share by school. And with the income sharing the expected format for high sports departments from later this year, schools cannot afford to give up a penny they would have otherwise had in their chests. In the absence of a major influx of additional profits (new sponsorships surrounding men and women of women’s madness), the proposal becomes much more difficult to sell. Gavitt described the financial challenges “a very real factor in this consideration” to develop or not.
“This is an important factor because income is an important consideration in almost everything in university athletics at the moment,” said Gavitt.
A commissioner having an intimate knowledge of expansion talks recently declared to CBS Sports: “The reduction in the values of a unit is a non -negotiable. Schools and all conferences must remain whole.”
There are few people in the world of NCAA as respected, loved and, frankly, powerful than Gavitt. His voice brings an immense weight not only because of its tested history to help maintain the popularity of the NCAA tournament for more than a decade, but because it really likes university basketball and cares about the well-being of the sport in a way of financial forecasts, corporate sponsorship transactions and pitch powerpoint decks can never measure. He is the son of the late Dave Gavitt, who formed the Big East in 1979 and changed university basketball forever. Dan Gavitt has been at NCAA for 13 years, but he spent his whole life in university basketball.
His father helped extend the domain to his platonic ideal of 64 schools in 1985 after being chairman of the selection committee. Dan Gavitt has long been a private anti-expansion. On Thursday, he said that his position had adapted – but not necessarily returned in the other direction.
“I did not form a final opinion myself on this subject,” said Gavitt when I asked what he would do if the power to decide on expansion. “My reflection has evolved in the past two or three years around this subject. I would say that if you asked me this question two or three years ago, I was a simple and fast answer of” no “. … I am still not necessarily sold to find out whether or not to develop, but I think there is so many things that have been going on and have changed in the last two years and I think we have to look at the future Current makeup.
University basketball remains far from perfect – among a handful of necessary fixes, the referees’ revision protocols torment many end -of -game situations and must tackle the most interesting season – but sport is found in a rather healthy place in 2025. Its regular season has a punch, but it is still looking for a little more relevance while it moves next to the back of the back of the NFL NFL and NFL.
An enlarged tournament could further reduce the urgency of sport from November to early March accordingly. It also remains to be seen if the tournament should be extended, how Tuesday and Wednesday matches would change. Would the two-digit seeds that have obtained automatic offers play these days? What does access to the power conference teams look like compared to access to the weak and medium? The unexpected consequences of the waste with an almost perfect thing are looming these discussions.
“These are all the things I am struggling with and that I stand at night,” said Gavitt, adding later: “We must really be future on this subject and not only stuck in the past, where things will not be the same as these, keeping what makes it special, special, is also something that I will always protect with everyone.”
You can look at my entire interview with Gavitt below. Our cat on the expansion of the NCAA tournament begins at the 31 -minute brand.