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John Calipari offers up a very respectable take on NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 teams

08 May 2026 By foxnews

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The expansion of the NCAA Tournament is here despite the vast majority of those involved in college basketball not seeming to be sold on the move whatsoever.

NCAA power brokers have the final say, and Division I men's and women's basketball committees reportedly voted in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams from 68 on Thursday.

With the signs having long been pointing to the tournament growing in size, everyone has an opinion on it, and John Calipari may have the best, and certainly the most stomachable of them all.

The Arkansas head coach has been among the masses who are anti-expansion, but seems to have accepted it, even before the formal voting took place.

Based on his recent comments to CBS Sports, Calipari hasn't changed his stance, but has come up with a preferable outcome.

"I am a big believer in the idea that if it's not broke, don't fix it, and I think that applies to the NCAA Tournament," Calipari told the outlet. "Having said that, if we are to expand, my hope is that at least half the spots are held for non-Power Four teams. If they do that, we are making the decision for the right reasons. As someone who has been both David, and won some, and Goliath, and lost some, that's what makes this tournament special. We can't afford to lose that special piece of our sport."

The chances of Calipari's idea coming to fruition feel incredibly slim, as the NCAA is focused on dollars and keeping Power Four teams fat and happy, and handing more bids out to mid-majors wouldn't check those boxes.

NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPANDING TO 76 TEAMS IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, NOT INCLUSION OR MADNESS

NCAA Tournament expansion talk feels ridiculous, not only because most would say the tournament's current setup is already perfect, but also because there is a much larger and obvious issue within college athletics: the transfer portal.

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Coach Cal is certainly aware of it.

"Our main focus should be on fixing the transfer rules, which would help not only all the teams and athletes in our sport but teams in every sport," Calipari said. "And I'll say it again: That's where our energy should be focused."

In the new-look tournament, the first two days would look quite different. Across Tuesday and Wednesday of opening week, there would be 12 games played between 24 teams, given the eight added at-large bids. Those games would be played across two different sites.

Teams that play on Tuesday and Wednesday would have to win one more game than those who don't if they want to win the entire tournament.