NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Though nothing has been confirmed by the NCAA yet, it would appear expanding the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments is right around the corner.
ESPN is reporting that the Big Dance will grow to 76 teams beginning in March of 2027. The eight additional squads will play earlier in the week in a play-in format, similar to the First Four, with the main bracket of 64 teams still tipping off Thursday. The report says an official announcement is expected in May.
The NCAA responded to the report with a brief statement Wednesday.
"Expanding the basketball tournaments would require approval from multiple NCAA committees, including the men's and women's basketball committees, and no final recommendations or decisions have been made at this time," the statement read.
So what will tournament expansion mean for Division I teams in the 757? Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones said his reaction to the report was indifferent as this has been the rumored direction of the NCAA for some time.
"There's no real over-the-top reaction because you knew it was going to happen," Jones said. "Any time there's big money involved, especially with the NCAA Tournament, the more teams that get means the more games you have, which means the more tickets you sell and probably more games you have on TV, so now you're able to expand your TV package and things like that."
At this point, many in the basketball world think that the additional bids will go to mid-level teams from Power Five conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Big East). Old Dominion is a member of the Sun Belt, Norfolk State plays in the MEAC, while Hampton and William & Mary compete in the CAA. Jones doesn't see the teams that reside in the 757, including his own, benefiting much from the predicted changes.
"For teams like us or conferences like us, I don't think it really does a big service," he said. "Those eight [spots] are just going to go to the eight at-large high-major teams. We're still going to have to win our conference, just like 25 other conferences in the country... It doesn't really make that much of an impact."
Jones also sees a different cast of characters when it comes to those magical March runs by opening the door for more power conference programs to be part of the field.
"Now your Cinderella teams will just be the ninth-place team from the SEC," Jones noted. "It won't be a Norfolk State beating a Missouri or things like that so I think that it doesn't really help us that much, but it should be exciting. 76 teams. I know they've expanded slowly but surely over the years. It's the first expansion in a long time so it should be interesting to see how it plays out."
It may not help the Spartans' chances of making the Big Dance, but that doesn't mean Jones is opposed to it. The head of the green and gold says that, no matter how many programs make up the bracket, the goal of his group remains the same.
"I don't care if its 128 as long as we're in it," Jones laughed. "I don't care what it is, to be honest with you. If it's 76, hopefully we're one of the 76. We've been one of the 68 a few times so hopefully we're one of the 76 in this season coming up."
Norfolk State finished the 2025-2026 season 15-7, 8-6 in the MEAC, and fell to South Carolina State in the MEAC quarterfinals. The Spartans' last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2025, their third trip to the Big Dance since 2021.
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