“There was a little bit that was brought forth, and the consensus among the coaches, even though it was very little, was we’d be in favor of that," Self said from the Big 12's spring meetings in Orlando, per Greenstein. NCAA leadership has previously discussed expanding the 68-team tournament field to 72 or 76 teams, according to CBS Sports'
Matt Norlander .
TOP NEWS
Cedric Coward to Remain in 2025 NBA Draft After Committing to Duke in Transfer Portal
Tahaad Pettiford Withdraws from 2025 NBA Draft, Returns to Auburn After Final Four Run
No. 1 CBB Transfer Yaxel Lendeborg Withdraws from 2025 NBA Draft, Commits to Michigan
ESPN's
Pete Thamel reported in February that, if the decision was made to expand the tournament, the more likely choice would be to expand both the men's and women's tournaments to include 76 teams.
Thamel wrote that expanding to 76 teams would likely mean adding an additional First Four site outside Dayton, which would likely be located outside the Eastern Time Zone. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has previously expressed his support of potential expansion to 76 teams, which he
described in March as the "right number." If expansion does come, it may not take place until at least 2027. NCAA executive Dan Gavitt told
Norlander in February that any decisions about expanding the tournament for 2026 would need to be made by early May. Gavitt noted that among the complications to expansion are revenue-sharing agreements, which could result in less money going to each school if more programs join the event. Self has led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament in every eligible season since joining Kansas in 2003. The Big 12 has, meanwhile, sent at least six teams to March Madness in each of the last 11 tournaments, according to the
conference . This spring, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Arizona, BYU, Kansas and Baylor represented the conference. An expanded field likely would have meant a bid for West Virginia, which was the first program out of the 68-team bracket.