Report: Power 5 Commissioners 'Opened Dialogue' on NCAA Men's Tournament Expansion

Power Five commissioners opened dialogue with NCAA President Charlie Baker regarding a desire to expand the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, "commissioners of the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and, yes, even the Pac-12 opened dialogue with Baker about their wish to examine NCAA tournament expansion" during a Jan. 25 meeting in Washington D.C.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament hasn't seen much expansion since 1985, when March Madness expanded to 64 teams. That number rose by one to 65 in 2001, including a play-in game. The current number is 68, set in 2011, which saw the introduction of what's now known as the First Four before the 64-team field is officially set.

Ultimately, there appears to be a desire for "more access" for teams to make it as an at-large school. Dellenger added more information:

"However, discussions between the commissioners and NCAA go beyond the topic of revenue and also include the growing wish for more access in the form of at-large spots. In the meeting with Baker, commissioners were transparent about their desire for more access in a 68-team field that includes 32 automatic qualifying spots — 27 of which go to non-power leagues."

Of note, there's more money to be had for teams and conferences as part of advancing through the tournament, as Dellenger relayed.

"As part of a tournament television deal with CBS and Turner running through 2032, the NCAA distributes annually around $700 million to its schools, both in base amounts and in units earned through advancing in the event.

"The five major football conferences, plus basketball power Big East, normally earn most of the more than $200 million worth of incentive units for wins in the tournament. For instance, those six conferences were responsible for winning around 70% of the available units last year."

There is also the belief that the 68 teams that make the tournament each year are not the 68 best teams in the nation, a belief Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark referenced.

"I want to see the best teams competing for a national championship, no different than (the Big Ten and SEC) want to see in football," Yormark said. "I'm not sure that is currently happening."

A host of smaller-conference schools who fared poorly in nonconference games winning their leagues get NCAA tournament bids on a regular basis over Power Five teams.

Then again, there's still 36 at-large bids available outside the 32 automatic bids, so a lot of teams left out for the small-conference schools may have no one to blame but themselves with plenty of opportunities to write a resume worthy of tournament inclusion. There's also concern about the watering down of the tournament, with many teams with middling resumes also making the Dance.

At any rate, Dellenger called the expansion of the tournament "inevitable." He also said commissioners called Baker "understanding" and "receptive" to their points on the matter.

"We talked with President Baker specifically about the basketball tournament and that we do expect and want a holistic review of the tournament," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told Dellenger. "As it relates to value and contribution, I think we all believe that's important and should be considered."

The question ahead is how exactly that will look, and obviously, this could pave the way for a women's tournament expansion as well (that March Madness is still at 64 teams).

For now, though, the status quo remains for 2024.