NCAA Tournament expansion: What 2026 March Madness bracket could have looked like with 76 teams

With the NCAA Tournament expansion to 76 teams now official, there are some teams from 2026 that are left scratching their heads. If only they were a year earlier on expansion! The 2026 bracket after Selection Sunday is HERE for reference.

What follows below are the eight additional teams that could’ve made a 76-team bracket for March Madness. The top four ranked teams were the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s official “First Four Out.”

For teams No. 5 through 8, they are the projected “Next Four Out,” per On3 bracketology expert James Fletcher III. With the nitty gritty details out of the way, let’s dive into the teams that could’ve been added to an expanded NCAA Tournament this past March.

1. Oklahoma 

This one had to hurt for Oklahoma. They just missed out on the NCAA Tournament, despite a 7-11 record in SEC play.

However, they had a solid end to the season as they were invited to The Crown in Las Vegas. The Sooners defeated Colorado and Baylor to advance to the finals, where they fell 89-82 in overtime to West Virginia.

2. Auburn

Auburn was a big NCAA Tournament conversation starter in March as a lot of pundits debated if they were snubbed or not. Head coach Steven Pearl would tell you they were!

In an expanded format, yes they would’ve been in. ANd perhaps there was some merit to that conversation as the Tigers rolled to an NIT title, winning five games in a row to finish their postseason.

3. San Diego State

The Aztecs were 22-11 this past season and fell in the Mountain West Championship game to top seeded Utah State. However, with no NCAA Tournament bid waiting for them, that was all she wrote.

San Diego State declined an invitation to the NIT following their loss. In fact, head coach Brian Dutcher has never coached in the tournament while at the helm of the school, making the NCAA Tournament seven times in nine seasons (although 2020 was canceled but SDSU was 30-2 that year).

4. Indiana

What’s college basketball and an NCAA Tournament without Indiana? 2026 actually! The Hoosiers fell short of March Madness with an 18-14 record.

First year head coach Darian DeVries declined any postseason tournaments in 2026 as well. If we got the version of the Indiana team that was 17-8 before losing five of their last six, that could’ve been an interesting team to watch in the actual bracket.

5. New Mexico (Projected)

Now we get into the projected teams that were left out of the NCAA Tournament (No. 5 through 8). New Mexico is first after sporting a 26-11 record.
It was Eric Olen’s first year as head coach and they had a good argument coming out of the Mountain West. However, they fell short but elected to play in the NIT, making it to the semifinals of the tournament.

6. Seton Hall (Projected) 

After a miserable end to 2025, Seton Hall looked liked they’d find their way back to the NCAA Tournament. Shaheen Holloway led a miracle Elite Eight run at Saint Peter’s in 2022 after all.

However, despite a 21-12 record, the Pirates did not make it and they declined any postseason tournaments in 2026. Holloway led them to the NIT in 2023 and ‘24, winning it the latter year.

7. Cincinnati (Projected)

Cincinnati was a projected bubble team for the NCAA Tournament by On3. The Bearcats did not play any postseason basketball though after an 18-15 record.

The Bearcats had a good shot in an expanded bracket, but they were .500 in Big 12 play. They rebounded, no pun intended, later in the season, winning six of their last eight to try and push for that 20-win mark.

8. Virginia Tech (Projected)

Funny enough, Virginia Tech was ready to accept their bid to the NCAA Tournament but preemptively declined any invite to the NIT, citing injury., Still, the Hokies finished 19-13 on the season.

However, Mike Young has not led Virginia Tech to March Madness since 2022, the year they won the ACC Tournament. Since then, they had two NIT appearances, a 13-19 finish and thie aforementioned 2025-26 season.