Texas AD Chris Del Conte defends NCAA Tournament expansion to 76 teams

As the NCAA reportedly takes steps toward a 76-team basketball tournament bracket, fans are making their voices clear against expansion. However, Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte defended the move, citing the event’s history.

When the NCAA men’s basketball tournament started in 1939, only eight teams were in the field, and that was the case until 1951 when it grew to 16. In fact, March Madness didn’t get to a 64-team bracket until 1985, and the First Four play-in games came about in 2011 with a 68-team field. Now, the NCAA Tournament appears on track to grow to 76 teams as soon as the 2027-28 season.

Using that history, Del Conte cited the growing number of Division I programs to defend the idea of tournament expansion. Currently, there are 361 D-I teams, and West Florida is set to join for the 2026-27 year. As a result, Del Conte said expanding the tournament will give more of those teams access to the postseason.

“It’s interesting,” Del Conte said on ESPN Radio. “The iterations, you have to go back in history. Remember, it used to be an 8-team tournament. Then it expanded to 16, then it went to 24, then it went to 40. I want to say in 1979, it was 40, then it went to 48. It didn’t go to 64 until 1985. And more schools have reclassified to be Division I basketball. … So you can see the iteration of the tournament continue to grow from its inception of only starting out with eight teams to going to 16.

“I get it. And I understand going from 64 to 68 [with] play-ins, and now to 76, there’s so many more teams in Division I basketball today. You’re trying to figure out a way to maximize the playoff opportunity. In college basketball, it’s not there.”

As he looked at the number of basketball teams competing at the D-I level, Chris Del Conte compared it to college football with 12 teams in the College Football Playoff. He called it a “head-scratcher” with the amount of programs in FBS while pro leagues give more teams access to the postseason.

“They talk about the expansion in college football, both equations, you look at the number of participating teams in D-I football to only have 12 is a head-scratcher when you start to look at the NBA, Major League Baseball, hockey where you play this entire season to make the playoff opportunity,” Del Conte said. “Same with basketball.

“So I understand it. It’s going to be a little bit of a change. But I remember back in ’85, everyone’s going, ‘Oh my God. We’re going from 48 to 64. What are we doing? It’s the perfect number.’ Then, we were at 64 forever and then they added four play-in [teams]. So it’s all part of it. No big deal.”

The 76-team model, as Ross Dellenger previously detailed, would include an expansion of the First Four as the new “opening round” of the tournament, featuring 24 teams. The 12 winners from the “opening round” would then advance to a 52-team bracket. That means eight teams would be taken out of the main bracket, rather than four under the current 68-team format.