Like it or not, the NCAA Tournament is expanding to 76 teams starting next year.
The all-new bracket includes 12 games on the Tuesday and Wednesday following Selection Sunday, now called the Opening Round instead of the First Four. This Opening Round — which will include nearly a third of the teams in the tournament — will whittle the field from 76 to 64, where the tournament will continue as routine.
The most important distinction to note in the new bracket is the addition of 4 Opening Round games between automatic qualifiers, tripling the usual number of 2 automatic qualifier matchups to 6. In other words, 12 low-seeded automatic qualifiers (almost always from one-bid leagues) are not guaranteed a spot in the Round of 64.
There are also 6 matchups between at-large qualifiers, which will be made up of the last 12 teams in the field. Every 12-seed in the Round of 64 will first play in the Opening Round, meaning each 5-12 game in the Round of 64 will now include a play-in team.
While 1 and 2 seeds are historically dominant, this change should slightly lessen the gap between 15/2 and 16/1 as 6 weaker one-bid league qualifiers are filtered out before the First Round.
Here’s a look at the new bracket.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
