Mark Few, Dan Hurley, and College Basketball's Biggest Coaches Are Killing the NCAA Tournament Expansion Plan and Nobody's Listening

Here's the thing about March Madness: it works. It's been working for decades. So why is the NCAA about to blow it up?

The NCAA is ready to expand the men's and women's tournaments from 68 teams to 76 teams, the first major format change since 2011. Sounds good on the surface, right? More teams, more Cinderella stories, more basketball. Except the coaches who actually know what they're talking about are saying pump the brakes, hard.

Few's Warning: This Kills the Regular Season

Mark Few doesn't mince words. The Gonzaga coach, who was just named a Naismith Memorial Hall-of-Famer last month after never missing an NCAA Tournament in more than a quarter century, is flat out opposed. "I am adamantly opposed. It's totally unnecessary," Few told CBS Sports.

His argument cuts deep: expansion "is the dumbing down of the regular season, which is sad." Few points out that college basketball has been struggling to generate regular season interest. Expansion makes that worse, not better. "Don't screw with something when you already know it's great," he said. "The tournament is great as is."

Hurley Is Torn, But His Concerns Are Real

Dan Hurley, arguably the best coach in the country right now after back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024 plus another title-game run last month, has publicly opposed expansion before. He's still skeptical.

"What I think makes the tournament special is the qualification for it," Hurley told CBS Sports. He worries that expanding the field makes the regular season "rendered meaningless" and turns tournament participation from a privilege into a right. "You want it to be hard to get in," he said.

Hurley acknowledged being "torn" because March Madness is such a massive national event that more teams could only boost viewership. But he nailed the core issue: if you don't have to have a real good season to make it, you've stripped away what made the tournament special in the first place.

Calipari's Line in the Sand

Arkansas coach John Calipari, another national figure, is equally firm. "I am a big believer in the idea that if it's not broke, don't fix it, and I think that applies to the NCAA Tournament," he told CBS Sports. Even with change looking inevitable, Calipari hasn't backed down. His hope: at least half the expanded spots go to non-Power Four teams.

The proposed format still requires most teams to win six games to become national champion. But 24 schools in the opening round would need seven wins instead. That detail matters more than you'd think.

The vote is coming. The coaches have spoken. Now we'll see if anybody's actually listening.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.