GMU & A-10 Effects on expansion of NCAA Tourney from 68 - 76 teams

[jessej]

Now that Baseball season is over, and the GMU football discussion can't start until July - this is the best discussion topic i could come up with

1) The NCAA is considering an expansion of the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The current number of teams is 68, and there are plans for a potential expansion to 76 teams as early as the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. However, a decision on future NCAA Tournament expansion is not expected to happen before the end of this season (2025-26). (I could see this moved to 2026-27)

2) https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...likely-in-the-near-term-amid-myriad-concerns/


Discussion
If approved the NCAA Tourney will add 8 additional slots/teams. GMU finished #2 in the A-10 do they make this version of the NCAA Tourney?

THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN - Guarantee all regular season conference champions AND Conference Tourney champions a spot in the NCAA Tourney, or limit this to P4/Big East?

My analysis
What was the KenPom, RPI, SoS ranking of GMU (79)? Was it in the top 8 of the teams that did not make the Tourney?

There are multiple teams with a better KenPom ranking than GMU and had losing records- Utah, Butler, Arizona State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Kansas State, USC. Would they be better choices?

Dayton (77) had a better KenPom than GMU.

Effectively move the first 8 of the NIT Tourney to the NCAA Tourney and bring in another 8 teams to the bottom of the NIT selection.

Not sure if it helps get the A-10 teams into the tourney more often, but I believe it helps the A-10 get at least another team into the NIT
(assuming the NIT format stays the same).

========
this may help the women's program, assuming they continue the rise in the program.
This season they had multiple entries, and the talent can be such that the top of the A-10 is competitive with the middle of the P4/BE.

 

[GMUgemini]

Now that Baseball season is over, and the GMU football discussion can't start until July - this is the best discussion topic i could come up with

1) The NCAA is considering an expansion of the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The current number of teams is 68, and there are plans for a potential expansion to 76 teams as early as the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. However, a decision on future NCAA Tournament expansion is not expected to happen before the end of this season (2025-26). (I could see this moved to 2026-27)

2) https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...likely-in-the-near-term-amid-myriad-concerns/


Discussion
If approved the NCAA Tourney will add 8 additional slots/teams. GMU finished #2 in the A-10 do they make this version of the NCAA Tourney?

THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN - Guarantee all regular season conference champions AND Conference Tourney champions a spot in the NCAA Tourney, or limit this to P4/Big East?

My analysis
What was the KenPom, RPI, SoS ranking of GMU (79)? Was it in the top 8 of the teams that did not make the Tourney?

There are multiple teams with a better KenPom ranking than GMU and had losing records- Utah, Butler, Arizona State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Kansas State, USC. Would they be better choices?

Dayton (77) had a better KenPom than GMU.

Effectively move the first 8 of the NIT Tourney to the NCAA Tourney and bring in another 8 teams to the bottom of the NIT selection.

Not sure if it helps get the A-10 teams into the tourney more often, but I believe it helps the A-10 get at least another team into the NIT
(assuming the NIT format stays the same).

========
this may help the women's program, assuming they continue the rise in the program.
This season they had multiple entries, and the talent can be such that the top of the A-10 is competitive with the middle of the P4/BE.

Mason was a 2 seed in the NIt, which presumably means they were one of the top 8 left out.

1 and 2 seeds: Dayton, San Francisco, SMU, UC Irvine; North Texas, George Mason, Santa Clara, Stanford

No way in hell the NCAA expands by 8 and lets in 6 more non-P5 teams, though. Just no way.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Now that Baseball season is over, and the GMU football discussion can't start until July - this is the best discussion topic i could come up with

1) The NCAA is considering an expansion of the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The current number of teams is 68, and there are plans for a potential expansion to 76 teams as early as the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. However, a decision on future NCAA Tournament expansion is not expected to happen before the end of this season (2025-26). (I could see this moved to 2026-27)

2) https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...likely-in-the-near-term-amid-myriad-concerns/


Discussion
If approved the NCAA Tourney will add 8 additional slots/teams. GMU finished #2 in the A-10 do they make this version of the NCAA Tourney?

THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN - Guarantee all regular season conference champions AND Conference Tourney champions a spot in the NCAA Tourney, or limit this to P4/Big East?

My analysis
What was the KenPom, RPI, SoS ranking of GMU (79)? Was it in the top 8 of the teams that did not make the Tourney?

There are multiple teams with a better KenPom ranking than GMU and had losing records- Utah, Butler, Arizona State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Kansas State, USC. Would they be better choices?

Dayton (77) had a better KenPom than GMU.

Effectively move the first 8 of the NIT Tourney to the NCAA Tourney and bring in another 8 teams to the bottom of the NIT selection.

Not sure if it helps get the A-10 teams into the tourney more often, but I believe it helps the A-10 get at least another team into the NIT
(assuming the NIT format stays the same).

========
this may help the women's program, assuming they continue the rise in the program.
This season they had multiple entries, and the talent can be such that the top of the A-10 is competitive with the middle of the P4/BE.

The way they do the women's tourney is flawed though. Let's say we would have won the game against FSU? Our reward would have been playing LSU AT LSU.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

Conferences outside of the big football conferences (big money conferences) need their own separate tournament because the NCAA tournament will just get bigger to allow in more of their own kind and leave scraps for the small money conferences.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Conferences outside of the big football conferences (big money conferences) need their own separate tournament because the NCAA tournament will just get bigger to allow in more of their own kind and leave scraps for the small money conferences.

Feel the same way. Honestly, I really I don't think it really matters if they expand for us. The problem is the selection committee mainly uses the NET rankings now which only hurts non-power conferences. If RPI rankings was still a large measure, we probably would have gotten in this year. It's tough to move up in the NET when P5 Schools don't really want to play us since they have nothing to gain. For non-power teams, we basically need to have an almost flawless season. The A-10 would have to give us a tough conference schedule and the staff would need to schedule a tough OOC lineup. And to come out of that with no more than 5 or 6 losses max is tough.

Not sure how accurate this is but according to TeamRankings.com, these were our RPI Ranks on Selection Sunday:

2006: #25th At-Large Bid
2011: #26 At-Large Bid
2025: #24 NIT

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Conferences outside of the big football conferences (big money conferences) need their own separate tournament because the NCAA tournament will just get bigger to allow in more of their own kind and leave scraps for the small money conferences.

Got news for you. We were in it this year.

 

[JimP]

Maddening. I hate to think Mason will be relegated to an FCS type division - yet here we are.

 

[GMUgemini]

Maddening. I hate to think Mason will be relegated to an FCS type division - yet here we are.

I have a feeling it will be similar to CFP/FCS division where the top 8-10 conferences will be at the highest level and then everyone else. I just can’t imagine having a 78 team tournament when you’ve got like at most 90 teams competing (right now it would be 83 if you take the top 5 conferences).

Right now the top 10 would be: ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East (Power 5); PAC 12 (formerly known as the MWC + WA St and Oregon State), A10, AAC, WCC, and either CUSA or Missouri Valley. Not sure what to do about teams like UNM, Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico St being stuck in the WAC and diminished MWC, maybe they’ll try to go into either AAC or CUSA.

But I suspect if something like that happens select teams from lesser conferences will try to move into one of the new “group of 5,” maybe some in the A10 will try to break into the Big East. Maybe you’ll have 10 conferences with 20 members each, or about 200 total teams?

It’s a mess right now and maybe the P4+1 needs to stop with the greed before they completely destroy everything.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

''It’s a mess right now and maybe the P4+1 needs to stop with the greed before they completely destroy everything.''

That probably won't happen. Who cares about the long term when there is short term profit to be made?

 

[jruby]

The way they do the women's tourney is flawed though. Let's say we would have won the game against FSU? Our reward would have been playing LSU AT LSU.

Why? It's smart, sells tickets and lets highest seeds host. What is wrong with it? Same way baseball does it really minus the super regionals. However if you add that in it, it may not be worst idea alive. I'm sure they make way more money doing it this way.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

If they want to make the NCAA tournament even more interesting, make it like the first 2 rounds of the baseball tournament--X number of pods, 4 teams per pod. Play a round robin format until there are only 2 teams left and then go into a super regional round and do another round robin batch. Then, once it is down to 16 or 8 have the tournament move into single elimination mode.

Would probably get some different outcomes if past NCAA tournaments had been played this way.

 

[jessej]

MSN

I expect all P4/Big East programs to be in favor of enlarging the tourney - as they potentially will get the larger share of slots

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Why? It's smart, sells tickets and lets highest seeds host. What is wrong with it? Same way baseball does it really minus the super regionals. However if you add that in it, it may not be worst idea alive. I'm sure they make way more money doing it this way.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NGozloywc4c&pp=ygUWR2VubyBvbiBzdXBlciByZWdpb25hbA%3D%3D

 

[Old Man]

It really saddens me there are powers out of our influence, certainly control, that want to ruin the greatest tournament in sports for a few more dollars.

To be honest, I enjoyed watching A-10 games, and some CAA games for nostalgia, on ESPN+ this year, and, except for the tournament, barely watched any other college basketball games. So if the big powers go, I will likely continue to watch the A-10 and treat the others as if they are like this NBA I've heard so much about lately, i.e. as in non-existent.

 

[jruby]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NGozloywc4c&pp=ygUWR2VubyBvbiBzdXBlciByZWdpb25hbA%3D%3D

He got a home game as a lower seed in 2022, when they beat NC State in double OT. He should STFU and stop crying. Why because it's about Money. Otherwise they lose, so sorry but he ain't the one to be crying! So actually I agree it's all bullsh** but I get why they do it which is for money.

 

[JimP]

It really saddens me there are powers out of our influence, certainly control, that want to ruin the greatest tournament in sports for a few more dollars.

To be honest, I enjoyed watching A-10 games, and some CAA games for nostalgia, on ESPN+ this year, and, except for the tournament, barely watched any other college basketball games. So if the big powers go, I will likely continue to watch the A-10 and treat the others as if they are like this NBA I've heard so much about lately, i.e. as in non-existent.

Yeah - I see Seth Davis quote someone posted on Twitter saying more people would rather watch the P4 schools play in March Madness. Who cares Seth!

The powers that be don't make enough money off the event already? An A-10 or MVC team takes away a fraction of a percentage of enormous profits that go to a select few? Can't have that - give me a f**king break.

The NET's rigged, the P4 has enormous NIL advantages and it's apparently not enough. You're still afraid you're gonna lose on the court, so you've gotta go the god damn monopoly route.

Sorry - just mowed. Nothing to do but ponder injustices and infuriate myself while cutting the grass. SBUnfurled is engaged in honorable combat with Seth Davis on twitter btw.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

It really saddens me there are powers out of our influence, certainly control, that want to ruin the greatest tournament in sports for a few more dollars.

To be honest, I enjoyed watching A-10 games, and some CAA games for nostalgia, on ESPN+ this year, and, except for the tournament, barely watched any other college basketball games. So if the big powers go, I will likely continue to watch the A-10 and treat the others as if they are like this NBA I've heard so much about lately, i.e. as in non-existent.

I'll take the NBA over MLB any day. At least the NBA doesn't have asterisks next to it's records : Barry Bonds.