SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated his interest in expanding the NCAA basketball tournaments, stating, “we think there are enough quality teams to make this growth appropriate.”
“Nothing in college basketball is static,” Sankey remarked from the 2025 SEC Kickoff event in Atlanta. “So tournament expansion is certainly worth exploring.”

The NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball committees debated expansion at their respective meetings last week, but made no recommendation on whether to expand or remain at 68 for 2026 and beyond.

Though not a part of either committee, Sankey is arguably the most influential figure in college sports and made it clear that he favors growth from the current 68-team bracket configuration to one including 72 or 76 teams.

“To be clear, we support expansion,” Sankey said. “But you just don’t jump into it. So if there are reasons from a broadcast, financial, logistical, or competitive realities that don’t support expansion, we’re going to be fine. But in general, I think this is the right direction to at least explore.”

Sankey’s enthusiasm for expansion suggests that the matter will remain a topic of discussion, with the possibility that expansion could be approved as early as the 2025-26 season.

However, he noted that the SEC “is going to be fine whether the bracket expands or not.” The SEC had a record 14 teams in the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament and 10 teams in the women’s tournament.

Amid the revenue-sharing changes in college athletics, leaders are seeking new opportunities for revenue generation. However, NCAA officials have yet to clarify if or how expanding the tournament would increase payouts to NCAA schools.