Would Expanding March Madness Brackets be Good For Stanford Men's Basketball?

Recently, reports have come out that the NCAA could possibly expand the March Madness bracket to include even more teams. No number has been announced just yet, but the AP seems to think that the number could be either 72 or 76 teams, up from the current 68.

This is a terrible idea.

March Madness is a beloved tournament that is perceived as the best in sports by many. All the thrill, upsets, buzzer beaters, and overall vibes of March and April are undefeated. Adding even just a little change could mess up the love for the game that fans strive to keep by diluting the product.

However, fans of Stanford men's basketball may not hate the idea.

The Cardinal's men's program is on a 12-year streak without a March Madness appearance, leaving fans desperate for a reason to dance. Stanford has never been a bad team or program, but is consistently just a few spots out of the tournament. With this potential change, the Cardinal could see themselves involved in the Madness more often.

Last season, Stanford finished just a few spots outside of the tournament, on the bubble, becoming a two seed in the NIT instead. With this change made, the Cardinal would’ve likely been a part of the tournament, making their first appearance in years. This would have been huge for the program, and could have certainly helped the recruiting process as coach Kyle Smith continues to build.

This season, the Cardinal have brought in some great additions, but lost some starpower as well. In the recruiting trail, Stanford brought in three four-star recruits in Ebuka Okorie from New Hampshire, Jaylen Petty from Washington, and Kristers Skrinda from Latvia.

In the transfer portal, the Cardinal added a pair of All-Americans at the DII and DIII levels, brining in DII NCAA Tournament finalist and Cal State Dominguez star Jeremy Dent-Smith, as well as former player under Kyle Smith at Washington State and recent Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stag, AJ Rohosy.

They lost five players as well though, with Maxime Raynaud leaving to the draft, Oziyah Sellers and Derin Saran finding new homes in the transfer portal, and Jaylen Blakes and Cole Kastner to graduation.

Stanford will be aiming for similar season to last year in terms of success, which could push them into March Madness, especially if the expansion follows through.

No, the expansion of March Madness isn’t good for the sport. In fact, it’s terrible. But on the bright side, Stanford could find a way to sneak into postseason play in the future, which has not been able to happen recently.

If this ends up happening, the Stanford Cardinal have a much better shot at going to March Madness in 2025-26 for the first time in 12 seasons, so it wouldn't be all bad.