NCAA Tournament field to remain at 68 teams for 2025-26 season

The Boise State men’s basketball team was a controversial snub from last season’s NCAA Tournament. 

The Broncos were among the first four teams left out while three middling power conference teams — North Carolina, Texas and Xavier — all received at-large selections. Boise State had reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous three seasons. 

Back in May, NCAA president Charlie Baker said the “goal” was to expand the NCAA Tournament field for the 2025-26 season from 68 teams to 72 or 76. But expansion discussions stalled in June and July, and the NCAA announced on Monday that the tournament will remain a 68-team event next year. 

“Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball championships,” Dan Gavitt of the NCAA said in a statement. “However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships.”

During an interview with Front Office Sports reporter David Rumsey, Baker said the NCAA has no plans to remove the 31 automatic bids handed out to conference champions.

“If you have a tournament that’s got 68 teams in it, you’re going to have a bunch of teams that are probably among what most people would consider be the best 68 or 70 teams in the country that aren’t going to make the tournament — period — because you get a whole bunch of people who win their conference tournaments who aren’t in that group,” Baker explained. 

“So, the point behind going from 68 to 72 or 76 is to basically give some of those schools that probably were among the best teams in the country a way into the tournament.”

The NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011. From 1985 to 2010, 64 teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament. 

Boise State had its streak of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Leon Rice snapped last year. The Broncos finished 26-11 overall and reached the semifinals of the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament. 

Four MWC teams qualified for last year’s NCAA Tournament: Mountain West Tournament champion Colorado State, regular-season champion New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah State. The Rams and Lobos both reached the round-of-32 before stumbling to Maryland and Michigan State, respectively. 

Boise State holds an 0-10 all-time record in NCAA Tournament games. 

With five returning rotation players and two impact transfers, the Broncos are expected to contend for the Mountain West title next season.