The men’s NCAA tournament is finally underway, but the future of March Madness is the topic that has dominated discussion among many coaches, of bluebloods and underdogs alike, as teams gather in cities across the country for the opening round of games. Should the tournament expand? That’s the question that’s been top of mind this week after various reports of ideas to grow the field and public comments were made on the matter by conference commissioners like the SEC’s Greg Sankey and the Big 12’s Brett Yormark.

Kentucky coach John Calipari (above), who won it all in 2012, hopes the 68-team bracket stays in place. “Keep it where it is,” he said ahead of the No. 3 Wildcats’ matchup against No. 14 Oakland on Thursday evening. “Don’t mess with something that’s great.” Fellow SEC coach Rick Barnes agrees. “I don’t think you can ask a team to win more than six games to win a national championship,” he said while previewing No. 2 Tennessee’s first-round matchup with No. 15 Saint Peter’s on Thursday night. “It’s really demanding.”

However, Barnes did admit adding more play-in games—which would likely mean more at-large bids for major conferences—could be worth exploring. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo also feels that some changes should at least be considered. “Everybody likes the upsets in the first weekend, but I’m not sure moving on that’s what’s best for the game,” Izzo said before the No. 9 Spartans beat No. 8 Mississippi State in the tournament’s opening game Thursday afternoon. “I think it’s got to be looked at seriously.”

As for the Little Guys …

Tenth-seeded Colorado State, one of six Mountain West teams to earn a March Madness berth, faces No. 7 Texas on Thursday night after defeating Virginia in the First Four on Tuesday, and Rams coach Niko Medved said eventual expansion simply feels like a formality at this point. “Everybody can read the tea leaves as far as what’s going on,” said Medved, who wants any expansion to not be done too hastily. “I also hope that they continue to find a way to allow access because I think that’s really what makes it special.”

That preservation of access for all Division I schools is a top priority for many others, too. No. 14 Akron coach John Groce, ahead of an eventual loss to No. 3 Creighton on Thursday afternoon, was asked whether mid-major schools like his in the MAC are anticipating the opportunity for additional tournament bids from theoretical expansion. “Obviously we hope that for sure,” he said. 

Oakland coach Greg Kampe said he didn’t believe tournament expansion would make it easier for his team—the sole bid from the Horizon League as an automatic qualifier—to go dancing. “The only reason I would be for expansion to the 96, or whatever they’re talking [about], is to keep us in it,” he said. “If that’s the only way we’re going to stay in it, then I’m for it. What I’m saying is don’t keep us out.”

The March Madness action doubles Friday when the women’s NCAA tournament tips off, and a star-studded field led by Caitlin Clark and top-seeded Iowa looks to continue the wild momentum the sport has experienced over the past 12 months.

ESPN, the sole broadcaster of the women’s tournament, had its most-watched regular season of women’s college basketball on the network’s platforms since 2008–09, averaging 476,000 viewers across games on ESPN and ABC. That growth builds on several broken records during the ’23 tournament, including the most-viewed women’s college hoops telecast with 9.9 million viewers for LSU’s victory over Iowa in the final on ABC. In ’23, ESPN also had record viewership for the Final Four weekend as a whole, as well as Elite Eight and Sweet 16 action.

A New Leader?

With the hype around the women’s game still trending up, the possibility of the women’s final (which will be on ABC again) outdrawing the men’s is not that far-fetched. Last year, UConn–San Diego State drew 14.69 million viewers on CBS, the lowest number on record. This year, the men’s final will be broadcast on TBS, and, if it’s another lackluster matchup, the audience could be lower than a final of, say, Iowa against an undefeated South Carolina.

“I definitely think it could happen, and that’s not something I think anybody would have ever thought could happen prior to the last 12 months,” TV ratings expert Jon Lewis tells Front Office Sports. “I don’t think anyone would have ever thought any set of circumstances, any set of matchups would create a situation where the women’s final could outdraw the men.” Lewis, who operates the website Sports Media Watch, believes a close women’s final would have the potential for 13 million viewers, if not even more. “Just the fact that it’s in play is a huge change and a huge win for the women’s game,” he said of the women’s final outdrawing the men’s.

Spread the Love

Clark’s star power has helped plenty of other college sports stakeholders this season, too. The three million people that tuned in for Iowa’s victory in the Big Ten championship game gave CBS the most-watched women’s conference tournament game on any network. This season, Iowa also helped set new viewership marks for Fox and NBC, and the Hawkeyes were part of some frustration from fans about Clark’s games getting put on the paywalled Peacock. Meanwhile, research from TV outcomes company EDO shows that women’s college basketball games with Clark playing are 7% more effective for advertisers than games without the Iowa legend.