Mizzou Athletics reacts to postseason expansion talks
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KMIZ)
Change has become the norm in college athletics...and more of it is reportedly set to come in the 2026-27 athletic year.
On Tuesday, ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA is entering the final stages of expanding the NCAA Tournament, on both the men's and women's side, from 64 teams to 76. That move means that eight additional teams will receive At-Large bids into the Big Dance, changing the 'First Four In' matchups to the 'First 12 In.'
On Wednesday night, Tiger men's basketball coach Dennis Gates and women's basketball coach Kellie Harper each caught up with media members at an event in St. Charles and gave their reaction to that news.
"Everybody scoffed at me when I've said this in the past, it will continue to grow. I think it's a small step. Whenever you have an institutional count of 280 to 64 spots and then now you grow probably 80+ institutions and you only increase it by four [spots], that just lets you know how far behind we actually are," Coach Gates said. "The other part of it is the business model. The business model is what generates funds as we grow in the [name, image and likeness] space. So, I think it's important to also increase opportunities for our student athletes so they can monetize as much as they can. Ultimately, what you see is a growth and that growth coincides with the opportunities to play for championships."
"Obviously, I know more eyes on our sport, that's what it is," Harper said. "I think there's a huge draw for for more games in the tournament and, you know, obviously, more games in the tournament means more teams in the tournament, so hopefully great for women's basketball."
Mizzou Athletic Director Laird Veatch was also in attendance of Wednesday night's event in St. Charles and gave his reaction to the expanded NCAA Tournament field.
"My position on that is I think a responsible expansion is appropriate. You know, that's debated in a lot of ways, but, you know, I feel like there are teams every year that are sort of right on that bubble that particularly and as the competition in conferences like the SEC gets sp dramatic and that talent level gets so high, we get to provide opportunities for teams like that to be involved. If it can continue to add to it, then great," Veatch said. "There's going to be a limit, but I'm excited that we're looking at taking that step."
However, the NCAA Tournament isn't the only postseason that may see expansion.
Over the past year, there's been talk of expanding the already-expanded College Football Playoff. You may remember, in 2024, the NCAA debuted a 12-team field for the first time. After two full seasons of that new-look playoff format, the number of teams involved may go up again, as conference talk about a possible 16 or 24 team postseason.
Much like expansion to March Madness, Veatch believes that expansion to the CFP must be responsible, as well.
"I do believe it is really important that we continue to expand, but it has to be done the right way. There's a lot to that that, you know, from a from a television standpoint, from current existing partnerships and commitments with championship games, etc. I definitely am supportive of expansion. I would love to see eventually get to those those higher numbers of 24 or larger, but and this has to be done the right way. So, that's where we get to trust our commissioner, our leadership to manage that through. But, we need to continue to push and find that find that way to that path to to further expansion," Veatch said.
As far as the NCAA Tournament goes, ESPN reported that a formal decision and announcement regarding a 76-team field should be expected in mid-May of 2026.
