NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
ESPN college basketball broadcaster Jay Bilas said the NCAA’s decision to expand the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments to 76 teams was unnecessary.
Bilas, 62, said that while he was indifferent to the NCAA’s expansion decision, no one was calling for it.
“I don’t want to say I don’t care, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s not a decision I would have chosen for the NCAA because — I’m not one of those people who ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ because no one ever says, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t make it better or maintain it.’ But I don’t think it’s necessary,” Bilas told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Sports broadcaster Jay Bilas plays golf during the first practice round of the 2025 ACC Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, July 9, 2025. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)
“No one was clamoring to see a .500 team from a major conference make the tournament.”
Bilas noted that if the tournament had been expanded for last season’s tournament, there would have been .500 teams in the tournament.
In the new expanded tournament, the first two days of the tournament would be drastically different. This Tuesday and Wednesday, there would be 12 games played between 24 teams due to the eight at-large bids added. The games would be played on two different sites.
Bilas said it might be “a little confusing” for the average fan to fill out their bracket. He called the added gambling games “inconsequential.”
“The overwhelming majority of fans believe the tournament won’t start until the first Thursday of the 64-team bracket,” Bilas said.
NCAA TOURNAMENTS EXPAND TO 76 TEAMS: NEW FORMAT, REVENUE BOOM AND ADDITIONAL UPCOMING GAMES
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas stands on the court before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Florida Atlantic Owls at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 5, 2023. (Porter Binks/Getty Images)
“People still watch the games and especially basketball nerds like me who will watch them religiously, but for most fans, they’re kind of – I don’t want to say unimportant, but they are.
Bilas said the teams that win the playoff games will be financially rewarded.
“What this does is give a group of teams a chance to win an NCAA tournament game. Even if most fans don’t give them credit for it, they’ll get some money credit. They’ll get an NCAA tournament unit and be able to say, ‘Hey, we won an NCAA tournament game, even if it was against a team with the exact same seed,'” Bilas said.
“Everything is fine. I don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it out to be,” Bilas continued. “Money is a good reason to do something. I agree with that.”
UConn head coach Danny Hurley was among the coaches who feared tournament expansion would devalue the regular season. Bilas said he understood Hurley’s point of view and agreed.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
ESPN College GameDay host Jay Bilas prepares to broadcast before the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina on February 1, 2025. (King Lance/Getty Images)
“I understand that, and I think that’s kind of the case. So the debate about who’s in and who’s out is lessened. Now, if we want to have .500 teams from the major conferences in the tournament now, do I think that’s good? No, I don’t,” Bilas said.
“But it’s not that bad. Most of these teams will be eliminated in the first weekend anyway. You can have someone who puts it all together at the end of the year and is better than their record, but I think that horse is already out of the stable.”
American Century Tournament
Bilas will compete in the American Century tournament July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe.
The tournament raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates a tournament fundraiser each year to generate direct donations to Stowers.
Bilas said he was invited six or seven years ago and called it the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
ESPN basketball analyst and former Duke player Jay Bilas watches Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina on October 19, 2012. (King Lance/Getty Images)
“When I got invited six or seven years ago and I was thrilled. I just couldn’t believe I could do it. And they were, they must have a very low bar, but they’ve invited me back since. And for me, getting that invitation has to be the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters. So you get the invitation, you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe they invited me to new. “And it’s an automatic yes,” says Bilas.
“It’s just a thrill. And it’s just as exciting once you get there because it’s a beautiful setting on Lake Tahoe at the Edgewood Resort. The weather is always spectacular. Seventy thousand people are there in shorts and summer dresses just enjoying seeing some of their favorite celebrities.”
Bilas said he loves participating in the tournament, but he called the atmosphere what makes it special. He thanked CEO Justin Thomas for being so welcoming and creating a family environment that everyone loves, in addition to the tournament’s remarkable charitable work. The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
