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The NCAA is reportedly looking to expand the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 76 teams, and UConn head coach Dan Hurley harbors some concerns about the expansion.
No teams have been added since three more in 2011, and the tournament format would change, but that’s not what concerns Hurley. The 53-year-old coach does not want to see the regular season devoid of its meaning.
“What I think makes the tournament special is qualifying,” Hurley told CBS Sports. “You don’t want the regular season to lose its meaning and be reduced to the months of November, December, January and February. The qualifying process makes the regular season intense and full of pressure.”
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UConn head coach Dan Hurley stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game against Illinois at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
“It should be a privilege to participate in a tournament, not a right, and obviously if the tournament gets too big and you don’t have to have a very good season to participate, that will take the weight off the tournament. Does that become too big?”
Hurley said he liked the tournament because it was difficult to qualify.
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UConn head coach Dan Hurley talks with a referee during the first half of the Elite Eight NCAA tournament game against Duke in Washington on March 29, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
“I love watching the 1/16, 8/9, Dayton games. But I also love the fact that at 64 it was really tough to get in,” the two-time national champion said. “You want it to be tough to get in. What’s also most important is that you still have to win six games, right?”
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.
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UConn head coach Dan Hurley speaks during a news conference before the NCAA college basketball tournament national semifinal game against Illinois in the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
The traditional 64-team bracket would then come into effect Thursday after the opening matches. For teams scheduled to play Tuesday and Wednesday, they must win seven games instead of six to win it all.
