The NCAA basketball tournaments are set to expand from 68 to 76 teams in 2027.
The expansion was passed unanimously on May 7 and adds eight additional at-large selections to the tournaments. The round that opens the NCAA tournament, known as the First Four, will now be known as the Opening Round.
The Opening Round will consist of the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers (conference champions) and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams. Of the 12 opening round games, six will be played in Dayton, Ohio, the site of the First Four.
The location for the other six opening-round games has not been determined.
The 12 winners will then advance to the round of 64 in the tournament.
This is the first expansion for either tournament since 2011, when the “First Four” was added to the tournament. From 1985-2000, the tournament worked as a 64-team bracket.
Fresno State is set to move to the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 season, with the men’s basketball team not having appeared in the tournament since the 2015-16 season. The women’s basketball team made seven straight NCAA tournaments from 2007 through 2014 but failed to get past the first round. The women’s basketball team has yet to make it back to the dance.
