Rich: NOBODY Is Clamoring for the NCAA Tournament to Expand to 76 Teams!!!

Of all the things sports fans are asking for, Rich made one thing clear on The Rich Eisen Show. Expanding the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments from 64 teams to 76 is not on the list.

Nobody asked for this, Rich said. Whoever is in charge apparently watched the First Four and decided the country needed more of it. Rich was straight up. He loves college basketball when his team is winning. When they are not, he tunes out until the bracket comes around. Even doing the show, he is not locked into the First Four on either side, men or women.

On the women's side, the show pulled up the bracket. Chris noted the rare upset. Virginia took down Iowa in two overtimes in the round of 32, a 10-over-2 result. TCU restored order in the next round. All four one-seeds advanced to the women's Final Four. The point landed. The early rounds on the women's side often produce 40 and 50-point blowouts, and the tournament does not really cook until the Sweet 16.

Rich and the show ran through reporting from Pete Thamel that the NCAA met with media partners about the deal. Contracts were close but not signed. The expansion would not be a financial windfall, just a modest profit covering logistics. The real driver, per the reporting, is access for at-large bids from power conferences.

Rich read between the lines. To him it sounded like don't sue us. The big conferences want more at-large bids. In exchange they keep the option open to do bigger things on the football side later. Rich said he was speculating, but the shape of the deal looked like a settlement dressed up as an expansion.

Then came the calendar problem. If the bracket grows, when does it actually fit? Pushing deeper into April collides with Masters Weekend. Rich and the show agreed that for many sports fans, Masters Sunday is a leave-me-alone holiday. Rich confessed he sits there listening to the hush tones and asking whether the bird noises are real. They are not. He is pretty sure of that.

Mike pivoted to a Masters tangent. An Uber driver in Pittsburgh told him about a food box you can buy and have shipped to your door. Pimento cheese, drink mixes, the full effect at home. Rich and Chris were unaware. Both started writing it down for next year.

Back to the bracket. The show floated the idea of staging the men's and women's tournaments in the same city. The schedule could go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Sunday, Monday, with fans staying in town for both finals. The group liked the idea even if it raises hotel and logistics questions.

The rest got picked apart. Adding 12 teams likely means more First Four games, not new seed lines. Rich's read stayed the same. Less is more. Nobody is sitting at home wishing they had more games they will not remember. The lawyers might be asking. The fans are not.