Consider Rick Pitino on board with the expanded NCAA Tournament.
The Hall of Fame coach alluded to as much on Monday when he went on X to question why there is pushback on March Madness expanding from 68 to 76 teams on both the men's and women's side of college basketball, starting this upcoming 2026-27 season.
"When I hear people are upset the NCAA expanded to 76 teams, I think 'why and who cares?' The best teams advance and more teams get to experience the greatest tournament on earth," the St. John's basketball coach wrote on X.
St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on March 26.
The expanded tournament won’t impact the first round or any that follow, since games will still tip off from noon to midnight ET on that opening Thursday when 32 teams take the floor. The real impact will come in the days leading up to the first round.
On the men's side, the First Four will expand from eight teams playing four games in Dayton to 24 teams playing 12 games across two sites. Dayton will remain a host for the play‑in round, while the NCAA will announce the second location at a later date.
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The 73-year-old Pitino isn't one to be shy about giving his opinions on NCAA-related topics and the current landscape of college basketball. He told a group of reporters, including USA Today Sports, at the 2024 Big East Media Day that he wanted college basketball to create 18- to 20-team "super leagues" to "combat football" at the then-height of conference realignment, which was triggered by football.
The May 11 social media post also isn't the first time Pitino has expressed his pro-expansion thoughts. He told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander at Big East Media Day in October of 2025 that expanding the field "can only help" and he'd be on board for it.
"What makes the difference?" Pitino said. "I don't think it could hurt, it can only help. Anytime you get more teams, more excitement, more TV coverage, more things to speak about, more athletes participating, it can only be a good thing.
"For people who say, 'No, we got to keep it.' C'mon. I was around when I think it was 24, 32 (teams) whatever it was. ... In this situation, you talk about eight more games. ... It doesn't hurt anything. It only helps. ... What bad could come from it?"
Pitino has led St. John's to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments (after being left out in 2024 as a bubble team) and has led six different programs — including Kentucky, Louisville, Providence, Iona and Boston University — to the NCAA Tournament.
