John Calipari pushes back on NCAA Tournament expansion: 'Don't screw it up, leave it alone'

The idea of NCAA Tournament expansion came back up this week as the men’s and women’s basketball committees met. Neither group made a decision, but NCAA vice president Dan Gavitt pointed out what the “viable outcomes” include.

When asked about expanding March Madness, Arkansas coach John Calipari had a firm message. He wants to “leave it alone.”

Calipari put his thumb down while the question was asked, showing his stance on changing the tournament field. His response was simple as he weighed whether it should grow beyond the 68-team bracket currently in place.

“Don’t screw it up,” Calipari told reporters during a press conference this week. “Leave it alone. Leave it alone.”

In a statement released Thursday, Gavitt said the field could stay in its current format with 68 teams, which starts with the First Four in Dayton. Other options include going up to 72 or 76 teams in time for the 2026 or 2027 tournaments.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel previously reported a decision could be coming “in the next few weeks” as the meetings approached. Ultimately, no decisions came down.

“The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees met this week, with the men’s meeting taking place in Savannah and the women’s meeting in Philadelphia,” Gavitt wrote. “The topic of expanding the field for each championship was discussed at length, but no decision or recommendation was made. The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships.”

What others have said about tournament expansion

During the Big 12’s spring meetings in May, NCAA president Charlie Baker said the goal would be to expand the tournament next year if that was the decision. He also confirmed the idea of a 72- or 76-team bracket being an option amid the conversations.

“That would be the goal — to try and do this for next year, which is why the window to actually negotiate it will probably end sometime early summer,” Baker told Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey. “… We’ve been talking about 72 and 76. Those have been the numbers the basketball committee’s talked about. It would obviously be one or the other, won’t be more.”

Following Baker’s comments, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the idea of NCAA Tournament expansion didn’t come up much during his conference’s spring meetings in Destin. He said things “didn’t really go anywhere” other than a brief mention.