College basketball schedule set to expand
There has been much talk around college basketball about the NCAA’s desire to expand the sport’s postseason, specifically by adding teams to both the men’s NCAA Tournament and women’s NCAA Tournament. However, according to a report on Wednesday from CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, a different type of schedule expansion is coming first. Per Norlander, the NCAA plans to increase the regular-season scheduling limit from 31 games to 32 games.
If all happens as planned, the change will go into effect ahead of the 2026-2027 season, not the upcoming one. The proposed rule alteration applies both to men’s basketball and women’s basketball. Norlander says there is no expectation that this rule change will be voted against. The Division-I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees already voted in favor of the motion in March.
The change marks a shift from a 28-or-29-game fixed schedule with allowances for three games in multi-team events and tournaments. That model had been in place since the 2006-2007 campaign. One important note, though, is that non-Division I games (often played before other games or during Christmas break) would count against the 32-game schedule.
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Adding the additional contest will give programs added flexibility and promote stronger out-of-conference matchups. Teams known for scheduling well (like Duke men’s basketball and South Carolina women’s basketball) will have a simpler time filling out their yearly slates and can more easily participate in multi-team events (a growing trend in the NIL era) without having to sacrifice another marquee matchup.
According to Norlander’s report, further regular-season expansion could be on the horizon. With the importance of revenue at an all-time high in college basketball, that should come as no surprise. With the potential change, teams that make deep postseason runs could play over 40 games in a season. This is also true regarding teams that make it far into their own conference tournament before the NCAA Tournament.
