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March Madness expansion discussed by NCAA committee

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee discussed possible expansion of March Madness at its meetings this week but said no moves were imminent to increase the field beyond the current 68 teams.

“Whether the tournament expands or not remains to be seen,” sad Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball.

Earlier this year, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved recommendations by the DI transformation committee that included allowing one quarter of teams in bigger sports to compete in championship events. That could mean expanding the fields in both men’s and women’s basketball up to 90 teams.

There are many in the sport who believe the 68-team fields and three weekends of play are ideal. In 2016, the NCAA signed an eight-year extension of its TV deal for $8.8 billion that now runs through 2032.

Gavitt said the men’s basketball committee is “studying options and gathering feedback from various constituents” about possible expansion.

“The committee must be good stewards for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship,” he said. “They are committed to doing their due diligence looking at a few different models to make an informed decision that’s in the best interests of the championship, and that may very well include deciding against expansion.”

Also at its three-day meeting, the committee selected North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham as vice-chair. Cunningham will take over as chair in 2024-25 for Southwestern Athletic Conference commissioner Charles McClelland.

Kentucky fills roster

The angst among Kentucky’s fervent fan base was palpable as the Wildcats listed just seven scholarship players and coach John Calipari worked to fill out a roster that lost 2022 consensus national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe among eight departures.

A month’s work on the recruiting trail and the transfer portal has yielded a full squad, albeit later than expected. The Hall of Fame coach will have one of his youngest teams in recent memory as a result, but manpower isn’t a concern – even with 7-foot centerpiece Aaron Bradshaw sidelined for now.

As has been the case throughout Calipari’s 15-season tenure, Kentucky’s challenge will be enduring the growing pains of blending another top-ranked recruiting class with holdovers. That process starts this week, in fact.

“We’ve got a lot of playmakers on the team that look for each other,” said fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves, Kentucky’s top scorer among the seven returnees at 14.4 points per game. “I think that’s the one key difference from last year.”

Though roster turnover is an annual ritual for Calipari, this year’s makeover stands out for the number of arrivals and departures and accompanying hype.

Two-time All-American Tshiebwe (16.5 points, 13.7 rebounds) is now with the Indiana Pacers, one of four starters who left this spring, though guard Cason Wallace and forward Chris Livingston were the ones taken in last month’s NBA draft. Four others transferred from last year’s 22-12 squad including floor general Sahvir Wheeler, who’s now at Washington.

Calipari already had the nation’s top freshman class on board, with Bradshaw (12.1 points, 9.4 rebounds) projected to provide the inside presence that was lacking even with Tshiebwe excelling on both ends of the floor. He is out after undergoing foot surgery last month, an absence that initially could place more responsibility on heralded freshman such as 6-8 Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham (6-2) and fellow guard D.J. Wagner (6-3), the grandson of former Louisville great Milt Wagner. Kentucky also added 6-9 Jordan Burks and 6-5 Joey Hart more recently.

Uncertainty over whether Reeves would return to school created additional concern about experience and leadership. Reeves’ return quelled that anxiety and Calipari landed a key pickup from the portal in 6-9 former West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell, a graduate who transferred from Morgantown after coach Bob Huggins’ resignation following a drunken-driving arrest last month.

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