When first looking at an NCAA Tournament that could include as many as 76 teams, Notre Dame basketball fans might only see the good. They might only see a better chance for the Irish to get back to the dance, assuming that Micah Shrewsberry can get this thing turned around.
However, once Shrewsberry does get it turned around and the Irish start making the Big Dance that Ross Dellenger reported it will be starting in 2026-27, the victory is going to feel awfully hollow.
Notre Dame basketball would benefit from tournament expansion while sport is hurt
Dellenger reported on Thursday morning that the powers that be are very close to arriving at an NCAA Tournament agreement that would indeed expand the tournament to 76 teams, starting in the 2026 season. The reporter added that there will be a 12-team "opening round," and while some might think this would add more smaller schools, it only makes sense that programs like Notre Dame are the more likely additions.
Should the tournament expand, and it looks like it's going to, it only makes sense for the big conferences, the ACC, the Big 12, the Big Ten, the SEC, and the Big East to want to make more money. Mid-Majors aren't the ones driving this expansion.
Certainly, there will be some other Mid-Majors involved, that's only natural, but Notre Dame and the lesser Major programs will be getting the nod. And while that sounds good at first, it cheapens the task of making the tournament at all. And yet, the NCAA seems intent on fixing things that aren't actually broken.