The NCAA formally approved expanding the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments to 76 teams on Thursday, May 7.
Starting in 2027, March Madness will get even madder.
The new opening round will grow from eight teams to 24, be played Tuesday/Wednesday prior to the first round for men and Wednesday/Thursday for women and feature at-large teams and automatic qualifiers.
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Where will new NCAA Tournament opening round games be played?
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Men’s: March 16-17, 2027 (three games each day in Dayton, Ohio)
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Men’s: March 16-17, 2027 (three games each day in second city to be announced)
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Women’s: March 17-18, 2027 (six games a day on campuses of 12 of the top 16 seeds selected to host)
New NCAA Tournament opening round games format
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness expands to 76 teams, here’s how opening round will work
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