Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is pushing back against potential expansion of the NCAA Tournament, calling any move to add more teams a “big mistake” that could dilute one of college basketball’s top events.
Krzyzewski said he believes the 68-team format that defines March Madness should remain untouched, even as NCAA president Charlie Baker has expressed openness to expansion beyond 2026.
“There are less teams capable right now than ever before and there’s many have nots and it’s not their fault,” Krzyzewski told The Field of 68‘s Jeff Goodman. “I don’t think you mess with something that’s gold. It’s gold.”
Expansion talks are currently paused until after this year’s tournament. Baker said last month that if the field grows in 2027 or later, the 32 automatic qualifiers from conference champions would remain intact, with additional at-large bids potentially added.
Krzyzewski argued that leadership and not expansion should be the priority. He’s not wrong in his assessment. Also, there’s nobody else in college basketball who can make a better argument.
“They should run it like the NBA, a staff and all that … run it like a business,” he said. “I wouldn’t mess with gold right now and the NCAA Tournament is certainly that.”
Krzyzewski won five national championships and reached 13 Final Fours during his Hall of Fame tenure at Duke. Jon Scheyer took over for Coach K after he left and has the Blue Devils in position for the No. 1 overall seed.
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While Krzyzewski wants no changes, other coaches are divided. Jim Boeheim has supported expansion, while Tom Izzo and Bill Self have voiced skepticism about adding teams and games to an already demanding postseason format.
Time will tell if Baker and the NCAA will keep the tournament the same or offer more chaos to the mix.
