MSU's Izzo has 'Mixed Feelings' on Possible NCAA Tourney Expansion
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The widely popular, 68-team event that is the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament might be changing soon.
NCAA president Charlie Baker said on Thursday that he "would like to see it [the tournament] expand," in the future. That might mean going up into the low-to-mid 70s for a new number of teams that make it.
"They've got a lot of other things to take care of before they worry about that, if you ask me," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said Friday evening. "I have mixed feelings on it, if I was to be honest with you."
Izzo did note that it might be easier for him to lean either way, since his team has been a mainstay in the tourney for decades now. This year is going to be the Spartans' 28th consecutive time making the field. Other coaches might not necessarily mind seeing the size of the tournament grow, because a coach whose team made "The Big Dance" is a lot more likely to keep their job than somebody whose team didn't.
Changes Proposed by Izzo
While Izzo didn't publicly support or oppose the idea of the NCAA Tournament expanding, it is something he said that he'd give some thought to in the offseason. Izzo has been a little more resistant to recent changes to his support --- his general distaste for the transfer portal is well-documented --- but he has adjusted to those changes to help keep his NCAA Tournament streak alive.
Izzo disliking the transfer portal a couple of years ago also doesn't mean he wouldn't support expansion. Those are two pretty different discussions. After all, Izzo's streak would have ended in 2020-21 if the tourney had not expanded at one point. If that tournament was a 64-team format, Michigan State would have been the first team out.
There are some other changes Izzo would like to see, particularly with the selection committee, which will reveal the current top 16 seeds on Saturday. You don't see people say the College Football Playoff committee should be modeled a ton, but Izzo doesn't seem to mind the makeup of it that much.
"I wish the selection committee had a few more coaches on it, and a few more former players on it that really understood it, a little bit more like football does," Izzo said. "That would be critical. I think that would help. But we have so many automatic qualifiers that I see where it's a problem."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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