NCAA's Expanded Tournament Bracket Helps Wildcats — But Do They Deserve It?

Northwestern could benefit from a new 76-team NCAA Tournament bracket. But should it?

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA: Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins talks to his team in a timeout against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Maybe this was inevitable. Just as the NCAA Tournament was never going to stop at a 32-team bracket, nor a 64-team expanded window, it makes sense that the competition is now leaping from a 68-team bracket to a 76-team one starting next March, per a press statement.

The presser notes that a bigger Opening Round will now lead into the Round of 64. Instead of the four play-in games under the old system, now there will be 12.

Tom Fornelli of the Cover 3 Podcast posits that, beyond fairly middling programs sneaking into the college playoffs under this new system, another big issue is that this could totally bust brackets earlier than ever.

This window will allow for bubble teams to get more shine than perhaps their programs deserve. Though the 2025-26 Northwestern Wildcats men's team (who finished at 15-19) wasn't likely to make the cut even in a 76-team bracket, the 2024-25 Wildcats might be just such a squad. Led by 2026 NBA Draft Combine invitee Nick Martinelli, Northwestern went 17-16 that season (7-13 in the Big Ten).

Northwestern could benefit from a new 76-team NCAA Tournament bracket. But should it?

The Wildcats men's basketball program has made the Big Dance just three times in its entire history — all under current head coach Chris Collins since the 2016-17 season.

Do the Wildcats Deserve Extra Love in the NCAA Tournament?

Northwestern has always had strict academic standards, even for its student-athletes. The school isn't nearly as concerned with recruiting top hoops talent as it is with shaping some of the nation's finest young minds.

Does a school that doesn't invest much of its resources into its basketball program deserve an opportunity to elevate its platform with a semi-meaningless play-in game?

Northwestern fans, certainly, deserve nice things. While the Wildcats have been far more proactive with their football personnel than they have with their basketball squads, their powerful alum network surely warrants some love across sports. The state of Illinois, for all its hoops lineage, has often been a bit of a wasteland for top national prospects at the collegiate level.

The University of Illinois and DePaul both occasionally nab blue-chippers (hello, consensus All-American U of I guard Keaton Wagler), but not with the frequency they ideally would. The Wildcats could step into that void.

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