WELCOME BACK. THE NCAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT MAY BE GETTING BIGGER. REPORTS THIS WEEK INDICATED THAT THE TOURNAMENT IS EXPANDING TO 76 TEAMS, AND OUR SPORTS DIRECTOR, JULIAN MITCHELL, SPOKE WITH SWEAT COMMISSIONER CHARLES MCCLELLAND TO FIND OUT HOW THIS IMPACTS HBCUS. THE BIG DANCE MAY NEED A BIGGER DANCE FLOOR. THIS IS THE TOURNAMENT AS WE KNOW IT. JUST THE ADDITION OF EIGHT TEAMS IN THAT CURRENT FORMAT. SWAC COMMISSIONER CHARLES MCCLELLAND IS IN SUPPORT OF TOURNAMENT EXPANSION. HE SERVED AS CHAIR OF THE NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL COMMITTEE IN THE 2020 324 SEASON, AND SAYS DISCUSSIONS BEGAN. THEN THE QUESTION IS, WILL IT IMPACT MID-MAJORS AND HBCUS? THE PROPOSAL THAT I’VE SEEN IS YOU HAVE THE FIRST FOUR OUT IN THE NEXT FOUR OUT. THOSE EIGHT TEAMS, SO IT DOESN’T CHANGE MUCH STRUCTURALLY ON HOW THE COMMITTEE GOES IN AND TAKES A LOOK AT WHO SITS WHERE. OPPORTUNITY IS THE BIG WORD FROM MCCLELLAN. WHETHER YOU’RE A HIGH MAJOR, A MID-MAJOR, OR AN HBCU, WITH THIS EXPANSION, THERE ARE EIGHT MORE CHANCES TO REACH THE TOURNAMENT. IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE DO BUSINESS. IT COULD, BUT IT DOESN’T MANDATE THAT. SO IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO THOSE 356 DIVISION ONE INSTITUTIONS TO BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE, TO BE ABLE TO WIN GAMES, AND TO BE ABLE TO PLAY A GOOD SCHEDULE IN ORDER TO GET NOT ONLY IN THAT 36 AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS, BUT NOW THOSE ADDITIONAL EIGHT SLOTS THAT ARE AT LARGE, THEN IT’S ABOUT BUILDING RESUMES STRONG ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED. IN THE SEC. YOU HAVE 20 QUAD ONE OPPORTUNITIES OR 18 QUAD ONE OPPORTUNITIES. AND IF YOU WIN TEN OF THOSE, THAT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE A PRETTY STRONG RESUME. MID-MAJORS DON’T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO YOU HAVE TO SCHEDULE CORRECTLY, PLAY EFFICIENT BASKETBALL, AND YOU WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN THAT FIRST FOUR OR NEXT FOUR OUT. IF YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD SEASON, IT IS DOABLE OVERALL. FOR MCCLELLAN, IT’S ABOUT KEEPING THE TOURNAMENT COMPETITIVE. IF YOU CAN EXPAND AND YOU GIVE SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AGAIN IN THE GREATEST TOURNAME
SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland talks potential NCAA tournament expansion
Updated: 10:34 PM CDT May 1, 2026
“The Big Dance” may need a bigger dance floor. According to a report from ESPN, the NCAA has begun the final steps to expand the men’s and women’s basketball tournament to 76 teams. “This is the tournament as we know it, just the addition of eight teams in that current format,” Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner Charles McClelland said.>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from WVTM 13Since the report, the question has been how this move would affect mid-majors and historically Black colleges and universities. McClelland sees it as more opportunities for teams to make the tournament.”The proposal that I’ve seen is you have the first four out and the next four out. This expansion will elevate those eight teams. So, it doesn’t change much structurally on how the committee goes in and take a look at who sits where,” McClelland said. McClelland supports expansion, served as chair of the NCAA men’s basketball committee for the 2023-24 season, and said they started discussions then. For him, it’s about opportunity, and this change gives high-major and mid-major schools, along with HBCUs, more slots to reach the tournament. “It doesn’t change the way that we do business; it could, but it doesn’t mandate that. So, it’s going to be up to those 356 Division I institutions to be able to schedule, to be able to win games, and to be able to play a good schedule in order to get not only in that 36 automatic qualifiers, but now those additional eight slots that are at large,” McClelland said. >> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13With scheduling, McClelland says, for SWAC teams, it’s about playing tough competition, but not playing games where teams lose by large margins. He says the SWAC and other mid-majors have to have a conference philosophy for scheduling.”There’s this big debate about, ‘OK, this team doesn’t have a winning record in conference,’ but in the SEC, you’ll have 20 Quad 1 opportunities or 18 Quad 1 opportunities, and if you win 10 of those, that means you have a pretty strong resume. Mid-majors don’t have that opportunity, so you have to schedule correctly, play efficient basketball, and you will have an opportunity to be in that first four or next four out. If you have a really good season, it is doable,” McClelland said. Overall, McClelland feels expansion is about keeping the tournament competitive and giving fans the best product. “If you can expand and you give schools and universities opportunities to compete in the greatest tournament in the world, I’m all for that,” McClelland said.
“The Big Dance” may need a bigger dance floor.
According to a report from ESPN, the NCAA has begun the final steps to expand the men’s and women’s basketball tournament to 76 teams.
“This is the tournament as we know it, just the addition of eight teams in that current format,” Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner Charles McClelland said.
>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from WVTM 13
Since the report, the question has been how this move would affect mid-majors and historically Black colleges and universities. McClelland sees it as more opportunities for teams to make the tournament.
“The proposal that I’ve seen is you have the first four out and the next four out. This expansion will elevate those eight teams. So, it doesn’t change much structurally on how the committee goes in and take a look at who sits where,” McClelland said.
McClelland supports expansion, served as chair of the NCAA men’s basketball committee for the 2023-24 season, and said they started discussions then. For him, it’s about opportunity, and this change gives high-major and mid-major schools, along with HBCUs, more slots to reach the tournament.
“It doesn’t change the way that we do business; it could, but it doesn’t mandate that. So, it’s going to be up to those 356 Division I institutions to be able to schedule, to be able to win games, and to be able to play a good schedule in order to get not only in that 36 automatic qualifiers, but now those additional eight slots that are at large,” McClelland said.
>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13
With scheduling, McClelland says, for SWAC teams, it’s about playing tough competition, but not playing games where teams lose by large margins. He says the SWAC and other mid-majors have to have a conference philosophy for scheduling.
“There’s this big debate about, ‘OK, this team doesn’t have a winning record in conference,’ but in the SEC, you’ll have 20 Quad 1 opportunities or 18 Quad 1 opportunities, and if you win 10 of those, that means you have a pretty strong resume. Mid-majors don’t have that opportunity, so you have to schedule correctly, play efficient basketball, and you will have an opportunity to be in that first four or next four out. If you have a really good season, it is doable,” McClelland said.
Overall, McClelland feels expansion is about keeping the tournament competitive and giving fans the best product.
“If you can expand and you give schools and universities opportunities to compete in the greatest tournament in the world, I’m all for that,” McClelland said.