The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament would not succeed if it expanded

The claim that the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament would not succeed if it expanded is not directly supported or refuted by available evidence. However, discussions around the potential expansion of the NCAA Tournament, such as proposals to increase the field from 68 to 96 teams, have been met with various considerations rather than outright dismissal (Gonzaga Nation). Concerns include how expansion might affect revenue distribution and the impact on smaller schools and the essence of the tournament. For instance, adding more teams means more schools would get a cut of the revenue, which could alter the financial dynamics of the tournament (The Athletic). Moreover, there are worries that expansion could push small schools out of the action, potentially reducing the number of Cinderella stories that have become a hallmark of March Madness (The New York Times). While the debate on expansion includes various perspectives, the assertion that the tournament would not succeed if expanded lacks direct evidence and overlooks the complexity of factors involved in such a decision.