The Atlantic Coast Conference reportedly is proposing a massive expansion to the 2021 NCAA Tournament that would invite every eligible Division I men’s basketball team to the Big Dance.
The ACC plan was voted on unanimously Wednesday by the league’s coaches and theoretically would give nearly 350 schools a shot at the title, according to reports from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.
As proposed, the week of conference tournaments would serve as the first week of the NCAA Tournament, with the field trimmed to 64 or 68 teams in the following week, according to SI. Other details are still being ironed out.
“This is a unique time and it’s time to do something different,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim told Stadium.
The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin on Nov. 10.
A total of 346 Division I teams (out of 357) are eligible for the 2021 NCAA Tournament, according to Stadium. Seven schools are reclassifying, three are ineligible due to poor academic progress rates, and Oklahoma State is serving a one-year postseason ban for violations discovered during an FBI investigation into recruiting corruption.
(Field Level Media)
