Kermit Davis calls for NCAA Tournament to expand to 90 teams and beyond

Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis wants more teams in the NCAA Tournament and he wasn’t shy in explaining why. Simply: An expanded field would mostly benefit mid-level high major programs getting pipped for spots by automatic qualifiers from one-bid leagues.

In the current 68-team construct, a number of teams from leagues like the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten that are unquestionably better than some of the automatic qualifiers get left out. That exclusivity is, of course, a draw but Davis thinks it would be better to open the field to more comers.

“Every time they’ve expanded playoffs, whether it’s Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, college football to 12, it just makes it better,” Davis said. “Every time they do it it makes it better. There’s a lot of really, really good teams. And I think it’ll give a lot, probably, more Power 5 schools opportunities.”

Davis cited the Ole Miss baseball team, which in 2022 won the College World Series after getting in the tournament as the “last team in.”

A high major team getting in as a lower seed (say, nine and lower) would have the ability to rip off a few wins, Davis said.

“So there’s a lot of Power 5 teams that can go and get in these tournaments and win two and three games. And I think that’s really what it’s for. … and I think it’s going to be great for the fans, great for the players, and I think it would be really good for the NCAA Tournament,” Davis said.

Ultimately, Davis would like the NCAA Tournament to go beyond 90 teams and hit the full 96.

“I’ve always said 96 for a long, long time. I saw — I didn’t see kind of how they came up with the number 90 — I sure hope it gets passed,” Davis said.