NCAA WBB Tournament expands to 68-team field, mirroring Men's bracket

It took a few years, but the NCAA finally came around and expanded the Divison I Women’s College Basketball Tournament.

The news broke on Wednesday night through a press release from the NCAA, which approved an expansion of the current 64-team bracket to a 68-team field, beginning with the 2022 tournament this March. The Men’s NCAA Tournament expanded from 65 teams to 68 starting in 2011. The extra four teams will provide two “play-in” rounds that precede the actual first round of the tournament.

Additionally, the WBB Selection Show on ESPN will also move from its previous Monday night airing to Sunday night, which now aligns with the Men’s Selection Show. Both shows will air on March 13, 2022.

🚨 #ncaaW Tournament Update 🚨

🏀 DI women’s basketball tournament will expand to 68 teams!
🏀 2022 ESPN Selection Show will move to Sunday, March 13.

More 🔗: https://t.co/6LSKIgIwiT pic.twitter.com/NgnbGmQjmA

— NCAA Women’s Basketball (@NCAAWBB) November 17, 2021

The story behind the expansion has to deal with an incredibly thorough gender equity review of the NCAA’s basketball tournaments and how the men’s side was considerably favored when it came to the women’s side. The review, which was conducted by Kaplan Hecker & Fink, has made several recommendations concerning how to amend these inequalities, one of them being to make both basketball tournaments more equal.

The NCAA was heavily criticized a season ago for clear disadvantages presented to the women’s side, ones that the men’s side did not encounter. Backlash from players, coaches, fans, and media brought forth the investigation.

“This immediate expansion of the women’s basketball championship reinforces the fact that leaders within Division I are committed to strengthening aspects of the women’s basketball championship that directly impact student-athletes,” Council chair Shane Lyons said in the NCAA’s press release, who is also the athletics director at West Virginia. “We look forward to the positive change this will have for the student experience at the championship, especially as it relates to equal team opportunities to compete in the tournament.” 

Kentucky Women’s Basketball is off to a 2-1 start early in the season, holding onto a No. 19 national ranking. ESPN’s Charlie Creme currently has UK as a 6-seed in his updated Bracketology.

The ‘Cats will be expected to make the NCAA Tournament, but ideally won’t be fighting for one of those four play-in spots. Either way, this was another move the NCAA should have made at the same the men’s field expanded.