Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies didn’t bring home the national championship this past season, but they did make it to the final game for the third time in the past four years, which says a lot. So, when Hurley makes a comment about NCAA policies, people listen, as they should.
Even though the Michigan Wolverines won the national championship, UConn had a strong run during the NCAA Tournament, including beating out No. 1 seed Duke in the Elite Eight.
On Thursday, the NCAA confirmed that it will officially expand the men’s and women’s tournament fields from 68 to 76 teams starting in 2027. So, what does Hurley think of the change?
Well, Hurley was quick to respond. During an appearance on “The Field of 68” podcast on Thursday, he gave his view on the change. He doesn’t sound too happy about it.
“I loved the exclusivity of it,” he said on the show. “I loved the fact that it was a hard tournament to qualify for. I think the best sporting events you actually have to have a difficulty qualifying for… So yeah, I don’t like it from that standpoint.”
Dan Hurley comments on March Madness expansion
With the new format, there are more spaces for teams, and that means more matchups. In place of the First Four games, will be 12 games during the “March Madness Opening Round.”
Even though Hurley will miss the exclusive nature of March Madness, he’s warming up to the idea of the new rules.
“I’m like 85 percent coming around to it,” he added. “As long as it doesn’t make it tougher for the teams that earn the higher seeds,” he explained, adding, “This tournament’s hard enough to win six games without something going bad.”
The NCAA is standing by its decision. In a statement, Tim Sands, chair of the Division I board of directors and the president at Virginia Tech, called the move “the right decision for the student-athletes and programs that will now have access to the greatest events in college sports.”
He added, “As NCAA leaders, we are especially excited to provide additional, highly competitive games for fans who look forward to March Madness every year.”