If you thought for one second that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey might, for once, make a decision that was in the best interest of the fans of the sports he oversees, well, I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you.
The potential expansion of the NCAA Tournament is a hot-button topic right now. A decision was expected last week on whether or not both the men's and women's tournaments would stay at 68 teams or, more likely, expand to 72 or 76 teams. While no decision has yet to be reached, most experts believe that expansion is going to happen, much to the chagrin of the average Joe sports fan.
Sankey has now made his feelings known, per Brett McMurphy, and they are exactly what you would expect them to be:
SEC's Greg Sankey said SEC is supportive of expanding men's & women's NCAA basketball tournaments
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 14, 2025
Greg Sankey's decision-making is money driven, not fan driven
You don't have to think very long about why Sankey - and so many other power brokers in the sport - want to expand the tournament. It's all about the money. The SEC, and the other power conferences, stand to make extra money if they get more teams into the NCAA Tournament. It's the same reason the College Football Playoff field expanded to 12 teams last year, and will be moving to 14 or, more likely, 16 teams in the very near future.
Sankey saw a nice increase in his paycheck last year from the previous year, bringing in nearly $4.3 million, which was a raise of nearly $800,000 from the $3.5 million he made the year before. The more revenue the SEC brings in, the bigger Sankey's paycheck will continue to get.
Money is at the root of everything that has gone wrong in college sports over the last five years. No decision is made with the best interest of the fans in mind. If the opinion of the fans mattered, then the NCAA Tournament would not be touched.
Look at this poll below by Rob Dauster, who asked the simple question on X of whether or not fans wanted the NCAA Tournament expanded. With nearly 12,000 votes, the results were overwhelming:
Please answer: Do you want NCAA Tournament expansion?
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) July 9, 2025
That poll alone should be enough to give the decision makers pause on talks to expand the NCAA Tournament. Fans are overwhelmingly rejecting the idea. Why? Because the NCAA Tournament is already perfect, and does not need to be tweaked. It's not broke, so quit trying so hard to break it.
Sankey and others will almost certainly get their wish in the near future, but it will just be another decision that is made to the detriment of fans of the sport.