Mizzou Head Coaches, Athletic Director Speak on NCAA Tournament Expansion

On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA had initiated steps to expand the college basketball NCAA Tournament from 68 teams to 76 teams. Only a day after that, multiple Missouri athletics head coaches spoke at the university’s Zou to You event in St. Louis, featuring availabilities with men’s basketball head coach Dennis Gates, women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper and athletic director Laird Veatch.

The topic of NCAA Tournament expansion has been a frequent one over the last few months. Now, it’s a reality of sorts and teams and conferences will have to adjust properly. It’s a widespread, controversial topic, but Dennis Gates has confidence that it’s the right move for both the players and teams.

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“Everybody scoffed at me when I’ve said this in the past. It will continue to grow,” Gates told reporters on Wednesday. “I think it’s a small step. Whenever you have an institutional count of 280 to 64 spots, and then now you grew probably 80 plus institutions, and you only increased by four. It just lets you know how far behind we actually are.”

For Harper as a coach of a women’s team, more teams in the tournament could mean more viewership for the teams that consequently make the new expanded tournament model. If Harper and the Tigers improve on this past season, this new model could certainly benefit them.

“More eyes on our sport. That’s what it is,” Harper said. “I think there’s a huge draw for more games in the tournament and, obviously, more games in the tournament means more teams in the tournament. So, hopefully (that’s) great for women’s basketball.”

According to Veatch, expanding the tournament will only let in more talented basketball teams. In the SEC, Veatch believes that the teams toward the bottom of the conference, or those who aren’t making March Madness, should have their chance at advancing into the postseason.

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“As the competition at conferences like the SEC gets so dramatic and that talent level gets so high,…

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Publish date : 2026-04-30 00:51:00

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