NCAA group proposes 90-team hoops tourneys
The NCAA Division I transformation committee is recommending allowing 25% of teams in certain sports to compete in championship events.
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The NCAA Division I transformation committee is recommending more sport-by-sport governance, enhanced expectations for Division I schools to create a more uniform experience for athletes and allowing 25% of teams in certain sports to compete in championship events.
The committee's final report was released Tuesday and will be presented to the Division I Board of Directors for consideration ahead of next week's NCAA convention in San Antonio.
The goal was to reform the highest and most lucrative level of college athletics, which includes more than 350 schools. The result will be changes that mostly could go unnoticed by college sports fans.
The most front-facing change comes in championship participation. The 25% recommendation for all sports sponsored by at least 200 schools opens the door for possible expansion of the March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 to as many as 90 teams each.
But the committee's recommendations represent a first step in a process that could take years to play out. That goes for most of the recommendations, not just those for championship participation.
No schools will be getting booted from Division I, and the committee recommended giving schools approximately two years to meet enhanced membership expectations.
The committee also said NCAA revenue could be used to subsidize schools in need of help meeting the new expectations for membership.
Among the notable recommendations:
• Require schools to create a "direct pathway for full-time clinical services of a licensed mental health professional exclusively dedicated to serving student-athletes."
• Schools and conferences should create student-athlete advisory committees, similar to those used by the NCAA to allow athletes to be more involved in decisions.
• Require more accountability, training and certification for coaches.