More Teams in College Basketball

May 12, 2026, 04:02

Introduction

The NCAA will change the basketball tournament. In 2026-27, 76 teams will play. Before, only 68 teams played.

Main Body

The first part of the tournament will change. Now, 12 games will happen at the start. These games will be in two cities. The other rounds will stay the same. The NCAA wants more people to watch the games on TV. This will bring more money to the schools. Some coaches like this change. Coach Pitino says more teams are good for the sport. Coach Hurley was worried at first. Now he says it is okay if the best teams still have an advantage.

Conclusion

The tournament will have 76 teams in 2026-27. There will be more games at the start, but the end of the tournament is the same.

Learning

🕒 Talking about the Future

In this story, we see one word used over and over to talk about things that are not happening now, but will happen later: will.

The Pattern: Will + Action $\rightarrow$ Future

Examples from the text:

will change $\rightarrow$ (It is not changing now, but it is changing in 2026)
will play $\rightarrow$ (The teams are not playing yet)
will bring $\rightarrow$ (The money comes later)

Simple Rule: Use will when you are predicting the future or talking about a plan. It does not matter if the subject is one person (Coach Pitino) or many people (76 teams); the word will never changes its shape.

Compare:

Now: The tournament is 68 teams.
Future: The tournament will be 76 teams.

Vocabulary Learning

tournament (n.)

A series of contests or matches played by several teams or individuals to decide a winner.

Example:The basketball tournament will start next week.

advantage (n.)

A condition that makes success more likely or easier.

Example:Having a good defense gives them an advantage.

coaches (n.)

People who train and direct a sports team.

Example:The coaches explained the new strategy to the players.

worried (adj.)

Feeling concern or anxiety about something.

Example:She was worried about the exam results.

change (v.)

To make or become different.

Example:They plan to change the schedule next month.