Is NCAA Tourney expansion coming?

This could be an immensely pivotal week in the history of college basketball. Or it could be much ado about nothing. That’s because once again, the radioactive topic of NCAA Tournament expansion is on the agenda of the men’s basketball committee, which is meeting this week in Savannah, Ga. This topic has actually been on the committee’s agenda for pretty much every meeting the last couple of years. Sometimes it was discussed at length, oftentimes it was touched on briefly. Either way, this conversation has dragged (and dragged and dragged and dragged) on for far too long. One way or another, here’s hoping we get a resolution soon.

It is possible that the committee will table the subject until the next meeting, and it’s also possible it will decide not to expand at all. By the time you read this, the decision may have already been announced. When and if that happens, we’ll have plenty to say about it at Hoops HQ. In the meantime, I’d refer you to the column I published in February arguing that the time had come to expand the field. There’s no compelling reason to expand — this tournament is not broken and does not need fixing — but I do think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

If expansion does happen (most likely with the addition of another eight at-large slots), there will be a huge public outcry in the short term. Then the caravan will move on, everyone will watch (and bet!) the games, and March Madness will still be March Madness. Within a year or two, people will forget what all the fuss was about.

There are plenty of other stories for us to track, including visits with two new head coaches, Alex Jensen at Utah and Fran McCaffrey at Penn. Plus, our friends at The Portal Report have their rankings of every transfer class in the Big 12.

We’ll keep you updated and informed on all things expansion and everything else in what is shaping up to be a very busy month. Have a great Thursday and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. —Seth

"Not Going to Be Shortcuts": Inside Alex Jensen's Rebuild at Utah

By Alex Squadron

A long journey encompassing many stops around the globe led Alex Jensen back to where it all began.

In mid-March, Jensen was officially introduced as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team at the University of Utah, his alma mater. A dominant forward in the late 1990s, Jensen helped lead the Runnin’ Utes to the 1998 national championship game and was named 2000 Mountain West Player of the Year. He averaged 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in four seasons under Rick Majerus.

Since Jensen’s playing days, Utah has switched conferences twice, jumping from the Mountain West to the Pac 12 in 2011 and from the Pac 12 to the Big 12 in 2024. The Utes have reached the NCAA Tournament just three times (2009, 2015, 2016) in the last 20 years. Over that stretch, they’ve suffered nine losing seasons.

As he rebuilds the program, Jensen won’t be rushed. It may take time for everything to come together, but he is in it for the long haul. “A phrase I’ve often used with recruits and staff — I go back to that I’m going to be deliberate,” he says. “I’m going to do it the right way or what I think the right way is. There are not going to be shortcuts.”

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"I Just Feel Blessed": It's Been a Grueling Journey, But Fran McCaffery is Finally Home

By Aaron Cohen

Fran McCaffery graduated from Penn’s Wharton School of Business poised for a career in finance. He was an athlete – a point guard with the Pennsylvania Quakers – but the game was a hobby: with a network and a golden degree, McCaffery was casting himself in the mold of a Wharton man.

“I made a decision to come to the University of Pennsylvania, figuring that I would move into the business world in some capacity,” McCaffery told Hoops HQ. “Those guys go to Wall Street.”

In his final months as a Wharton student, the Quakers clinched the Ivy League title and a scored to the NCAA Tournament. Nicknamed “White Magic,” McCaffery carried the conference in assists (105) and steals (51), and hoisted Penn into the postseason for the fourth time in five years. It was a watershed moment.

“My career ended. I wasn’t going to make the NBA, but realized how much I loved the game and how much I wanted to stay in the game,” he said, “So I decided to see if I could do that.”

An experiment that started with a season as a Penn Assistant transfigured McCaffery’s life. For the next half century, his career went national – lofting him across six universities, a score of title games and 12 NCAA Tournaments. That trail of opportunity made him one of the most renowned men in the NCAA – but it hadn’t taken him home until now.

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