What 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket could have looked like with 76 teams: No. 12 seeds brawl in opening round

What 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket could have looked like with 76 teams: No. 12 seeds brawl in opening round Here's a glimpse at what the 2026 NCAA Tournament might have looked like with a 76-team format By David Cobb Apr 28, 2026 at 10:52 pm ET • 3 min read Getty Images Had the 2026 NCAA Tournament featured a field of 76 like that one that is expected to be adopted for the 2026-27 college basketball season, the bracket would have taken on a significantly different complexion. Eight teams left on the wrong side of the bubble would have made the field, and a handful that did make it would have been subjected to a more treacherous path.With the First Four — to be known henceforth as the "opening round" — tripling in size from four games to 12, some poorly seeded teams that received byes to…

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