The 2026-27 college basketball season: a Nov. 1 tip in Rome, a 76-team bracket, and a champion that changed coaches

Notre Dame and Villanova open the season in Rome on Nov. 1, the NCAA tournament grows to 76 teams for the first time, and defending champion Michigan begins its title defense under Mike Boynton after Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks.

Read the season preview By BetMetrics · Updated September 14, 2026

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What to watch.

College basketball · Preseason

Six programs the offseason lists keep near the top: Florida, Duke, Illinois, UConn, Louisville, and a diminished Michigan

What CBS Sports and On3 say about the 2026-27 contenders, and the sourced roster facts behind each, with the reminder that every ranking here is an outlet's opinion, not a result.

Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026

College basketball · Preseason

The 76-team NCAA tournament: what changes in March 2027, what does not, and what the NCAA says it is for

The Opening Round grows from four games to 12 across Dayton and Wichita, at-large access widens by eight bids, and the NCAA points to $131 million in new distributions; the 64-team weekend stays where it was.

Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026

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