The men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament fields will expand from 68 to 76 teams in 2027.

The plans for expansion are expected to be approved by NCAA committees and formalized as soon as May, multiple reports said Tuesday.

CBS Sports reported that the NCAA plans for 52 teams to slot into the main bracket and the other 24 teams will face off in 12 games on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday, filling out the Round of 64 with the winners. It will no longer be called the “First Four,” with the terminology expected to be “opening round” for the play-ins and “first round” for the Round of 64.

Per ESPN, the NCAA is completing contract negotiations with its media partners. That step must come before votes from the men’s and women’s basketball committees, the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees, the Division I Cabinet and the Division I Board of Governors.

It would mark the first expansion of the tournament since the field moved from 65 to 68 teams with the addition of the First Four games in 2011. The field had been 64 or 65 teams since 1985.

The Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference were the leading voices behind tournament expansion, Yahoo Sports reported earlier this month. NCAA president Charlie Baker has also voiced his support.

“I said all along that I think there are some very good reasons to expand the tournament,” Baker told ESPN in February. “So, I would like to see it expand.”

–Field Level Media

The NBA has shared details of its anti-tanking, “3-2-1 lottery” draft reform plan with team general managers, according to a report from ESPN.

There could be minor tweaks to the proposal ahead of it being voted on by the league’s owners on May 28, but the larger points of the plan have a majority of support and it is likely to be approved, per ESPN.

The “3-2-1 lottery” proposal is named for the number of lottery balls teams would be eligible to receive for the draft lottery drawing. It would expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams, all of whom would have a chance at the No. 1 overall pick.

The teams with the worst records, though, will no longer have the best odds. The bottom three teams would fall into the relegation area and receive two lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the teams that miss the playoffs and play-in tournament but stay out of the relegation zone (fourth through 10th from the bottom of the standings) would be tied for the best odds with three lottery balls.

The ninth and 10th seeds of the play-in tournament would also receive two balls, while the loser of the play-in games between the seventh and eighth seeds would earn one lottery ball.

Additionally, there would be rules under this new format about the frequency with which teams could earn certain tiers of picks. No team could earn the No. 1 pick in consecutive years or more than three consecutive top-five picks.

Fighting against tanking has been a recent talking point for NBA commissioner Adam Silver. This proposal would also reportedly give the league the ability to reduce a team’s lottery odds or even change a team’s draft positioning if it is deemed to be tanking.

Per the report, this proposal would expire after the 2029 draft — the last draft ahead of the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the 2029-30 season. This sunset provision would allow owners to continue the “3-2-1” system or transition to a new draft lottery format at that time.

–Field Level Media

The momentum in the first-round playoff series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins has officially shifted to the west.

The Penguins have won two straight games with their season on the line and will look to continue their rally against their intrastate rivals Wednesday when they skate with the Flyers in a pivotal Game 6.

Philadelphia appeared to be in control of the series after winning the first three games by a combined score of 11-4. However, a 4-2 defeat in Game 4 gave Pittsburgh life – and the Penguins followed up that performance with a 3-2 triumph in Game 5 on Monday.

“The first three games we kind of got into the same slow game, scrum it out every time,” said Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang, who has scored the game-winning goals in each of the last two contests. “Obviously, the playoffs are a different energy, but Games 4 and 5, we’re playing with pace, and that’s what we did all year. … We’re a team that won by playing fast.”

Letang’s fluky game-winner in Game 5 was a shot that fluttered past Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, hit off the end boards and ricocheted back into the crease, where it got lost in Vladar’s skates and trickled over the goal line.

Elmer Soderblom and Connor Dewar also scored for the Penguins, while Sidney Crosby had two assists and Arturs Silovs made 18 saves.

“I thought the last couple games we’ve found our stride a bit,” Crosby said. “So, we should feel good about that. I think with any series, though, you’ve got to get better with every game, and there’s still things we can do better.”

Only four teams in NHL history have blown a 3-0 series lead by losing the final four games. The Flyers obviously don’t want to join that list, but they’re staying focused and confident for now.

“We’ve got to regroup, get ready for the next one and find that desperation,” said Philadelphia defenseman Travis Sanheim, who scored one of the team’s two goals. “I think going home, in our building, we’re still in a good spot.”

The Flyers received a boost in Game 5 from Alex Bump, who scored a goal in his first career playoff contest, and fellow rookie Denver Barkey, who played with energy and poise on his 21st birthday.

“The young guys were good,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. “We’ve got to get some (veteran) guys (going), though — they’ve got to step it up. They’ve got to play with more pace, shorter shifts. … We’ve got to come up with some stuff here.”

Vladar has not looked 100% since injuring his right arm in Game 3. He finished with 18 saves in Monday’s setback.

He’ll likely need to be sturdier in net if the Flyers are going to win a playoff series for the first time since 2020. Meanwhile, the Penguins have not advanced in the postseason since defeating Philadelphia in the first round in 2018.

If there is a Game 7, it will take place Saturday evening in Pittsburgh. But for now, the teams remain focused on delivering their best efforts in Game 6.

“There’s no way that group’s going to go away,” Tocchet said. “No chance.”

–Field Level Media