Expansion has been on the table for years, but this is the closest the NCAA has come to building a larger men's bracket since it last did so in 2011. It was with that tournament that the First Four made its debut. The women's tournament moved to 68 teams in 2022.

For more than a year now, college administrators have been seriously exploring adding four or eight teams to the 68-team field, a move that likely requires the addition of another "First Four" site.