# 65 Teams in the NCAA Finals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412 "2003-03-19T00:38:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/1 "2003-03-19T00:38:43Z")
I’m not a big basketball fan, but I know my numbers. 65 teams in the NCAA Finals doesn’t work. It has to be a power of 2. And it has always been 64 in the past. So how did an extra team get into the March Madness, and how will it get eliminated? Or will I have to try to figure out the Final Five? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/2 "2003-03-19T00:44:04Z")
Here you go: [March Isn’t Mad Enough? How About A 65-Team NCAA Field?](http://wsucougars.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/071900aaa.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/3 "2003-03-19T00:49:41Z")
It is ususally referred to as the “Play-in game” and is being played as we speak (UNC-Ashville vs. Texas Southern). ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/4 "2003-03-19T03:08:21Z")
The NCAA tournament has expanded a lot since 1939 and the number of teams has not always been an even number. 1939-1950 - 8 teams, 1 from each district 1951-1953 - 16 teams, 10 conference champs plus 6 at-large teams 1954-1974 - 24 teams, 15 conference champs plus 9 at-large teams Since then there have been 32, 40, 48, 53, 64, and now 65 team fields. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/5 "2003-03-19T03:38:40Z")
If the NCAA were to freeze the field at 64 entrants and continue increasing the number of automatic berths to conference tournament champions, the number of at-large bids would have to decrease. Their solution is to expand the field by one team for each additional automatic bid that is created. IIRC, in the olden days there weren’t so many conference tournaments and every bid to the NCAA was an at-large bid. IMHO the goal was to have the biggest names and the biggest draws in the tourney and this probably resulted in the best possible field. Nowadays it seems a team with a losing record in a mediocre yet recognised conference can get “hot” at the last minute, win their tourney and get an automatic bid that “should” have gone to an at-large team with a stronger team and better record. IIRC, one of my many almas maters, Eastern Illinois University, did the very same in 1991. They faced Indiana in the first round and IIRC it was the first shutout in modern NCAA men’s basketball history. 104-0, I do believe, was the final score. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/6 "2003-03-19T03:45:52Z")
That was in 1992 when Eastern Illinois made the NCAA tournament. And Eastern Illinois had a winning record (17-13) entering the tournament. And they were only a 15 seed and lost to Indiana by a score of 94-55. Eastern Illinois also went in 2001 again as a #15 and lost to Arizona 101-76. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/7 "2003-03-19T03:49:36Z")
Also wanted to add that the NCAA wants to invited 34 at-large teams each year. So team 65 was added when the Mountain West Conference was formed out of the WAC and became conference #31. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/8 "2003-03-19T04:12:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*… Eastern Illinois … lost to Indiana by a score of 94-55. > > \*\* And I was so sure it was a shutout. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/9 "2003-03-19T04:56:24Z")
If you like, you can think of it as a 7-round tournament, instead of 6 rounds, where almost all of the teams get a bye the first round. I think. That’s right, sports fans, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/10 "2003-03-19T05:19:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*If you like, you can think of it as a 7-round tournament, instead of 6 rounds, where almost all of the teams get a bye the first round. > > I think. > > That’s right, sports fans, isn’t it? \*\* Yes. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/11 "2003-03-19T06:50:06Z")
The worst loss in the NCAA Division I men’s tournament was by Tennessee Tech, losing to Loyola of Chicago, 111-42, back in 1963. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/65-teams-in-the-ncaa-finals/162412/12 "2003-03-19T12:49:25Z")
But the worst FEELING loss was Duke-UNLV 1990 (103-73).