97.9 The Hill’s Deborah Stroman and Brighton McConnell chat on Friday, May 8 about the recent expansion of the NCAA Tournament for men’s and women’s college basketball. March Madness will now feature 76 teams instead of 68, with more games preceding the Round of 64. Stroman shares her thoughts on why this happened (money), why it happened now (the SEC and Big Ten), whether it is actually good business for the NCAA and conferences, and why it might ultimately hurt the fans and conference tournaments leading up to the postseason.

Dr. Deborah Stroman — who is a consulting professor for UNC and Virginia, sports businesswoman, former basketball player, and columnist — chats with 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell each week about headlines from the world of sports. Covering both local and national stories, Stroman specializes in connecting the on-field product to the impact of sports on business, culture and society. Listen to their past conversations on Chapelboro, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
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NCAA Tournament Expansion is Good Business ...Or Is It? – Stroman on Sports (May 8, 2026)The Hill's Deborah Stroman and Brighton McConnell chat on Friday, May 8 about the recent expansion of the NCAA Tournament for men's and women's college basketball.
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