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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March Madness Tournaments Will Expand to 76 Teams Each Starting Next SeasonThe NCAA announced Thursday that it will expand its two March Madness tournaments by eight teams each next season.

Chansky's Notebook: The State of BasketballAs usual, the state of North Carolina will be punching well above its weight in this year's NCAA Tournament.

UNC Basketball in the NCAA Tournament: How To Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off TimeAfter a regular season filled with ups-and-downs, UNC basketball has finally made it back to the NCAA Tournament. The No. 8 Tar Heels aren’t a prominent seed nor are they favored to make it far, but Roy Williams always has a few tricks up his sleeve in March. UNC opens against No. 9 Wisconsin on […]

You're Not Working Anyway, So Let's Watch Some UNC Basketball HighlightsLet’s be honest with ourselves, you’re not getting much work done today. It’s Friday, and UNC basketball takes on Auburn tonight in the Sweet 16. If anything, you’re passing the time by watching UNC basketball highlights as the clock creeps closer and closer to 5 and making plans to catch the game with friends. In […]

Money Madness: AP Analysis Shows Growing Gap in NCAA PayoutsPowered by Ja Morant’s no-look passes and Dylan Windler’s step-back 3s, March Madness has been a bonanza for the Ohio Valley Conference. The league placed two teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time in 32 years. Then Morant’s Murray State Racers and Windler’s Belmont Bruins both won games during the first […]
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Stroman On Sports: Road To The Final FourThe NCAA tournament begins tonight! How far will the Tar Heels go?
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Stroman On Sports: ACC Tournament Time!March Madness is here: the ACC Tournament begins today.
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Duke Legend Talks Final FourSteve Vacendak is a veteran of two Final Fours and the 1966 ACC Player of the Year.

Ahead of NCAA Super Regionals, UNC Baseball Fueled by Disappointment of 2025It had been 24 hours since his team’s season had ended in heartbreaking fashion, and Scott Forbes was already laying the groundwork for another successful year. The UNC baseball head coach hosted a sought-after transfer portal recruit in Chapel Hill a day after losing to Arizona in Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional […]

UNC Baseball 2026 NCAA Super Regional Opponent Preview: USCThe Diamond Heels will host an NCAA Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium for the third consecutive year this weekend. And for a fifth consecutive time, UNC’s Super Regional opponent will be an unseeded team. The USC Trojans (47-16, 20-10 Big Ten) emerged out of their region the hard way, losing Friday to fall into the […]
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