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Arkansas' John Calipari pleads with NCAA to 'leave alone' March Madness Tournament expansion talks

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Original Story by The Sporting News
July 10, 2025
Arkansas' John Calipari pleads with NCAA to 'leave alone' March Madness Tournament expansion talks

John Calipari is entering his second season at Arkansas after making the decision to leave Kentucky. His first year with the Razorbacks came with challenges, as the team went several games without a win to start their SEC schedule. However, after enduring early struggles, Arkansas caught fire at the right time. Calipari described it as one of the most rewarding seasons of his career.

“Man, I've done this a long time. And this may be the most rewarding season for me because there are a bunch of good kids that struggled early,” Calipari said. “Yet because they were good people, they stuck together. Our staff never blamed and just kept working with them."

Calipari typically prefers a smaller roster, but after dealing with a season full of injuries, he's planning to fill all 15 scholarship spots this year.

“That’s one of the reasons I don’t want a team with 14, 13 guys… seven you can get by, and we did. I thought we could win the national championship the way we played at the end… I still only want to have 8 or 9,” Calipari said.

Meanwhile, the NCAA is considering expanding the March Madness tournament, with a decision potentially coming as early as this week.

“Instead, the NCAA looks likely to approve an expansion to 72 or 76 teams, possibly as soon as this week. The NCAA is loath to adjust its 64-team bracket and carefully-thought-out calendar, which means up to two dozen teams could be duking it out in earlier rounds as soon as next season,” ESPN’s Joe Lunardi wrote.

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Calipari has already voiced his opposition to the proposed expansion.

“Don’t screw it up. Leave it alone,” Calipari said.

It’s clear that Calipari is satisfied with the current format. He believes the 64-team structure is in a great place, and expanding the field would only make Selection Sunday more chaotic.

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