Source - NCAA presents tournament plans for 72, 76 teams - ESPN

The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the men's and women's basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

The proposals were outlined to the commissioners this week by NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holzman, the source said. Under the proposal, expansion of the 68-team field included both four- and eight-team models. The NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket but would add play-in games involving the Nos. 10 through 12 seeds.

If the men's tournament expands, it is expected the women's tourney would as well. Yahoo Sports first reported on the proposals.

There are many in college basketball who have said they believe the 68-team fields and three weekends of play are ideal, but pressure has grown to add teams and games to one of the most popular sports events on the U.S. calendar. Last year, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved recommendations that included allowing one-quarter of teams in larger sports to compete in championship events; in that scenario, the March Madness tournaments could expand to nearly 90 teams.

Sources told ESPN during this year's tournaments that ongoing discussions about expanding March Madness would result in no more than 80 teams for the men's event.

The NCAA is in the midst of an eight-year extension of its TV deal for the men's tournament worth $8.8 billion that runs through 2032. That would not be expected to change if a handful of teams are added.

More games would provide a small boost through ticket sales and merchandise, but the pool of money the NCAA uses to pay out