Nebraska HC Fred Hoiberg issues strong rebuke to March Madness expansion fans

While the Nebraska basketball team would undoubtedly benefit should the NCAA Tournament add more teams to the annual field, Huskers' head coach Fred Hoiberg still isn't a fan. As discussion over NCAA Tournament expansion picks up, the Husker head coach is absolutely not a fan.

Reports began surfacing on Thursday morning that the NCAA is set to decide whether March Madness will expand from 68 teams to 76. There has also been talk that the tournament might grow to 72, but a full eight additional squads seems far more likely. For his part, Hoiberg wants things to stay the way they are.

Fred Hoiberg isn’t buying bigger March Madness, even if it helps Nebraska

"I think it is the greatest sporting event in the country," Hastings Tribune writer Justin Frommer reported. "I like it as it is." That has to be good news for Nebraska basketball fans who are of a more traditional bent.

Hoiberg is just one of several coaches starting to weigh in as the NCAA gets closer to making a final decision. On the other side are men like Nevada Wolfpack's Steve Alford, though his desire to expand comes with a caveat. He wants to see more mid-majors get into the tournament.

Of course, most people around the NCAA believe that if the tournament were to expand, it would not be the smaller schools that would benefit. It would be the likes of Nebraska, major programs that don't get in by current standards because there aren't enough slots. That makes Hoiberg's opposition to expansion and Alford's support for it all the crazier.

In the end, it's unlikely the Nebraska basketball coach will get his way. That there is talk of expansion among those in charge of that sort of thing sure looks like it is a done deal. And while he's right, and the tournament is right just the way it is, at least he'll have the added benefit of getting a better chance to make the big dance.