The NCAA is shaking things up with its decision to expand the college basketball schedule, and it’s set to make a big impact on the sport. Starting in the 2026-27 season, Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams will be allowed to schedule up to 32 regular season games — the first increase since 2006!

After nearly 20 years of being capped at 31 games, the NCAA Division I Council gave the green light to this additional game on Wednesday, a move that had already received backing from the sport’s oversight committees back in March, according to CBS Sports. While schools aren’t required to fill their schedules to the max, most are likely to take advantage of this new flexibility.

One of the main reasons for this change is the challenge of scheduling multi-team events (MTEs). Previously, teams faced limitations on how many early-season tournaments they could join because of game caps and restrictions on playing conference opponents in those tournaments.

With this new rule, teams now have more freedom to participate in MTEs without compromising their overall schedule, as noted by Matt Norlander.

The new 32-game model includes all matchups, whether against Division I or non-Division I teams. This opens the door for exciting non-conference games to make a comeback later in the season. For instance, we could see matchups like Duke taking on Illinois in February 2024, and future games like Duke vs. Michigan in February 2026 highlight the kind of thrilling contests schools might chase under this new format.

In addition to scheduling flexibility, financial factors also played a part in this decision. Just adding one more home or neutral-site game could ramp up gate revenue for programs, especially now that we’re in this new era of revenue-sharing with athletes after the House settlement.

This shift might just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scheduling changes, as some officials are even speculating that future seasons could expand to 34 or 35 games.

With this change officially set for the 2026-27 season, college basketball is on the brink of transformation, giving teams more opportunities to compete and providing fans with even more reasons to stay engaged as the season unfolds.