​The NCAA announced on Thursday that Wichita, Kansas will host the opening round of the expanded Division I men’s basketball tournament in 2027 and 2028. With the men’s tournament expanding to 76 teams for the upcoming season, the First Four, which previously consisted of four games in Dayton, Ohio to determine which four teams among the eight lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and lowest-seeded at-large programs would join the 64-team field, is no longer part of the structure.
Dayton will still stage six opening-round games at UD Arena, while Wichita will host the other six games at InTrust Bank Arena. All 12 games will feature the 24 lowest seeds among automatic qualifiers and at-large teams. Keith Gill, who chairs the Division I men’s basketball committee and serves as commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference, expressed optimism about the location choices. “We were pleased but not surprised by the number of cities from around the country that very much wanted March Madness to begin in their market,” he said. He added that, like Dayton, Wichita is a basketball-driven community expected to embrace the reimagined start of the tournament. “Having a city in Middle America will be advantageous for getting teams from various points around the country, many of which won’t be known until Selection Sunday, to the Opening Round and subsequently first-round sites.”
The women’s NCAA tournament is also expanding to 76 teams, though opening-round games will be played on campus at the host sites designated for the first and second rounds. Wichita was chosen over seven other West-of-the-Mississippi contenders, according to CBS Sports. Finalists included Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Des Moines, Iowa. Wichita’s central geographic location and its history with hosting NCAA tournament games—InTrust Bank Arena previously hosted first- and second-round games in 2018 and 2025—were decisive factors in the selection.
In addition to announcing Wichita’s hosting role, the NCAA also revealed adjustments to its Wins Above Bubble (WAB) benchmark, increasing the number of at-large teams included in the tournament field. For the past two seasons, the baseline for WAB was set at the team ranked 45th, representing the average “bubble” team according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), which accounts for game results, strength of schedule, location of games, and net offensive and defensive efficiency, along with quality of wins and losses. The new baseline for WAB has been raised to the team ranked 55th, allowing more at-large teams to enter the field. However, the NET formula itself remains unchanged by the tournament selection committee. This adjustment signals a broader at-large field as part of the expanded 76-team format.