Jon Rothstein sits down with NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball, Dan Gavitt, for a wide-ranging conversation on the state — and future — of college basketball. Gavitt reflects on his roots in the game, lessons learned from his father, and his journey from the Big East to leading March Madness operations.
They dig into how the changing landscape — including NIL, the transfer portal, and potential five-year eligibility — is reshaping the sport. Gavitt also addresses some of the biggest questions in the game today: tournament expansion, seeding debates, the role of Championship Week, and what expanded access could mean for mid-majors and the regular season.
The conversation closes with insights on the NIT’s future, the return of the Final Four to Indianapolis, and Gavitt’s most memorable NCAA Tournament moments. A must-listen for anyone who cares about where college basketball is headed next.
0:10 Opening Day
0:30 His role
1:40 Life in basketball
3:00 What he learned from his father
5:15 Old Big East
7:00 Leaving Big East for current job
8:15 Changing landscape of college basketball
9:45 Transfer portal and NIL guardrails
14:10 5 Years of Eligibility?
16:00 Seeding SEC teams last year
18:35 NCAA Tournament expansion
21:00 Championship week impact on NCAAT
22:45 Expansion number?
23:30 Tournament expansion impact on regular season
25:45 Tournament expansion impact mid majors
27:45 NCAA Tournament expansion logistics
28:55 Automatic qualifiers for every league?
30:00 Power conference vs. non power conference
31:00 First Four host possibilities
32:15 Minimizing the accomplishment by expanding the field?
35:00 Timeline
35:05 NIT impact
36:30 Final Four return to Indy
38:25 Most memorable games
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