CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – This year’s NCAA Men’s (and Women’s) Basketball Tournament has pretty much lacked the traditional “Cinderella” stories, with higher-seeded teams predominantly advancing through to the Sweet 16. This shift from the beloved, and expected, unpredictability of March Madness has sparked discussions about the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements on the tournament’s competitive balance.
Since the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision, student-athletes have been permitted to profit from their NIL. This development has no doubt changed the landscape of college basketball, enabling wealthier schools to attract and retain elite talent through significant NIL deals. As a result, talented players from smaller programs increasingly transfer to larger schools where the money and opportunities are more accessible. It seems this trend has strengthened major conference teams while weakening mid-major programs, which, in turn, produces an even smaller chance of significant upsets in the tourney.
This isn’t to say that there hasn’t been good basketball or great games played during this year’s tournament. In the end the goal is to have the best teams play the best teams. However, the Cinderellas are what have made the national championship tournament palatable to those who normally would have little to no interest in the month-long event. The corresponding stories of schools, coaches, and players who have beaten the odds attract more than just the basketball junkies. They provide the stuff you only see in movies. The stuff that dreams are made of.
This, though, is the new reality. Smaller schools are now, more than ever, going to need to place an emphasis on identifying up-and-coming coaches who can evaluate and identify talent that may be overlooked, who can develop that talent, then successfully implement a system that maximizes the talent they have acquired and do it year-in-and-year-out to negate the attrition that results from any success. Guess what? Coaches that can do that are not plentiful and will also be hot commodities for the same programs that are cherry picking the smaller schools’ talented players.
It’s a tough spot. I’m not sure what changes are even realistic to counteract the larger imbalance of power. Is it even a problem the NCAA is concerned with fixing? It feels selfish to not appreciate the best playing against the best and we can’t blame schools, coaches, and players for taking advantage of the opportunities NIL presents. But fairy tale upsets are what make the tournament bigger than just basketball. That’s something worth preserving. Unfortunately, we just might need a Fairy Godmother to keep the magic alive.