re: Did NIL kill the March Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament?

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It all depends on your concept of a cinderella... Texas, like you said, has a huge athletic program. But they were in the play-in round. So technically that fits. Or, the team they beat- Gonzaga. They have an undergrad enrollment of under 6k, so smaller than some Texas high schools.

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Excellent point.

Looking at the 11 seeds that advanced to the Final Four.

1986: LSU
2006: George Mason
2011: VCU
2018: Loyola-Chicago
2021: UCLA
2024: NC State

You have an old blue blood, another with a couple of titles, a large state school, two schools in Virginia that are much bigger than people think, and a little Jesuit school.

They were all Cinderella come tourney time, but it’s hard to fathom that label being on UCLA.

Conversely, schools like Gonzaga, St Mary’s, Villanova, Creighton…nobody really thinks of them as Cinderella type schools anymore. They’re just solid programs.

Transfer rules more than NIL

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TV and social media killed the Cinderella

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Yeah this isn't true. It's NIL and the portal.

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Cinderella ain't dead , it's just click-bait.

Again, Gonzaga was cinderella, until they kept winning every year. Their undergrad enrollment is below 6k. Why do you disqualify them? Because they win consistently?

If that's the case, you have Nebraska, who had NEVER won a tournament game until this season. They're now in the Sweet 16. Or Texas, who came thru the play-in round this year.

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that's the case, you have Nebraska, who had NEVER won a tournament game until this season. They're now in the Sweet 16. Or Texas, who came thru the play-in round this year.

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They’re getting major conference money

If you look at Iowas roster, they’re the closest thing. They brought in six guys from Drake, four of which were with Iowa’s Coach at Division 2 NW Missouri State in 2023-24 — and the dude who hit the game winner was out of Robert Morris. Granted he was the Horizon league POY last year.

Entire team of nobodies from nowhere, except Stirtz, he could have called anyone this offseason and got a few million.

Only cooper Koch was on the roster in February 2024, and he was redshirting. He was a 4* recruit, had offers from Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, wisconsin, but his old man played at Iowa.

Its a shame a lot of people missed out on the days of 80s CBB...

Teams rosters barely changed year to year...no one and dones.

Now the portal, now NIL...its so far removed from College athletes, so far removed from "your team"... who are these guys sporting my teams colors? The turnstile, the $ , the Dance is over.

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Now the portal, now NIL...its so far removed from College athletes, so far removed from "your team"... who are these guys sporting my teams colors? The turnstile, the $ , the Dance is over.

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It’s that way for football too.

It is more NIL than just the transfer rules.

Look at it this way; we're now 3 full seasons and tournaments into the process of highly organized, efficient NIL machines being in major college basketball. During those 3 tournaments, we have seen 3 double digit seeds advance to the Sweet 16.

11 Seed Texas
10 Seed Arkansas
11 Seed NC State.

They're all high majors with significant funding and support structures. This isn't an accident, this is accounting.

If no mid majors advance to the sweet 16 next year it will be a trend. That has happened 4 times since expansion in 1985.. The last two was 2025 and this year. But you already have a 1 seed out so does NIL level the playing field up top?

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I watched a 9 seed knock off a 1 seed yesterday. That felt pretty cindarella.

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A 22 win Big 10 team isn't a Cinderella there hoss