![]() ![]() If anything, the talent has been spread out even more. And it wouldn’t reflect what’s actually happening in the sport, where fears about NIL and the transfer portal making the rich richer haven’t panned out at all. This year, at least in basketball, that would be a pretty lonely tournament. The disparity has grown so great, there’s long-term concern within the industry about those two leagues potentially breaking away from everyone else and eventually doing their own thing. The irony of that should be clear to anyone who follows college sports and has watched those two leagues separate themselves financially thanks to football-fueled television contracts showering them with tens of millions more than their competitors. But perhaps more notable is who we’re missing.ĭespite getting a combined 16 bids to the tournament, the SEC and the Big Ten are already gone. Among the final eight, we have teams representing the Big East, Conference USA, the West Coast Conference, the Mountain West, the ACC and the Big 12. And every now and then, we get a true surprise champion.īut in the big picture, college basketball has never been more even across the board. For the last 15 years, getting the odd Virginia Commonwealth or Loyola Chicago in the Final Four has become more common. Sure, there have been first-round upsets forever. And right now, it’s delivering at a level we’ve never seen. If your appeal is going to be all about the tournament, might as well make it the most gripping, delightful and surprising event in all of sports. The best players aren’t going to stay in school for three or four years, the skill level and athleticism isn’t going to ever measure up to the NBA, and the regular season is pretty much an afterthought in the greater sports landscape. College basketball isn't what it was in the 1980s, and it’s never going to be. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |