March Madness or Bowl Games? Schools Have to Choose Now
With a $20.5 million NIL revenue sharing cap looming, football-first athletic departments may tighten the purse strings when it comes to college basketball.
Basketball victories may not be in the budget next season.
Photographer: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North AmericaCollege football’s mightiest association, the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, prides itself on dominating the gridiron, not the hardwood. But this year, following a disappointing run at the College Football Championships, the conference is taking a big shot at a men’s college basketball championship. Earlier this month, 14 of its schools qualified for the 68-team March Madness tournament — a new record for a single athletic conference. Following the first weekend of competition, seven of those teams are headed to the Sweet Sixteen, which is also a record.
It’s a big accomplishment, but it’s not one that the SEC and its member schools are likely to repeat. Next month, a court will likely approve a legal settlement between the NCAA and former athletes that puts a $20.5 million cap on the revenues that NCAA Division I schools can share with athletes.