Marvenott said:

UNLV football opened spring practice on Thursday, and no one was happier about getting started than head coach Dan Mullen.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the update about the event from last week.

UNLVINMD said:

Cronin boring style is horrible at UCLA!

Click to expand...

They usually have one or two games per year against low level teams where they score 90+ so people think that "this is the year we will push tempo." Then, against quality competition, he's ok with scoring 56. Granted, that 56 is more than the opponent, but, like you said, it's boring.

I've sadly watch Cinderella go from not well, to terminally ill, to life support over the last couple decades. She is what made this tournament so special. Yet, there are many out there who have wanted to pull the plug for years, saying she doesn't, and never has, belonged. "Only the richest, most beautiful shall be worthy. Let us tell you who they are." Only problem is, many of them only hang out with rich and beautiful, and aren't so themselves. The SEC this year is a perfect example, as is the P4, in general. If the auto-bid killers get their way - and it may be only unofficially - I'll be off to the country in my mouse-drawn pumpkin carriage in March, not watching the Spring Debutante Ball that has become the once delightful Madness.

An Obit for Cinderella

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

BamaTank said:

Sluka goes to James Madison

Click to expand...

I never referred to Sluka in that comment. Was talking about Lewis from UNR, that transferred to Memphis.

Thomas too small not athletic for SEC. He couldn't guard MWC guys.
Alabama plays no defense up and down be good fit.

Cronin boring style is horrible at UCLA!

j. spilotro said:

My point was, to a fan, they don’t care about money in, money paid out. They care about wins and wins only.

I think fans of the have nots would stop attending. The power schools will get the fans, they’ve got great teams.

It’s almost death by a thousand needles. They’ll let us slow bleed to our demise so they’re passive in their actions.

Click to expand...

I do not believe when it come to college sports that most fans will convert over to the power teams that are left, they will instead walk away from college sports and either not follow athletics or move over to professional sports where the only way you pay to watch the games is either by buying tickets or watching video! As a life time college athletics fan, it is becoming harder and harder to watch lower level athletes get paid better than professionals who would absolutely destroy them in a game. The best college teams would be lucky if they lost be under 50 against the worst professional teams. My question is how long will sugar daddies be willing to pay for college teams, how long before tax payers will start to revolt with subsidizing college sports for multi millionaires, how long will students and their parent be willing to pay athletic fees for millionaires while they are struggling to pay for schools, how long before the courts will come down on the entire mess?

Rebel1986 said:

All you need to do as look at who is playing who to know that NIL money is killing college basketball.

Final 8 teams:

4 #1 seeds
3 #2 seeds
1 #3 seed

NIL has quickly ended the Cinderella team in basketball, now it is just who has the biggest budget to buy a national championship. I am curious what happens in the next few years as many teams figure out that they have zero chance of ever being competitive in college basketball again?

Click to expand...

I don't think NIL ended Cinderella.. I think the SEC being given 14 teams messed up tournament seeding and that ruined matchups that typically benefit Cinderella runs. SEC teams due to their ratings made seeding difficult. Also there was less opportunities for multi bid mid major leagues

j. spilotro said:

Which is fantastic for the university, the business, the town overall, the fans.

But it doesn’t put trophies in the case.

The Yankees spend more money than God. Their fans don’t care, it’s about wins. I just remember the resounding boos from the home fans for Arod, mega contract, fans didn’t care what he was paid, you gotta perform.

Fans aren’t as extreme as Yankee fans, but I don’t know any fans that place money over winning.

Click to expand...

If they Yankees spend more money than God, what does that say about the Dodgers that out spend the Yankees by about $50,000,000.00 a year? There is a reason that there are regulations regarding trades, regulations regarding pay caps etc.... Now imagine a league that has no rules regarding players transferring or quitting a team, no rules regards coaches leaving, no rules regarding how much the team gets in total compensation, etc.... Now we have college athletics! The professional leagues figures out that if there wasn't a decent level of competition, then people would stop going to and watching games. How long it will take, I have no clue, but ultimately they either get the courts involved, or it will be a slow death to college athletics. I also see that at some point the tax payers and students will ramp up the involvement in lawsuits to end tax payers subsidizing college athletics, and students being charge athletic fees for multi-millionaire athletes playing under the college flags.

rebels1990 said:

But there was NIL last year and the E8 also included 2 4s, a 6 and 11 So I don't think you can use the data of the original post of the seeds in the E8 and say, "yup NIL" just yet

Click to expand...

All you need to do is look at how many of the better players from the MWC have already been grabbed up by schools offering them more money then they will make in the rest of their lives combined. When paying millions to a college basketball player who has barely above a zero chance to make the NBA, you know that every decent players is going to be at one of the major schools which will leave only bench players on the lower level teams in comparison to the top 20-30 teams.

saulpaul21 said:

All you need to see is the number of starters from g5 and lower going to p4 schools each year. The non p4 teams are farm teams for p4. That is why the first 2 rounds were so boring this year.

Used to be the p4 18 and 19 year old stars were pretty even to a non p4 22 year Olds.

Now p4 are 22 year old experienced vets. Hard to beat them.

Click to expand...

But there was NIL last year and the E8 also included 2 4s, a 6 and 11 So I don't think you can use the data of the original post of the seeds in the E8 and say, "yup NIL" just yet

rebels1990 said:

While I understand the premise of the argument and it may be true, but I think we need more data because this year also had some abnormally elite teams at the top of the bracket and how the E8 has shaken out shouldn't be a surprise. I'm just not sure if it's a product of NIL just yet, if we are seeing the same three years from now, that's a better argument.

Click to expand...

All you need to see is the number of starters from g5 and lower going to p4 schools each year. The non p4 teams are farm teams for p4. That is why the first 2 rounds were so boring this year.

Used to be the p4 18 and 19 year old stars were pretty even to a non p4 22 year Olds.

Now p4 are 22 year old experienced vets. Hard to beat them.

While I understand the premise of the argument and it may be true, but I think we need more data because this year also had some abnormally elite teams at the top of the bracket and how the E8 has shaken out shouldn't be a surprise. I'm just not sure if it's a product of NIL just yet, if we are seeing the same three years from now, that's a better argument.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

Hard to predict what will happen because there is no comparison. 1) Pro sports would be the logical comparison but they mostly have salary caps and multi-year contracts. 2) We have no idea the length of time a billionaire will support a team that fails to get to the sweet 16 or higher - one year, 2 years, 10 years? 3) will there be a couple of Billionaires who support a G5 or lower team with unlimited funds just for giggles? 4)impossible to predict what media will do. Will there be a joining of three or four media giants and they buy the rights to the power 4 and just exclude the rest? Would that really make a difference?

Without change, the game we followed and loved is nearly dead. Without change ( some structure to lengthen contracts, some financial leveling or us getting a P4 invite) we won't be watching BB in the Thomas and Mack in 10 years.

Rebel1986 said:

All you need to do as look at who is playing who to know that NIL money is killing college basketball.

Final 8 teams:

4 #1 seeds
3 #2 seeds
1 #3 seed

NIL has quickly ended the Cinderella team in basketball, now it is just who has the biggest budget to buy a national championship. I am curious what happens in the next few years as many teams figure out that they have zero chance of ever being competitive in college basketball again?

Click to expand...

I usually loathe government involvement but in this case they keep talking about congress getting involved with regulations that might be the best hope since the schools themselves surely won’t and the NCAA is a meaningless entity now.

Rebel1986 said:

All you need to do as look at who is playing who to know that NIL money is killing college basketball.

Final 8 teams:

4 #1 seeds
3 #2 seeds
1 #3 seed

NIL has quickly ended the Cinderella team in basketball, now it is just who has the biggest budget to buy a national championship. I am curious what happens in the next few years as many teams figure out that they have zero chance of ever being competitive in college basketball again?

Click to expand...

It is beyond ridiculous. To start off there needs to be salary caps Per team and three year contracts per player

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

Unless the courts get involved, we are seeing the death of competitive NCAA basketball!