Oh look, one of the minor league teams that's just a feeder to big schools made the Final Four.
Even though every good mid major player gets poached by P5 schools and competitive balance is dead.
Really dumb statement with an agenda behind driving it. Feel better? Where is St Peter's now? Figured all those folks with the agenda to keep the growing split between Power 5 resources and wants would hold this up to argue for NIL, keeping the tourney at 68 and status quo in place. The divide deepens between the haves and the have nots.
Awfully testy, dude.
A few things:
1. I'm just not as convinced as some others that the sky has fallen and the divide has deepened. At the very least, I want to wait for more data before freaking out. So far, the data I have seen suggests it might not be as bad as it's perceived. FAU is an interesting data point, in my view. They're a mid-major that has been able to make the Final Four. Given everybody saying that the "divide has deepened", it's worth noting, no?
2. St. Peter's coach left for Seton Hall. A lot of players transferred. But first the coach left for a better opportunity. Was it the NIL that led to those transfers, or was it the coach bailing? Do you think Bryant, St. Bonaventure, LaSalle and Seton Hall are flush with NIL cash? Because that's where the transfers ended up.
3. Pre-NIL, Florida Gulf Coast went on a deep run. What happened to them in the coming years under the old system? 2006 George Mason? Ohio after our Sweet 16 run? Kent State after their Elite 8 run? How many Cinderella teams sustained their success in the old system?
4. My agenda has nothing to do with "growing the split between Power 5 resources" -- I just want talented people to not be restricted from earning money based on their talents. That's my agenda. If you want to compare the moral merits of your agenda and mine, happy to.
5. I support expanding the tourny. Don't know what you're talking about there.
6. In the year where everybody is lamenting the end of parity in college basketball, the Elite 8 includes FAU, Creighton, UConn (who was left out of every conference they desperately tried to join), Miami, Kansas State, Gonzaga, and San Diego State. Which of those would you describe as a power? What do their NIL deals look like and how did they benefit from the transfer portal?
7. FAUs best players are all sophomores. You think they weren't good last year and nobody in college basketball knew they were talented? Is it really so crazy to suggest that not every talented mid major basketball player is going to jump to the P5 immediately after a decent freshman year? Who has entered the portal from Ohio this year? Maybe it's not as bad as you're absolutely sure it is.