The Big Lead

Some say NIL ruined college basketball, but March Madness viewership paints a different story

The transfer portal for next season is already open, but the NCAA Tournament has lots of amazing basketball left to be played.

By Matt Reed

Purdue Boilermakers celebrate after scoring, Sunday, March 24, 2024, during the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Utah State Aggies 106-67.
Purdue Boilermakers celebrate after scoring, Sunday, March 24, 2024, during the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Utah State Aggies 106-67. / Joe Timmerman/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The discussion of NIL has already become a massive talking point just a few days into the transfer portal opening up for the next college basketball season, however, the NCAA Tournament isn't even close to being over yet.

As the Sweet 16 nears this week with lots of great matchups on tap, there's been significant talk from experts and analysts about how college basketball is being ruined by NIL and the transfer portal, but somehow the games are seeing near-record viewership numbers and that indicates an entirely different narrative.

RELATED: The NCAA men's basketball transfer portal has been absolutely chaotic

While the NBA is having tough times finding ways to engage their fans and keep them involved over the course of a long regular season, March Madness hasn't been this big in decades.

In fact, the first two rounds of this year's NCAA Tournament have averaged over 9.4 million viewers, which is the highest the games have seen in over 30 years.

While some pundits like Stephen A. Smith have suggested the lack of upsets and Cinderella stories is bad for the game, people are still watching the big-time schools like Duke, Florida, Kentucky and others that are still competing in this year's tournament.

The one main reason why Smith and others have gotten this narrative entirely wrong is that NIL has not only helped college stars build up their financial portfolios, but it's also increased exposure on the players themselves because there are more talented players than ever before.

While the business side of things has gotten messy, especially with the transfer portal opening up during the NCAA Tournament, we're at a point now where schools like BYU, Purdue and others are able to compete for big-time players because they have significant NIL Collectives that can bring in stars.

It's impossible to say if this will continue over time, and maybe it will turn into a college football situation where schools like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan win the recruiting battles every year, but for. now this doesn't seem to be the case in the slighest.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey looks on during the second half
Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In fact, Rutgers was a perfect example this season after adding Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper - two projected top-5 picks in the NBA Draft. Neither player is playing in March Madness because the Scarlet Knights finished outside the top 10 in the BIg Ten and couldn't qualify.

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