Hayden Braun, Staff Writer
March Madness is supposed to be pure, unfiltered chaos where any school has a chance, no matter how big the opponent is.
The idea that a small program like Siena University can go toe-to-toe with a blue blood like Duke University is what makes the tournament so special. But with the turnout of last year’s and this year’s tournaments, that unpredictability feels like it’s fading.
Fans don’t want to see all top seeds battling it out in the Final Four like in recent tournaments. They want Cinderella stories, buzzer-beaters and the chaos that made March Madness what it is.
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) is the legal right of college athletes to profit off their fame. It was introduced in 2021 and since then college sports have changed as we know it — and so has March Madness.
One of the last true Cinderella runs came in 2022, when Saint Peter’s University shocked the country. Saint Peter’s became the first team in tournament history to reach the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed, defeating powerhouse programs like the University of Kentucky and Purdue University along the way.
Runs like that are what make the NCAA Tournament special. The unpredictability, the underdogs, the belief that any team no matter who they are can win any game as long as they make the dance.
That’s what draws fans in every March, but today’s era of NIL deals and the transfer portal has made those moments fewer and farther to come by.
Star players at smaller programs are no longer staying — they’re leaving for bigger schools with more money and exposure, creating a growing gap between power conferences and mid-majors.
That reality is already starting to show. VCU just earned its first NCAA tournament win in nearly a decade. But while trying to build on that success, the Rams are being faced with the downside of the NIL system — breakout star second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. entered the transfer portal shortly after the tournament.
Yes, NIL is a good thing and has given athletes opportunities they never had before, but it also created a system where smaller programs struggle to keep their best talent.
With the current system and few restrictions, players can transfer multiple times with immediate eligibility, which has only widened the gap between power programs and mid-majors.
One possible solution would be tightening transfer rules, requiring players to stay at a school longer before entering the transfer portal or limiting the number of times they can transfer without penalty.
In fact, efforts to bring more structure to the system are already emerging at the national level. A recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump aims to limit athletes to one transfer without penalty, regulate NIL collectives and enforce stricter eligibility guidelines, according to the White House.
March Madness has always just been about making it to the dance and as long as you were in, you could win. It was anyone’s turn to take on the glory — that a smaller program can upset a historic program and make history on a random night in March.
But if the current system continues to prioritize money and name value over continuity, those moments will become a thing of the past.
NIL has changed college athletics as we once knew it. Now it’s time for the NCAA to make it a more stable system. The chaos of college basketball was always meant for March not for NIL and the transfer portal.