Not sure if you’ve heard anything about this lately, but college sports are a bit of a mess these days.
NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal — with a dash of rampant tampering — have led to never-ending free agency and skyrocketing payrolls. The NCAA can’t seem to enforce its own ever-changing rules. Lawsuits and federal judges are deciding who is actually eligible to play, which might include guys who’ve signed NBA contracts and a bunch of last season’s seniors who were weeks away from accepting entry-level jobs in medical sales.
Thankfully, the federal government, known for its swift and decisive problem-solving without any hint of hidden agenda, is here to help. What could possibly go wrong?
While we wait on politicians to Save College Sports, I wanted to hear from folks with boots on the ground about what college basketball, in particular, needs saving from. What’s good, bad and in desperate need of fixing? So I surveyed several of the sport’s most prominent coaches about exactly that.
This panel is stacked with the brightest minds in college hoops. UConn‘s Dan Hurley, Michigan State‘s Tom Izzo, Baylor‘s Scott Drew and Michigan‘s Mike Boynton (as an assistant) have all won national titles. Alabama‘s Nate Oats, Arizona‘s Tommy Lloyd and Purdue‘s Matt Painter have all reached the Final Four. Miami‘s Jai Lucas, Iowa‘s Ben McCollum and Josh Schertz of Saint Louis are rising stars in the sport. Louisville‘s Pat Kelsey just signed the top-ranked portal class in college basketball.
The ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC andmid-majors are all represented here. So let’s dive right in, then, and talk about what’s broken in the sport and how to fix it.
Part 1 of this survey series asks the question: What worries you most about college basketball right now?
