Pride, money are incentives in College Basketball Crown

LAS VEGAS — It’s April, which means the college basketball season has dwindled down to a handful of games.


Of course, at this point, they’re all meaningful. Whether it’s the Final Four or the NIT in Indianapolis or the College Basketball Crown here at the MGM Grand Garden and T-Mobile Arena, if you’re still playing, it matters.

And while the Crown may not carry the prestige of the Final Four or the NIT, it’s an opportunity for eight teams to get better and generate some revenue for their Name, Image and Likeness collective while playing in front of a national television audience on FOX Sports.

Ultimately, the money may be more important than the trophy the champion of the Crown will receive Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile. Getting $300,000 is not chump change. It may be enough to buy yourself a backup point guard or a power forward.

We are living in strange times for college sports. Every athlete thinks he or she is worth millions and expects to be paid handsomely. If not here, then somewhere else.

It’s what happened at UNLV with football and basketball. Quarterback Anthony Collandrea, who came to Las Vegas from Virginia, wasn’t making enough bank playing for Dan Mullen, so he hightailed it to Nebraska. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who transferred to the Runnin’ Rebels from Illinois, and had a tremendous season, is on the move again as he’s entering the transfer portal in search of a bigger payday. And Myles Che, who transferred from UC Irvine to UNLV but never played a minute for the Rebels after breaking his foot in the off-season, is also leaving.

UNLV fans haven’t forgotten Dedan Thomas Jr.’s bolting to LSU a year ago rather than stay and play for Josh Pastner.
It feels like the only loyalty is to the almighty dollar. So if you’re a college basketball coach, you better find creative ways to boost your NIL collective. Sixteen schools were able to participate in the Players Era in Vegas in November where you were guaranteed a minimum of $1 million. Next season, it’ll be 32 teams. And there’ll be no shortage of suitors looking to take part.

Interestingly, the College Crown downsized from 16 teams a year ago to eight this year. The total pool is still $500,000, same as last year. But this time, fewer teams are competing for it so there’s a better chance of leaving Vegas with something, which many visitors fail to do.

“What an added bonus,” said Oklahoma’s Porter Moser, whose Sooners survived an overtime battle with Colorado to advance to Saturday’s semifinals with a 90-86 win. “We get to compete and keep playing and it’s so unique.”

Nijel Pack, the senior guard who led Oklahoma (20-15) with 20 points, said of the Crown format: “It’s a win-win for everybody. Guys want to keep playing with each other and we want to be victorious. And if we can put a little extra money in everyone’s pocket, that’s great.

“But once we step on the court, we’re not thinking about the money. We’re focused on winning.”

By winning Wednesday, Oklahoma is guaranteed a minimum of $50,000. Same for Baylor, which defeated Minnesota 67-48 to advance to the Crown semis on Saturday where you’re guaranteed $100,000 if you win. Thursday, Stanford faces West Virginia and Creighton meets Rutgers at the Grand Garden looking to line their pockets and join the Sooners and Bears for the weekend at T-Mobile.

But the big prize is the $300 grand. And with the transfer portal opening for business next week, that kind of money can come in handy in an age where the word “retention” has entered the college sports lexicon. You hear coaches use that word all the time as they attempt to keep some semblance of continuity with their roster.

“We’re multitasking right now,” Moser said of what he and his staff are dealing with this week. There’s a lot going on.”