If you ain’t payin, you ain’t playin

[Catmandoo78]

College basketball's NIL arms race, from $5M to $25M+: Breaking down roster values, spending tiers for 2026-27

CBS Sports contacted more than 100 sources to discover how much each power-conference hoops program invested this season

www.cbssports.com

 

[EagerFan]

I'm impressed and even a bit amazed that, per the article, Painter has never brought in a transfer that wasn't also a graduate. That's very cool and the model I think Collins wants to use.

Also, it looks like one of the ways to a more impressive resume is to schedule a bunch of the P4 teams for the under $5 million category.

 

[Catmandoo78]

I'm impressed and even a bit amazed that, per the article, Painter has never brought in a transfer that wasn't also a graduate. That's very cool and the model I think Collins wants to use.

Also, it looks like one of the ways to a more impressive resume is to schedule a bunch of the P4 teams for the under $5 million category.

How does that lead to an impressive resume? Assuming those teams are likely to be bad teams, a win against a bunch of cupcakes (even if they’re P4 cupcakes) doesn’t mean anything in the NET ranking system.

 

[EagerFan]

How does that lead to an impressive resume? Assuming those teams are likely to be bad teams, a win against a bunch of cupcakes (even if they’re P4 cupcakes) doesn’t mean anything in the NET ranking system.

A season where your OOC games are all victories over P4 teams and you have a winning record in the B1G conference (against the bottom half, sure, but still) will take you dancing. The $5 million and down category, as I read the article, still includes top 100 teams. They don't have to be cupcakes, they're just operating at a financial disadvantage. I haven't looked at real numbers across the P4, and the staff doesn't have the scheduling flexibility to intentionally create my snarky plan, but I suspect you could theoretically build schedules that target financially strapped P4 programs made up of teams ranked better than 150. I believe that would be an impressive resume for many teams not named Duke, Kentucky, NC, etc.

I mean, based on the article, the Cats may not be very far above that $5 line. Coaching and recruiting the right players for your style rather than just the most expensive players available will still matter. I'm sure we'll see some big spenders go bust or flame out early.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

It’s going to be a long year for the Cats. The CCC haters gonna have a field day.