The new College Basketball Crown tournament is tying NIL deals to wins
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
The College Basketball Crown, a new postseason tournament, tips off its inaugural run on March 31 with 16 men's teams.
What's at stake: $500,000 in name, image and likeness brand ambassador deals is on the line making it one of the first postseason college basketball tournaments to explicitly tie team success to NIL opportunities.
- The CBI Tournament introduced an NIL prize pool last year.
How it works: Teams who did not make the NCAA March Madness will face-off in a single-elimination tournament March 31 through April 6 in Las Vegas.
- Automatic bids were given to the top two teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East, The rest were picked by a selection committee.
- Georgetown, Boise State and Villanova turned down their National Invitational Tournament bids to participate while Ohio State, West Virginia, Kansas State and Rutgers turned down their College Basketball Crown invites, according to CBS.
- The NIL ambassador earnings will include a $300,000 package for the champions and $100,000 for the runner up team. The third and fourth place teams will receive $50,000 each.
What they're saying: "This initiative represents an innovative shift in college basketball's postseason landscape," Jordan Bazant, executive vice president of FOX Sports, said in a statement. "It not only enhances competition, but also underscores our commitment to supporting student-athletes by unlocking new commercial opportunities."
Teams in the College Basketball Crown
- Big Ten: Nebraska Cornhuskers, USC Trojans
- Big 12: Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes, UCF Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, Utah Utes
- Big East: Butler Bulldogs, DePaul Blue Demons, Georgetown Hoyas, Villanova Wildcats
- Others: Boise State Broncos (Mountain West), George Washington Revolutionaries (Atlantic 10), Oregon State Beavers (West Coast Conference), Tulane Green Wave (American Athletic Conference), and Washington State Cougars (West Coast Conference)
How to watch
Fans can watch the tournament exclusively on FOX and FS1 and can livestream on FOXsports.com, the FOX Sports App, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu and FuboTV. View full tournament TV schedule here.
- Tickets for the games at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena range from $13 to $400 for opening rounds and increase to $750 during quarter- and semifinals and the championship.
💠Our thought bubble: This tournament gives student-athletes a shot at winning big in the NIL game — even without a March Madness bid.
- Yes, but: There's no women's equivalent.
