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When all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four last year, college basketball decision-makers and aficionados declared March Madness dead thanks to NIL.
But one expert, Jay Bilas, doesn’t buy this idea.
“I’m not sure there’s enough data, because we live in a world where one data point automatically creates a trend,” the former Duke star turned ESPN analyst said in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital.
“And I’ll give you an example. A few years ago, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic made it to the Final Four, and San Diego State won the championship game. And the narrative was, ‘The world is flat, NIL made everyone equal. Everyone can win. There’s complete parity in college sports now.’ And a few years later, we got the four No. 1 seeds, and the narrative was, “Cinderella is dead.” Only the big guys can win. Sport is ruined…’
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ESPN College GameDay host Jay Bilas prepares to broadcast before the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 1, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. (King Lance/Getty Images)
“Each of these tournaments is different. And again, one data point doesn’t create a trend. It’s a rear-view mirror sport. People complain about it afterwards. They like it when it’s happening, but they complain about it afterwards.”
Bilas also pointed out that all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four in 2008, almost 13 years before NIL even existed.
So while some may think NIL ruined the tournament, Bilas thinks that couldn’t be further from the truth, and he’ll enjoy it with some ice-cold Garage Beer, founded by Travis and Jason Kelce.
“I like beer and I like garages,” Bilas joked, adding that the Kelce brothers are one of the main reasons he wanted to be the drink’s spokesperson this March Madness. “I probably shouldn’t talk about how much I love beer, but I love beer and I love Garage Beer. And there’s nothing like tournament time, and those two things go really well together. I try to avoid it when I’m on the air, but I’m like everyone else: When there’s a good match, I like to open one.”
General view of the “March Madness” logo during the first four practices at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
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Bilas also called out the hypocrisy among talking heads and fans that loyalty has disappeared while the transfer portal has become more popular than ever.
“When you couldn’t leave, was that called loyalty or was there just no choice? And I love living in a world where an under-recruited player coming out of high school has to go somewhere he didn’t aspire to, and he shows that he’s way better than that. Are they forced to stay there for their entire college experience when they can get on the biggest stage and show what they can do? And everyone knows who they are,” Bilas said.
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“I mean, coaches do it when a team from a small school is doing really well, the coach comes to the bigger school, but the players can’t. I mean, I like that they’re allowed to do that. And if we want them to stay, then sign them to a long-term contract, where it’s the player’s choice and the school’s choice whether they stay.”
Bilas narrowly picked the Final Four last year, but he expects some parity this year in what could be one of the most memorable tournaments.
A general view of the March Madness logo on center court at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
“People say, there are people even in my business who say the sport is broken, but on the field it’s never been better,” Bilas said. “The players are better than they’ve ever been. The game is older now than it was five or six years ago, I think it’s a fabulous product and I think it’s better than it’s ever been.”
