Parity, the portal and NIL all driving a new era for college basketball
The 2023 NCAA Tournament was unlike any other, a parade of firsts winding down the road to Houston.
None of the No. 1 seeds made it to the Elite Eight for the first time since seeding began in 1979. Not a single top-three team reached the Final Four for the first time ever; instead, the semifinals welcomed three debutant teams for first time since 1970.
“I just think there’s more parity than there’s ever been,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said of a Final Four that included his Aztecs, Florida Atlantic, Miami and Uconn.
College basketball is undergoing a shift, a new era ushered in by the transfer portal, endorsement money for athletes and conference realignment.
Bluebloods like Kansas, Duke and North Carolina have all won championships the past eight years. But so have programs like Baylor and Virginia, while Uconn and Villanova have become mini dynasties, combining for five championships since 2011.
The NCAA Tournament has ramped up the madness even more, with No. 16 seeds taking out No. 1 seeds twice in the past six years after going a combined 0-135 before that.
This new era is clear to see with a glance at The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, which makrs its 75th anniversary this month.
Buffalo, Furman, Wofford and FAU have been ranked for the first time in the past five years. Rutgers was ranked for the first time in 39 years, reaching No. 24 in 2019-20. Penn State ended a 24-year poll-less streak in 2019-20. College of Charleston was ranked last season for the first time since 2002-03.
Then there’s Loyola-chicago.
The Ramblers had to go back to 1984-85 for their last ranking before returning at No. 22 on Feb. 8, 2021. That came three years after a memorable run with Sister Jean to the Final Four.
New teams also have emerged atop the poll.
Purdue hit No. 1 for the first time in 2021 and is on a three-season run at the top, including the current AP Top 25. Houston reached No. 1 last season for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama team in 1982-83.
Alabama had its first No. 1 ranking in 10 years last season. Auburn was No. 1 for the first time the year before. Same for Baylor in 2020 while Virginia reached the top rung in 2018 for the first time in 36 years.
“What makes college basketball so unique is you can have a Florida Atlantic or a Gonzaga — somebody who doesn’t have big-time football — be really good at basketball and have a chance to win a national championship,” said National Association of Basketball Coaches executive director Craig Robinson, a former head coach at Oregon State and Brown.