The College Basketball Crown, or CBC, attempts to provide another basketball option for teams that don’t make the NCAA tournament.
Crown Basketball Sails Through Uncharted Waters
In a bold move, Fox Sports begins to bite into the postseason apple. With the invention of the College Basketball Crown (CBC), teams that just missed March Madness will enjoy spring basketball. Unlike the NCAA tournament, the CBC will only field 16 teams, Moreover, this will take place from March 31 to April 6.
In essence, a one-week tournament in Las Vegas. The tournament begins after the NCAA Regional Finals and concludes on the Sunday before the national championship. It directly addresses the gap in basketball during quiet time.
Fox Sports and the CBC endeavor to change the sport. The winning school receives $300,000 in NIL money.
Meanwhile, the runner-up will earn $100,000, and the other two teams in the semifinals will see $50,000. Some coaches immediately jumped on board. For example, Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg discussed his enthusiasm for the opportunity to foxsports.com.
“We have had the opportunity to have some high-level practices in preparation for the Crown,” added Hoiberg, who has charged the Huskers to back-to-back postseason appearances after they reached the program’s first NCAA Tournament since 2014 last year. “I’ve been impressed with the effort the Crown has put into making this a first-class event for the teams in Las Vegas, and we are looking forward to going out and playing.”
That type of hype surrounding an event could give the tournament staying power and turn it into a must-see basketball event.
The CBC chooses six teams from the Big East, Big 12, and Big Ten. The other ten slots will be filled by the order of a committee. Sentiment began to build of whether Fox Sports would choose the most marketable and not the best teams.
Therefore, accusations of an anti-mid-major bias surfaced. By looking at the lineup and the three mid-majors selected, that argument has absolutely no water. While it doesn’t specifically go out of its way to embrace smaller conferences, the CBC does not ignore them. In a sense, that feels like progress.
With the CBS grabbing the best of the rest from three basketball power conferences, it whittles down the viability of the National Invitational Tournament. For 87 years, the NIT remained the alternative to the NCAAs.
However, the continued expansion of the tournament field has sliced into the NIT’s drawing pool. Now, the CBC presents the toughest and perhaps final challenge for the legendary to overcome.
Teams declined invitations to compete in the CBC. The lure of NIL money is quite the incentive for any school that struggles in that aspect to not only pad their pockets but also stack a postseason trophy in the display case.
In the last few years, attention has waned around the NIT. Granted, ESPN broadcasts the entire tournament, but can you name anyone who makes sure they sit in front of a television to watch it?
Ironically, the NIT once served as the main college basketball tournament while the NCAA Tournament inhabited the role of upstart. The table turned, and if the trend continues, this one great tournament could fall by the wayside.
KEEP READING: How Much Will the College Basketball Crown Tournament Pay Out Their Winners?
Fox Sports used their sizable basketball footprint to roll the dice in Las Vegas. The CBC isn’t trying to compete with March Madness. Right off the bat, they chose a dark period to conduct the tournament, which looks like a smart move.
In addition, the tournament appeals to the one fuel that keeps sports thriving: money. By offering NIL money, organizers know that the 16 teams will play for keeps.
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