College Basketball Crown returns for second year with massive NIL prize pool, rock solid competition

The College Basketball Crown volition instrumentality to Las Vegas connected Wednesday for the 2nd iteration of the postseason tournament, which features a $500,000 NIL prize pool.

Beyond the NIL wealth up for grabs, this year’s tourney volition person immoderate large names successful men’s assemblage hoops. Oklahoma, Colorado, Baylor, Minnesota, Stanford, West Virginia, Rutgers and Creighton volition each vie for the championship.

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers winning the Crown College Basketball Championship against the UCF Knights astatine the T-Mobile Arena connected April 6, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

LaPhonso Ellis, a erstwhile Notre Dame Fighting Irish prima and FOX Sports broadcaster, told Fox News Digital that the Sooners are 1 of the teams he’s expecting to interruption out.

"Part of that is erstwhile you person to triumph a tourney similar this, you archetypal person to person engagement," Ellis explained. "I deliberation these guys, having won six retired of their past 7 and missing (the NCAA Tournament), they person that sour sensation successful their mouths and you privation to spell retired connected a precocious note."

Ellis said helium expected West Virginia to beryllium with Oklahoma successful the last game.

"I person them gathering West Virginia successful the finals but I had them having a flimsy borderline implicit West Virginia due to the fact that West Virginia is truly bully defensively, 1 of the apical 25 astir businesslike defenses successful the country, but I deliberation successful the end, erstwhile you person a defence that has improved arsenic overmuch arsenic the elder defence has improved implicit the past mates weeks, it comes down to your quality to beryllium capable to enactment it successful the handbasket and Oklahoma does that astatine a precocious level," helium said.

The NIL prize excavation is 1 of the bigger aspects of the tournament.

Sports expert LaPhonso Ellis during the broadcast earlier the crippled betwixt the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan State Spartans astatine XFINITY Center connected Feb. 29, 2020. (Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports)

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Ellis said that it’s a existent inducement for players arsenic they’ve been disconnected the tribunal for a fewer weeks since missing retired connected the tract of 68 that would person had them competing for a nationalist championship.

"I deliberation it’s precise important due to the fact that erstwhile you get to this stage, remember, these teams that spell into our tournament, it’s been astir 2 weeks that they’ve been disconnected from contention and I deliberation you person to person immoderate level of bargain in, and portion of that buy-in contiguous has been created. You person NIL, of course, successful the shadow, and you’ve got to travel up with immoderate existent inducement to get these high-brand names successful your tournament."

Last year, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were the tourney champions.

The Fred Hoiberg-led programme past parlayed that occurrence into a 28-7 play successful 2025-26. The Cornhuskers made the large creation and mislaid successful the Sweet 16 to Iowa.

The College Basketball Crown begins Wednesday and runs done Sunday. The games volition beryllium aired connected FS1 and FOX.

The opening circular matchups are arsenic follows:

• Oklahoma vs. Colorado (April 1, 8 p.m. ET)
• Baylor vs. Minnesota (April 1, 10:30 p.m. ET)
• Stanford vs. West Virginia (April 2, 8 p.m. ET)
• Rutgers vs. Creighton (April 2, 10:30 p.m. ET)

A Nebraska Cornhuskers' subordinate places the College Basketball Crown Championship Trophy connected Juwan Gary #4 aft their team's 77-66 triumph implicit the UCF Knights successful the the title crippled of the College Basketball Crown tourney astatine T-Mobile Arena connected April 6, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

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The first-round games volition instrumentality spot astatine the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The remainder of the tourney volition instrumentality spot astatine the T-Mobile Arena.

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