March Madness is missing Cinderella this year - and she may never come back
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- For the second consecutive year, no mid-major conference schools have reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, marking a notable departure from trends seen throughout the 21st century.
- Historically, mid-major programs like Butler, Wichita State, and Florida Atlantic have made deep tournament runs, embodying the "March Madness" spirit, but recent financial disparities and the NIL era are challenging their competitiveness.
- Coaches such as Arizona's Tommy Lloyd attribute the decline of mid-majors to financial constraints, suggesting that increased funding is crucial for these programs to compete with Power Four conferences.
- Despite the lack of Cinderella stories, tournament viewership remains strong, with the 2024 Round of 64 experiencing a 6% increase in viewers and setting a record for opening day audience numbers.
- The evolving college athletics landscape, including conference realignments and escalating athletic department budgets like Texas's $376 million expenditure, continues to reshape competitive dynamics, leaving the future of mid-majors uncertain.
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D630%26fit%3Dcrop%26enable%3Dupscale%26auto%3Dwebp?format=webp&w=120&h=80)
