Jay Bilas says NIL hasn’t ruined March Madness despite growing criticism

When all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four last year, bracket producers and college basketball enthusiasts alike declared March Madness dead, thanks to the NIL.

However, Jay Bilas, one of the expert analysts, does not accept 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 and ESPN analyst said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

“And I’ll give you an example. A few years ago, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic went to the Final Four, and San Diego State got to the championship game. And the narrative was, ‘The world is flat, the NIL made everyone equal. Everybody can win. There’s complete equality in college sports now.’ A few years later, we see all four of the No. 1 seeds producing it, and the story was, ‘Cinderella is dead. Only the big guys can win. Sport is ruined…’

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“Each of these tournaments is different. And again, no single data point creates a trend. It’s a rearview mirror sport. People complain about it afterward. They enjoy it while it lasts, but then they complain about it.”

Bilas also noted that all four of the No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four in 2008, nearly 13 years before the NIL existed.

While some may think the NIL ruined the tournament, Bilas believes that couldn’t be further from the truth and will enjoy it with an ice-cold Garage Beer founded by Travis and Jason Kelce.

“I love beer, I love garages,” Bilas joked, adding that the Kelce brothers were the main reason he wanted to be the spokesperson for the drink this March Madness. “I probably shouldn’t talk about how much I love beer, but I love beer and I love Garage Beer. There’s nothing better than tournament time, and those two things go so well together. I try to avoid that when I’m live, but I’m like everyone else; when there’s a good game, I like to crack one on.”

General view of the “March Madness” logo during First Four Practice at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

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Bilas also called for hypocrisy and loyalty between speakers and fans to disappear as the transfer portal becomes more popular than ever.

“Is that called loyalty when you can’t leave, or is there no other option? And I love living in a world where a player who’s under-recruited out of high school has to go somewhere they don’t desire and show that they’re so much better than that. Are they supposed 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,” he said.

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“I mean, coaches do that when a team at a smaller school is doing really well, when the coach comes to the bigger school, but the players can’t do that. So, I like that they’re allowed to do that. And if we want them to stay, then sign them to a long-term contract; it’s the player’s and the school’s choice if they stay here.”

Bilas correctly picked the Final Four last year, but this year he expects some parity in perhaps one of the most memorable tournaments.

A general view of the March Madness logo in center field at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

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“People say even in my job there are some people who say the sport is broken, but on the field things have never been better,” Bilas said. “The players are better than they’ve ever been. The game is older now than it was five, six years ago, and I think it’s a fantastic product and I think it’s better than it’s ever been.”

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