It's Time To Talk About Everyone Blaming NIL And The Transfer Portal For No Upsets Or Mid-Majors In The NCAA Tournament This Year

We know what's going on in the NCAA Tournament. I can't imagine there's someone reading this being like whoa, who is playing? Then again I don't understand how people walk among us having no idea sports are going on, just a weird world to think about. Anyways, all I've heard for the last 24 hours or so is that NIL and the transfer portal killed the NCAA Tournament. 

And on and on we go. You can't look at Twitter or talk to someone without them immediately blaming the NIL and transfer portal as to why we have all power school teams in the Sweet 16. Seemingly they forget the same thing happened in 2017. Seemingly they forgot that a mere year ago we had Yale, Duquesne, Grand Canyon, James Madison and Oakland win games. Seemingly they forgot that a mere two years ago we had Florida Atlantic and San Diego State in the Final Four. But we live in a world where everyone has to freak out when something goes one way. 

Let me be clear, the transfer portal sucks because it needs to be changed. It shouldn't be open now and we need some limits in terms of how it works. One free transfer, free transfer if your coach leaves then. But NIL and all this has been around for more than this Tournament. Why did no one scream about it the last two years? It's the easiest crutch to lean on when something in college sports isn't going our way. 

The other thing? The Tournament is fucking weird. Every year it's weird. Again, we saw this exact tournament in 2017, or in 2016 and 2019 when the only 'mid-major' in the Sweet 16 was Gonzaga. But 2017 was mid-majors, no upsets, the major upsets were power conference teams making runs like South Carolina in the Final Four. It wasn't a mid-major doing anything. Obviously we didn't have NIL or transfer portal that year, but it shows this shit just happens. You can't take a one-off sample size and yell this is the new normal. We've seen mid-majors in the Final Four during the NIL/portal era. You wanna tell me this Tournament hasn't been the best? Sure, whatever, I'll listen to that argument. But that's because of reviews, blowouts, mid-majors shooting 30% on the big stage. It's a combo of shit that we've seen play out this way.

If this happens the next 3, then, sure let's blame NIL and the portal for ruining it all. Right now it's just the top teams are fucking awesome.