With the regular season over and March Madness underway, reality is starting to hit for many college basketball programs: the hard-nosed, “grassroots” approach that worked in the past is no longer as effective in today’s era of NIL. In this new landscape, having the right resources has become a key factor in determining success.
In the NCAA Power Five conferences, perhaps no team has faced this reality more than Seton Hall. After a 25-win season and an NIT tournament championship last year, the Pirates ended this regular season last in the Big East standings with a conference record of 2–18 and an overall record of 7–25, making it the worst season in Seton Hall men’s basketball history. This can be directly attributed to the program’s lack of resources, as it is reported that Seton Hall’s budget is an estimated $1.5 million, which is the lowest in the conference.
This trend is consistent across the NCAA: with the lowest estimated NIL budgets in their respective conferences, Penn State finished last in the Big Ten (with a 1–17 conference record); Colorado finished last in the Big 12 (3–17); and LSU finished second to last in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) (3–15). Considering that all three of these schools invest most of their revenue into their football programs, this is understandable; however, it is still apparent that there is a correlation to success and available resources, as well as budget size.
As discussed previously in The Setonian, NIL has drastically changed the landscape of college basketball. College athletes are now able to get paid from their name, image, and likeness (hence the acronym, NIL), with players earning millions of dollars. For example, Texas freshman quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, is reported to earn up to $6 million, despite only starting in two games for the Longhorns last season. In college basketball, Duke freshman forward and future No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Cooper Flagg, is projected to earn up to $5 million this season, according to valuations by On3. The nation's top high school basketball recruit, A.J. Dybantsa, committed to BYU after reports indicated that they offered him close to $7 million dollars, according to Bleacher Report.
In July 2024, the Northern District Court of California filed settlement documents to resolve class-action lawsuits against the NCAA and its Power Five Conferences, including the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC). The documents specifically address three cases: House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA, and Carter v. NCAA—all of which address “back damages and future benefits for Division I student-athletes,” according to the NCAA’s website.
Additionally, ESPN reported that “as part of the House settlement [expected to go into effect on July 1], each school will be able to share roughly $20.5 million with its athletes via NIL deals next academic year—a figure that is expected to steadily rise during the 10-year lifespan of the settlement.”
Starting March 17, colleges will also be able to negotiate NIL terms with student-athletes before they enroll at their respective institutions. While the university cannot officially make an offer until a student enrolls, this change enables schools to discuss financial opportunities with student-athletes even before they arrive on campus. This further complicates things, such as the recruiting process, with student-athletes being influenced by financial incentives rather than which school/program is the best fit for them academically.
Naturally, these changes, especially the House settlement, should benefit Seton Hall men’s basketball program next year. With the settlement, “Seton Hall would essentially double its NIL budget and be able to pay players more money,” according to an article by NJ.com. A larger budget not only allows Seton Hall to pay players more money but also, in theory, will allow them to recruit higher-ranked players in high school and the transfer portal. In addition, while most programs will divide their settlement earnings across multiple sports, teams in the Big East, including Seton Hall, will benefit from not having football programs, allowing for more resources to be focused on the basketball team.
On Feb. 20, Seton Hall Athletics announced the launch of Seton Hall’s NIL Store. According to its Instagram page, the store helps athletes earn money on every purchase made by patrons. This, along with Onward Setonia, which is Seton Hall’s NIL collective that educates athletes on their NIL rights, will help Seton Hall’s basketball program next season.
Following the team’s loss to Villanova in the first round of the Big East Tournament, Coach Shaheen Holloway discussed NIL and its importance to the future of the program:
“If you don’t have [the resources], you can’t be in the game, period,” Holloway said. “No matter how good of a coach I am…if you don’t have those resources, it’s a [completely] different ball game.”
“We’re treading in the right direction, but I think that we have to make sure that we understand, and [that the] fanbase understands, [just] how important [NIL] is,” he added.
After losing to Seton Hall at the Prudential Center back in February, Dan Hurley, the head coach of UConn’s men’s basketball team, praised Holloway as an “amazing” coach: “Shaheen has proven himself as a coach,” Hurley said. “He’s banked so much in his resume, what he did at Saint Peter’s, what he did last year winning the NIT and [they] should have been an [NCAA] tournament team,” he said in an NJ.com article. And yet, no matter how good of a coach Holloway may be, Hurley acknowledged the disadvantage Seton Hall has without the right resources.
“I think now with the volatility of the sport...you have to have the [NIL] resources in place or else you have no shot,” Hurley said.
Rick Pitino, the head coach of St. John’s men’s basketball, shared a similar sentiment in another NJ.com article: “It’s not a level playing field,” Pitino said. “I’m hoping that revenue [sharing] comes in for Seton Hall… Then you’ll see Seton Hall just as good as every team in the league.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
Dominique Mercadante is the head editor of The Setonian’s Campus Life section. She can be reached at dominique.mercadante@student.shu.edu.
