The College Basketball Crown: A New Era in Postseason Play
The landscape of college basketball postseason tournaments is evolving. While the NCAA Tournament remains the pinnacle and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) holds its place, a new contender has emerged: the College Basketball Crown (CBC). Created by FOX Sports and AEG Global Partnerships, the CBC aims to provide an alternative postseason opportunity for teams that don't make the NCAA Tournament, particularly those from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences.
Genesis of the College Basketball Crown
The College Basketball Crown was founded in 2024 and will hold its first tournament in 2025. The inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament took place with the Nebraska Cornhuskers capturing the title. The second annual College Basketball Crown will take place in Las Vegas from Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5.
FOX Sports initiated the tournament, in part, as a platform for the three major college basketball conferences to which it holds television rights, namely the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East. Traditionally, the NIT has been broadcast by ESPN, a primary competitor to FOX in the realm of college athletics. This meant that teams FOX typically broadcasts during the regular season were appearing on a rival network during the postseason.
Tournament Format and Schedule
The College Basketball Crown is a single-elimination tournament featuring 16 teams. The games take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena, both located near the Las Vegas Strip. The tournament is scheduled between the Elite Eight and the Final Four rounds of the NCAA Tournament, filling a gap in the college basketball calendar.
Based in Las Vegas, the second annual College Basketball Crown is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, April 1 to Sunday, April 5. Games will be held at two iconic venues: the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the T-Mobile Arena.
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Selection Process: A Focus on Power Conferences
Unlike the NIT, the College Basketball Crown places a strong emphasis on teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East conferences. Two automatic qualifiers from each of these conferences are selected for the tournament, with the remaining ten spots filled by at-large teams. While the specific selection criteria for at-large teams weren't initially detailed, early proposals suggested the use of NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, potentially prioritizing teams from the aforementioned power conferences.
The selection process for the CBC will follow Selection Sunday for March Madness, which is scheduled for Sunday, March 15.
NIL Opportunities: A Modern Twist
One of the unique aspects of the College Basketball Crown is its integration of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for participating athletes. In 2026, the tournament introduced a first-of-its-kind NIL prize pool, awarding the championship team a $300,000 NIL package. The runner-up receives a $100,000 package, while the semifinalists each earn $50,000 through the Vivid Seats Ambassador Program.
This NIL initiative aims to enhance the experience for student-athletes and provide them with valuable commercial opportunities. As FOX Sports Executive Vice President Jordan Bazant noted, the CBC seeks to "raise the experience for student-athletes" and offer exposure to NBA teams and scouts that they might not otherwise receive in other postseason tournaments.
Impact on the NIT
The emergence of the College Basketball Crown has had a ripple effect on the NIT. In response to the CBC's launch, the NCAA initially eliminated automatic bids for regular-season champions from all Division I conferences in the NIT. The NIT would include the two top non-NCAA NET ranked teams from the Power Six conferences (the Pac-12 still existed at the time).
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However, this plan was later scrapped. In 2024, the NIT guaranteed two bids for ACC and SEC teams, and one guaranteed bid for each of the top 12 conferences. Regular season conference champions that average a ranking of 125 or better in the BPI, KPI, NET, KenPom, SOR, Torvik and WAB rankings would also get a guaranteed bid. The NIT also guaranteed one bid to each of the twelve conferences other than the ACC and SEC with the highest KenPom rating. The NCAA revoked the two automatic bids previously given to the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 (the conferences committed to participate in the CBC), leaving two automatic bids only for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC).
These changes reflect the NCAA's efforts to maintain the NIT's relevance in the face of competition from the College Basketball Crown.
Participating Teams and Early Reactions
The inaugural College Basketball Crown featured a mix of teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, and other conferences. Some of the teams that participated include:
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- USC Trojans
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Colorado Buffaloes
- UCF Knights
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Utah Utes
- Butler Bulldogs
- DePaul Blue Demons
- Georgetown Hoyas
- Villanova Wildcats
- Boise State Broncos
- George Washington Revolutionaries
- Oregon State Beavers
- Tulane Green Wave
- Washington State Cougars
Some teams, like Georgetown, Boise State, and Villanova, reportedly turned down NIT bids to participate in the CBC, while others, such as Ohio State, West Virginia, Kansas State, and Rutgers, declined invitations to the College Basketball Crown.
Coaches have expressed both excitement and cautious optimism about the new tournament. Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg praised the Crown for providing his team with an opportunity to compete for a championship and continue playing together. DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann saw the tournament as a valuable opportunity to rebuild his program and gain exposure. George Washington head coach Chris Caputo highlighted the chance to play against high-level opponents on national television.
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Broadcasting and Coverage
All College Basketball Crown games are broadcast on FOX and FS1, ensuring national coverage for the tournament. Games can also be streamed on FOXsports.com, the FOX Sports App, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu, and FuboTV.
Vivid Seats is the Official Ticketing Provider of the College Basketball Crown.
Partners and Sponsors
The College Basketball Crown has attracted several partners and sponsors, including:
- Vivid Seats (Official Ticketing Provider)
- GHOST® ENERGY (Official Energy and Hydration Provider)
- Circa Resort & Casino (Official Hotel of the Tournament Referees)
- JSX (Official Air Carrier)
- MGM Resorts International (Official Team Host Hotel)
- Mercury Insurance
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