"Been chalk city": Dick Vitale puts blame on NIL for lack of Cinderella teams in 2025 March Madness

The legendary Dick Vitale detailed the 2025 March Madness bracket on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday," highlighting that only powerhouse teams and popular names remain in the NCAA Tournament.

When McAfee inquired about the lack of midmajor programs, Vitale blamed NIL and the money that revolves around big-time schools.

"It's chalk city. There's no doubt about it," he said. "I mean, 13 of the teams there have been to the Final Four. Eight of them that have already won national titles.

"It's all chalk city. ... You know why: the NIL, man, the schools that are paying big-time cash. It's all about that. We've got chaos going on."

Dick Vitale adds to the narrative that the NIL is factoring in widenening the gap between under-the-radar, midmajor programs and powerhouse programs in the 2025 March Madness. NIL allows premier programs to acquire talent through lucrative endorsement offers.

Many experts also suggest that it has resulted in the absence of Cinderella stories, which is a signature element of the NCAA Tournament.

In the 2024 tourney, the NC State Wolfpack defeated teams like Marquette and Duke to mark a Final Four entry. Oakland defeated Kentucky in the same region. Duquesne and San Diego State also pulled off huge upsets, while Yale eliminated the Auburn Tigers in the first round.

There have been unexpected outcomes this year as well. McNeese defeated Clemson, Drake overcame Missouri and Arkansas ousted Kansas. However, the overall trend is directed by deep-pocketed teams.

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Colin Cowherd explains why Cinderella runs are bad for the 2025 March Madness

Just like Dick Vitale, Colin Cowherd addressed the complications that NIL has posed on the 2025 March Madness. However, he pointed out the hypocrisy of college basketball fans, saying that they are only interested in watching upsets rather than a Cinderella run.

He said that whenever an unpredicted team defeated a powerhouse, it reduced the overall viewership of the NCAA Tournament.

"Eventually, all these upsets – they're ratings killers," he said on "The Herd" (Timestamp: 1:28). "So, people say, 'I love upsets,' and people do predictable things: They don't watch the next game after an upset."

No. 10-seeded Arkansas is the only underdog remaining in the 2025 March Madness. It's also the only team in the Sweet 16 that is seeded outside of six.