"Great for college basketball": Colin Cowherd gets 100% real on NIL causing a decrease in Cinderella stories

While legendary coaching names and fans alike question the multi-dimensional impact of NIL deals in college sports, Colin Cowherd had a unique take. He discussed the lack of Cinderella stories and the direct correlation to NIL while on "The Herd" podcast.

He reasoned that it helps teams retain top-caliber talents for an extended duration. Cowherd added that it allows powerhouse teams to pick up assets from the portal and quickly become a better program.

"NIL, actually, great for college basketball because it keeps some of the better players in college for another year, like a Zach Edey," he said. "And then, the big brands can cherry-pick mid-major teams, that nobody watches on television, and get better faster."

While Colin Cowherd claimed that the NIL benefited big programs become even bigger, he also pointed out the hypocrisy of college ball fans. He expressed that while hoop heads like watching big-time upsets or the start of a potential Cinderella run, they don't necessarily stay invested throughout the team's stretch.

"Yes, America likes to watch Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Arizona, more than Drexel, Lipscomb and Wofford, who knew?" he said. "The rest of us common people, don't watch a lot of Missouri Valley basketball ... eventually, all these upsets, they are ratings killers."

"People say, 'I love upsets,' and people do predictable things - they don't watch the next game after an upset."

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Bruce Pearl likes to leverage NIL to add players from mid-major schools

Auburn coach, Bruce Pearl, joined Colin Cowherd to discuss his adaptability to the NIL structure and utilization of the portal. While Pearl emphasizes the importance of creating a culture, he shared that transfers allow a team to add key pieces in the offseason.

"For me, I typically don't like somebody else's mistakes, I really like guys that in the portal that come from mid-major, Division II or junior college," he said (0:58). "Guys that are humble and hungry and just want an opportunity ... that's been the secret sauce for Auburn."

Auburn led the highly competitive SEC in the conference slate of games this season. They earned the No. 1 seed in the South bracket of the NCAA tournament.