Jason Whitlock slams NCAA over NIL rules ahead of possible all- No. 1 seed Final Four

Not a week after Stephen A. Smith's "death of college basketball" comments, Jason Whitlock echoed similar sentiments with his thoughts on current NCAA policies. Whitlock, a former Fox Sports and ESPN columnist, sounded off on X after both No. 1 seeds, Florida and Duke, punched their tickets to the Final Four on Saturday.

"We're going to get the best Final Four money can buy. The best and most expensive teams headed to San Antonio. We've landed on a system that completely wipes out the non-elites and the people responsible will call it progress," Whitlock posted.

With Florida and Duke advancing to the Final Four, it is possible that an all-No. 1 seed Final Four could occur, depending on what happens on Sunday. Top seeds Houston and Auburn are clear favorites to advance to San Antonio as well.

Jason Whitlock, the host of Fearless on Blaze Media, is not alone in believing that Name, Image and Likeness deals in college basketball have created a clear divide between the haves and have-nots.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith also argued that NIL rules have ruined college basketball.

"If this continues, it will be the death of college basketball," Smith said on the Monday episode of First Take. "This has no effect on the allure of college basketball during the season … If people continue to get to point to that, then college basketball as we knew it — which to me is all about March Madness — will cease to exist. Because there’s no madness."

Jason Whitlock believes that NIL money is hurting college athletes' academic integrity

An X user responded to Jason Whitlock's tweet by pushing back on the claim that NIL money hurts college basketball.

@doughertybuck1 commented on the post, saying that just because college athletes receive NIL money does not necessarily mean they do not have to attend classes.

"Tennessee’s basketball team had a 3.5 GPA average first semester. They have some who’ve already earned an undergraduate degree. Other schools are similar," the user made his point.

Whitlock responded to the user by doubling down on his argument, adding his belief that academic integrity in college sports is non-existent.

"I would've graduated with a 4.0 gpa if I was making 100k in college. You know how cheap it is to buy homework and whatnot? Don't be this naive. No one — and I mean no one — cares about the academics. No one flunks out anymore."

While Whitlock's arguments regarding NIL money are debatable, they resonated with many users, as his post got over 70,000 views.