Ugh....it's just not needed. The NCAA has initiated the final steps to expand the men's and women's basketball tournaments to 76 teams, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The expansion, which has been discussed for well over a year, is on track to be formalized in the upcoming weeks and would begin this coming season. Sources indicated mid-May as a potential timeline for an announcement. Though there are still steps to take in terms of approvals via various NCAA committees, a source indicated "those are just formalities."
Interesting move by Duke. Alittle bit like the Notre Dame / NBC deal for football. Duke is entering into a first-of-its-kind enterprise partnership with Amazon that also includes the retail giant and streaming service televising three marquee men's college basketball games next season. The Blue Devils will face UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25, reigning champion Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 21, and Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit. The deal will include extensive NIL opportunities for Duke athletics and is part of a broader retail partnership expected to be announced at a later date.
Don i always thought conference members gave all their media rights to their conference, am I wrong? If so how does Duke do a seperate deal with Amazon? Do they have to share their money with the rest of the conference, like football has to share it's Bowl revenue?
That was my understanig as well Terry. Looks changes are coming down the road, its all about money now!