The opening two rounds of the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament are in the books, and the four remaining teams will all leave Las Vegas with some cash.
Boise State, Nebraska, UCF and Villanova are all guaranteed at least $50,000 in NIL money for reaching the semifinals of the 16-team Crown. The tournament champion earns an NIL prize of $300,000 with the runner-up securing $100,000. The two semifinal losers will take home $50,000 apiece.
“I mean we talk about it and joke about it, but if I’m being honest, once you’re in the game, that’s not what you’re thinking (about). You’re kind of just playing basketball,” Broncos senior point guard Alvaro Cardenas said of the NIL payouts. “I think we’re all super-competitive guys, so the only thing we’re thinking about is winning. In my mind, I’m not thinking ‘Oh, I’m going to get $50,000 for this.’ But I’ll definitely take it.”
The Broncos (26-10) and Nebraska (19-14) will meet at 11:30 a.m. Mountain time Saturday in the first Crown semifinal while UCF and Villanova face off at 2 p.m. The Crown championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
All three money round games will be held at T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Boise State was one of the last four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska had lost five straight games entering the Crown to miss out on a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
“It is important to get a couple wins here at the end of the season with the way (the regular season) finished for us,” Huskers coach Fred Hoiberg said. “You want this group to feel good about their experience.
“The seniors, everybody in that locker room, the coaches, it was a hard season. To be able to go out and get a couple wins at the end of the year … hopefully these guys leave with a good taste when they walk out of here for the last time as a Husker.”
Here are the results and upcoming schedule for the College Basketball Crown.
All times listed are Mountain Daylight Time
First round
Monday
Butler 86, Utah 84
Boise State 89, George Washington 59
Nebraska 86, Arizona State 78
Georgetown 85, Washington State 82
Tuesday
Cincinnati 83, DePaul 61
UCF 76, Oregon State 75
Villanova 85, Colorado 64
USC 89, Tulane 60
Quarterfinals
Wednesday
Boise State 100, Butler 93
Nebraska 81, Georgetown 69
Thursday
UCF 88, Cincinnati 80
Villanova 60, USC 59
Semifinals
Saturday
Boise State vs. Nebraska, 11:30 a.m. (FOX)
UCF vs. Villanova, 2 p.m. (FOX)
Championship
Sunday
Boise State/Nebraska winner vs. UCF/Villanova winner, 3:30 p.m. (FOX)
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