Imagine an NBA where teams in the Eastern Conference have a salary cap twice as big as those in the West. In college basketball, it’s sort of like that with the added fact that, ultimately, nobody really knows what everyone else is spending.

With schools now allowed to shell out $20.5 million to their players this year , most are doling out the lion’s share to football players and giving whatever’s left to the hoops stars.

Some schools – think St. John’s, Gonzaga and Wichita State – don’t have to worry about football, which could expand their possibilities. Adding uncertainty to the arrangement is how the role of payments above and beyond the $20.5 million that come from third parties impact the competitive and financial balance.

The 2025-26 hoops season is the first where we find out

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