Syracuse is not spending enough NIL money on college basketball to be competitive. Former head coach Jim Boeheim revealed a concerning reality for the Orange.
It is at a serious disadvantage.
Although money spent is not a direct indication of success in college basketball, the programs with a greater financial backing have a better chance to land top talent. Teams with the most talent have a better chance to win.
Syracuse has good wins and bad losses.
Boeheim stepped down as head coach at Syracuse in 2023 after more than four decades at the helm. Adrian Autry was named as the eighth head coach in program history after the retirement.
The Orange missed the NCAA Tournament in year one. It finished at 14-19 in year two. Not great.
This 2025-26 Syracuse team sits at 6-4 through its first 10 games with a huge upset win over No. 20 Tennessee and a close overtime loss to No. 8 Houston. However, it got blown out by Kansas and Iowa State and lost to Hofstra at home on Saturday.
There is a lot of season left. Maybe Autry will win a national title in year three. Maybe not. The most recent result would allude to the latter. We’ll see.
The college basketball program is not spending enough NIL money.
There are at least 10 teams in college basketball that spent approximately $10 million or greater on its roster for this current season. That list includes Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, St. John’s and Texas Tech. The Wildcats supposedly spent closer to $20 million. Schools like Auburn, Houston, Purdue, Kansas State, Virginia, Villanova, Tennessee, USC, Texas, Florida, UConn, Kansas and Miami spent around $8 million. At least.
Syracuse did not come close to that number.
According to Jim Boeheim, the Orange did spend more money this year than last year, which is a good sign. There is a lot more optimism. Success is attainable.
However, last year’s budget only hovered somewhere around $2.5 million so “more” is not still not enough. To be competitive in the space, Boeheim says, the program must hit that $10,000,000 mark.
Are there enough boosters willing to “donate” this kind of money to the program with Adrian Autry as the head coach? Would Carmelo Anthony open his checkbook to surround his son with better players?
I don’t know where Syracuse is going to turn but Boeheim made it clear that more must be done. Especially with NIL money.