With the NCAA transfer portal set to open on April 7, and April 6 for the women, college basketball is heading into one of the most defining stretches in its history. This is the first portal cycle happening in the “revenue-sharing era.” As proposed by the NCAA president, Charlie Baker, schools can distribute up to $20.5 million directly to athletes in addition to collective-led NIL deals. At this point, it’s safe to say that college basketball has become a “pro” league in everything but name. 

According to insiders, multiple programs are preparing to spend over $10 million this offseason. But right now, it appears like even that may not be enough to compete. In fact, basketball insider Joe Tipton, in an X post, reported that a Big Ten coach told him that programs operating on less than $12 million in NIL funding are already in trouble. Last year, only about nine elite programs reportedly reached the $10 million mark, and now, that’s no longer enough.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has, however, defended the transition to this revenue-sharing model. According to him, it is a necessary step to bring “stability, predictability, and accountability” to a system he previously described as “the wild, wild west.” For him, last year’s system was dominated by third-party NIL collectives, which were “unmanaged, unaccountable, and completely non-transparent.” 

For some people, this development is actually long overdue, because for decades, schools have generated billions. So it is only fair that players finally get a share of the revenue that they help bring in. In fact, according to St John’s head coach Rick Pitino, who has been one of the most vocal proponents of NIL, it was “totally unfair” for coaches to be paid millions while players received nothing. For him, college athletes should be treated as professionals, even to the point of having binding professional contracts for players. 

However, on the other end of Pitino’s argument, many believe that the growing wealth gap, especially with this Charlie Baker-backed $20.5M revenue sharing model, creates an undue advantage. When it comes to recruitment, the highest bidder will always win. And in effect, it will turn many mid-major schools into “feeder programs.” That is, immediately a player emerges as a star, a high-major team can poach them with a huge NIL offer.

This is also not far from the truth. In fact, according to UConn HC Geno Auriemma, the combination of the transfer portal and new revenue-sharing rules will be the “death of the mid-majors.” This is because many high-major coaches will now prefer a proven college sophomore from a mid-major over a high school senior.

The NCAA, as led by Charlie Baker, could work toward creating a more balanced system that rewards athletes without creating massive disparity.

Transfer Portal Key Dates: How The 2026 Portal Will Unfold

The 2026 college basketball transfer portal opens a day after each NCAA Tournament final for men and women. When it does, it will definitely feel like opening the floodgates, because, as of now, more than 800 players have already announced their intention to enter the portal across both men’s and women’s basketball.

That entry will, however, only become official on the portal’s opening day. That’s when they can formally add their names to the NCAA database, and coaches can begin legal contact with them. In the days leading up to this, the NCAA prohibits coaches from meeting players in person or hosting campus visits.

The recruiting frenzy officially begins with campus visits starting April 9 and 10. From there, programs will race against a tight deadline, as the active window to secure commitments runs only through April 30 before the portal closes to new entries on April 20 and 21.