Stephen A. Smith warns lack of Cinderella runs will be 'death of college basketball'

The first weekend of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was noticeably devoid of the usual madness we’ve come to associate with the sport in the month of March. That has Stephen A. Smith worried.

With only one double-digit seed remaining in the Arkansas Razorbacks, many are willing to proclaim the end of mid-major programs making runs in the NCAA Tournament, due to the advent of NIL and the Transfer Portal. Since the Cinderella runs are what the masses have come to love about the sport, Smith believes college basketball could be in major trouble if the illusion disappears, and this trend continues.

“If this continues, it will be the death of college basketball,” Smith said, via First Take. “… March Madness owns sports for those four weeks. … What is the allure? That everybody has a chance. That’s what gravitates you.”

It’s tough to argue with Smith’s sentiment, at least when it comes to this season’s iteration of the NCAA Tournament. Most lower seeds were quickly disposed of during the opening weekend, and Arkansas is far from a lovable underdog, especially considering John Calipari is their leader. The days of teams like Florida Gulf Coast, Saint Peter’s and Loyola-Chicago being able to make meaningful runs may be behind the sport.

The topic has been hotly debated by analysts, fans and players alike. John Fanta of FOX Sports was one who was disappointed, but he’s hoping Cinderella will return to the NCAA Tournament in 2026. Time will tell if he’s right about being more optimistic than most.

“Having only high-majors in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is tough,” Fanta posted on X. “Do I think this becomes the norm? Who of us really knows the answer to that? But the concept of Cinderella gives March Madness an element that makes it what it is. Here’s hoping she returns in 2026.”

Meanwhile, Clay Travis of OutKick wasn’t as hopeful: “Thesis: NIL has destroyed mid-majors in college basketball because all their talent gets scooped up by big money teams,” Travis posted on X. “22 of 32 teams left are SEC, Big Ten and Big 12. Upsets almost nonexistent in first two days. … Every Sweet 16 team is from a power four conference. 7 SEC, 4 Big Ten, 4 Big 12, & 1 ACC. Zero mid-majors. I think it’s hard to argue NIL isn’t a big part of this.

“… This isn’t meant as a criticism, btw. It’s just basic economics. The power four schools now have the resources to grab any player that excels at a mid major with no rules constraints. It’s a truly different playing field. You often had power four with younger, more talented but less experienced teams while mid-majors had experience. Which created upsets and less talent differential. That dynamic is being erased.”

All told, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where college basketball is headed if Cinderella isn’t as prevalent in the NCAA Tournament moving forward. Only time can be the deciding factor, as we’ll have a clearer picture with a larger sample-size in the future. The sport needs a team to fit into the glass slipper in 2026 though, for sure.