Top five On3 NIL Valuations in Duke-North Carolina showdown

College sports’ best rivalry took center stage last March. With a berth in the national title game at stake, North Carolina forced Mike Krzyzewski to make his final walk off the court in the Final Four.

A lot has changed since then. Neither team is ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2021. Before that, however, it hadn’t happened in 60 years. Duke and North Carolina are also not on top of the ACC.

The coaches on the sideline will look much different, too. No Coach K, Dean Smith or Roy Williams pacing, letting loose at refs.

But bragging rights are up for grabs. A win for Duke or North Carolina could set the tone for February. Plus, the Tar Heels are stocked with NIL stars.

Before tip off, On3 is breaking down the top five On3 NIL Valuations in the game.

1. Armando Bacot

Position: Center
On3 NIL Valuation: $1 million
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 3
Social Media Followers: 240,000

Safe to say Armando Bacot become one of the most recognizable figures in college basketball following last year’s March Madness. The center registered double-doubles in all six of North Carolina‘s NCAA Tournament games last spring. He’s continued at that clip this year, averaging 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds a contest. He’s tallied 10 20-plus point games, too. Last year’s success has made him valuable to countless brands. There’s no doubt that played a role in his decision to return for another season. His first deal was a part in the hit Netflix show Outer Banks. The 6-foot-11, 235-pound center will appear in season three, which drops later this month. He appeared on set in the summer and will reportedly appear in a few episodes as a character named “Mando.” The opportunities did not stop there, though. He became a face of NIL campaigns for Rhoback and MoneyLion. Bacot inked a partnership with ZIPS Car Wash, appearing in a video while representing the North Carolina brand. Maybe his favorite thus far has been his agreement with Dunkin’. His coffee order was on display at the local shops last month. He has seen significant growth on social media since last March, now sitting north of 240,000 followers. A win against Duke on Saturday could put the Tar Heels on the right path with a tough February ahead stretch.

2. Caleb Love

Position: Point Guard
On3 NIL Valuation: $395,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 18
Social Media Followers: 413,000

Caleb Love was the fourth North Carolina stater to announce his return for another season back in April. From there, he started to build a strong name, image and likeness resume. He signed with Priority Sports & Entertainment back in June. He held a Hoophall Hangout at the Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. A member of Outback’s NIL program, he also made an appearance this summer at Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero. And he’s made strategic NIL decisions, too. Back in August, he landed a new mattress from Sleep On Latex. He announced his decision to return for another season on TikTok, drawing attention to his account which now has 31,500 followers. He spent time this offseason with NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen out in Los Angeles. The work has led to Love averaging 16.5 points and three assists a game.

3. Kyle Filipowski

Position: Power Forward
On3 NIL Valuation: $392,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 19
Social Media Followers: 33,000

On Monday, Kyle Filipowski was awarded the ACC Rookie of the Week for the seventh time this season. The former five-star recruit and No. 1 player in the 2022 class has not missed a beat making the jump to the college level. As On3’s Jamie Shaw noted of Filipowski during his recruitment, he has a fierce man streak. The 7-footer has no problem competing every possession, talking nonstop. He is is averaging a solid 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while knocking down 43.9% percent of his shots in his 22 games. A strong performance against Armando Bacot on Saturday could put him in the race for ACC Player of the Year. Working with Excel Sports Management, he’s made to keep the focus on basketball. But last month, he announced one of his first public partnerships with Cuts Clothing.

4. R.J. Davis

Position: Shooting Guard
On3 NIL Valuation: $282,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 25
Social Media Followers: 169,000

The North Carolina basketball player has his face on T-shirts at Chapel Hill Sportswear. In order to have T-shirts sold at the store, athletes submit their designs, and the store screen-prints them. Profits are split between the store and the athlete. R.J. Davis also recently starred in a social media video for Nerf next to Armando Bacot, promoting the brand’s MotoBlitz Elite 2.0 Blaster. With nearly 170,000 social media followers, he has not struggled to find brands open to NIL partnerships. His On3 NIL Valuation has seen a 45% growth in the last 10 weeks, thanks to his on-court play. Davis is currently averaging 16 points and five rebounds per game, shooting 43.6% from the field.

5. Leaky Black

Position: Small Forward
On3 NIL Valuation: $135,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 50
Social Media Followers: 105,000

At maybe any other ACC school, Leaky Black would have one of the top On3 NIL Valuations. But instead he’s at North Carolina, a key glue guy. The fifth-year small forward has signed partnership with Chapel Hill’s Town Hall Grill and Ease Plumbing and Air. As part of the deal with the restaurant, Black will make multiple appearances at the grill. He also has his own menu item — the Lock Down Leaky Chicken Tenders. Typically, Black orders the chicken tenders at Town Hall. But his tenders on the menu will have two distinct flavors: roasted garlic bleu cheese and a mango poblano barbecue. He’s had a solid start to the year, averaging 6.8 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.