Gary Redus and Steve Pikiell are trying to get some wins while developing team chemistry; how much does it cost?
It’s almost basketball season, so we need to talk what it’s really all about: money! Yes, I know, there were already two exhibitions. I’m talking the real thing.
Back in August, we looked at how much Rutgers and a few other Big Ten schools spent on their non-conference football games. Those games that you may expect and want – maybe even need – to win. In some cases, there were millions of dollars on the line.
But what about basketball? First off, it’s a lot more games. For a Big Ten football squad, there are three non-con games; in hoops, RU women have 13 while the men have nine, plus the Players Era Eight in Las Vegas. How much will Rutgers shell out – or maybe take in – for all those games? We’ll look at just the men today.
Before we look at Rutgers’ home schedule, let’s look at a few other schools’ game contracts. Because I lack tech skills, I received several responses from schools with their contracts in a zip drive….and I couldn’t open them. That included Iowa and Wisconsin. Those I could review included two Final Four teams from last season, Arizona and fellow Big Ten school Illinois.
Arizona
The Wildcats have some interesting arrangements, includng a number of home-and-home games.
Auburn: home and home with the 2025 game in Arizona and this year’s contest at Auburn; 100 comp tickets, no compensation mentioned. Cal Poly: $95,000 to the visitors, 100 comp tix. Northern Arizona: the fellow in-state school has an eight game series with Arizona, all games being played in Tucson. NAU gets $90,000 for each contest and there are 100 complimentary tickets provided
Hall of Fame Series: The University has a contract with Position Sports, which owns the rights to a series of games, the Hall of Fame Series. Games will be played at Madison Square Garden against St. John’s, in Las Vegas against UCLA, and in Phoenix against Arkansas. Each team involved will receive $75,000 for each game played. In addition, the contract with Arkansas includes a home-and-home in 2027-28 and 2028-29.
Illinois
Cincinnati: exhibition, part of a home-and-home; no compensation either way; 75 comp tickets
Baylor: Baylor has a third party acting as its “agency of record”; bdG Sports LLC establishes the terms and conditions of the contest on Baylor’s behalf. Illinois is paying bdG $250,000 for the game. Along with 100 complimentary tickets. Big Ten officials will work the game.
FDU: $115,000 to FDU; compensation reduced if capacity at State Farm Center is reduced – sliding scale; 100 comp tickets; not sure why the reduced capacity is in the contract – there’s no work at the arena
Texas Tech: home-and-home, 2025 in Lubbock, ’26 in Champaign; no compensation, 100 comp tickets
Duke: home-and-home in 2026 (at Duke) and 2027 (at Illinois); no compensation; home team’s conference officials work
Eastern Illinois: $95,000 to EIU; compensation reduced if capacity at State Farm Center is reduced – sliding scale; 100 comp tickets
UConn: two game series – at MSG in 2025 and the United Center this year; home team pays visitor $175,000; officials – one Big East official, one B1G, one non-affiliated with either; 100 comp tix to visitor
Missouri: six year series started in 2024-25, ending in 29-30; 200 comp tickets; game sponsorship with revenues split equally
If you’re a big dog, you generally pay others to play you. If you’re equals, it seems there is usually no exchange of money.
Rutgers’ contracts
Players Era Tournament: Let’s jump right into the money. This contract, which runs through 2029, supercedes the agreement which only covered 2025. It covers the general format to be used and the two arenas in Vegas that will host contests. There is a $100,000 payment to teams making it to the Premier Four games; this is during Thanksgiving week when a team might otherwise have a home game. The organizer will provide accommodations for up to 35 people.
NIL “activities”: I’m just going to cite the relevant section and let you see that this is a way to pay players for their work:
The members of the 2025-26 Team will be provided with the opportunity to engage in NIL Activities valued at a total of nine hundred thousand dollars ($900,000), the members of the 2026-27 Team will be provided with the opportunity to engage in NIL Activities valued at a total of eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000), the members of the 2027-28 Team will be provided with the opportunity to engage in NIL Activities valued at a total of eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000), the members of the 2028-29 Team will be provided with the opportunity to engage in NIL Activities valued at a total of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000), and the members of the 2029-30 Team will be provided with the opportunity to engage in NIL Activities valued at a total of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) (collectively the “NIL Payments” and each an “NIL Payment”). Upon performance of all of the requested NIL Activities, the NIL Payment for a relevant year will be paid to either Participant via a sublicensing agreement for the relevant Team members’ NIL rights and services (with the understanding that the NIL Compensation will then be distributed to the then current members of Participant’s Team), to an agency that manages NIL activities for the members of Participant’s Team (the “Agency”) pursuant to an agreement between Players Era and the Agency, or directly to the then current members of Participant’s Team pursuant to agreements between Players Era’s NIL facilitation agent and the members of Participant’s Team (“Player Agreements”).
Got all that? Bottom line us that this is, in fact, the “players’ era”, and the money is theirs! Other games on the Knights’ schedule:
Villanova: the exhibition saw no money change hands Army: $80,000, Big Ten officials, 75 complimentary tickets. Bryant, Delaware State, New Haven, Sacred Heart, St. Peters: all of these schools fall in the same category as far as compensation and basic agreement – $85,000, Big Ten crew, 40 comp tickets. NJIT: this one is pretty similar to the others with an $85,000 payment but with 75 comp tickets, not 40. And the part I raised my eyebrows on: a post-game to-go meal for 25 people