The Basket Under Review Newsletter

Before we dive into yesterday's news, we have some quick announcements.

Our first AMA (Ask Me Anything) of the summer will take place on Monday, June 22, at 8:00 p.m. EST. We will be joined in the Discord by Matt Brown, founder and publisher of Extra Points. Extra Points is a newsletter and website covering the business, policy, and off-the-field stories changing college sports. Subscribe to join the discussion!

Next week, we're throwing it back to 2006 with a full week of content celebrating the season's 20th anniversary. After Matt Brown's AMA, join us Monday night at 9:00 p.m. EST on our YouTube channel for a watch-along of the 2006 National Championship with Eric Fawcett and Brian Rauf. The guys will stream the game while answering your questions and providing commentary throughout.

Now to the news!

The Protect College Sports Act passed through the Senate Commerce Committee with a 19-9 vote on Thursday. The bill will advance to the Senate floor, where it will need at least 60 votes to pass.

Before the bill passed, an amendment was made to the anti-expansion provision. In a previous version of the bill, any conference earning $1 billion in revenue was prohibited from adding more teams. In the latest revision, that threshold dropped to $700 million, which now incorporates the ACC and Big 12. As written, the bill would freeze power conference membership if it becomes law.

The Big Ten and SEC continue to remain adamantly opposed to the bill. The leagues issued a joint statement in response to Senator Maria Cantwell's comments, accusing them of intimidating their member schools into opposing the bill.

"Senator Cantwell’s characterization of the Big Ten and SEC engagement regarding the Protect College Sports Act does not accurately reflect the process that has occurred. From the time the legislation was introduced, our member universities have been engaged, vocal, and collaborative in evaluating the bill and identifying ways to improve it."

"Unfortunately, the Big Ten and SEC did not have the opportunity for meaningful engagement with Senate staff regarding those recommendations before the revised bill was released. As a result, many of the concerns and priorities identified by our universities were not adequately reflected in the revised legislation."

While the bill has made progress towards becoming law, it remains a long shot to pass. Heavy opposition from the two richest conferences in the country and a lack of full support in the Senate are major roadblocks to overcome. The Protect College Sports Act is only the second bill to make it this far since the NCAA began lobbying Congress seven years ago.

Senator Ted Cruz remains committed to passing the bill despite heavy opposition, saying, "I believe this bill is going to pass," after Thursday's vote.

The NCAA announced the completion of yet another sports betting case on Thursday.

Former Iona guard Adam Njie Jr. was ruled permanently ineligible after providing game information to known bettors for sports betting reasons.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission reported that the bettors placed three bets totaling $15,500 on another school to win the first-half spread line against Iona in December 2024. Njie confirmed he told a bettor he would throw the first half of the game. However, Njie stated he did not go through with it.

After the game, the bettor threatened Njie with bodily harm in retaliation. Njie told the bettor he would throw the first half of Iona's next game to make up for the bettor's losses. Again, Njie stated he didn't go through with intentionally losing the first half.

The NCAA treats point shaving and sharing information with bettors the same, from an enforcement perspective. Njie was enrolled at Dayton this past season, but the school announced he would sit out just one week before the team's first game.

In recruiting news, Arkansas bolstered its frontcourt with the addition of Russian big man Ilia Frolov. Frolov averaged 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Real Madrid U22 team. The 6'11", 225-pound center will join the Razorbacks this season.

In scheduling news, Alabama and Iowa will begin a two-year, neutral-site series, according to a release. The first game will be played on December 21 in Des Moines. The 2027 game will be played in Mobile.

George Mason and South Florida will begin a home-and-home series in Fairfax, according to a report from Rocco Miller.

Pitt and West Virginia will play their annual Backyard Brawl game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on December 9, according to a release.

Oklahoma State will host Saint Mary's on December 5 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

New content at Basket Under Review

Joey Dwyer spoke to VMI star TJ Johnson about his decision to turn down Power Five offers and return to the Keydets for his senior season.

Brian Rauf ranks the 15 best teams that didn't win a national championship.

Upon Further Review

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