With the zaniest month of the college basketball calendar officially underway combined with the official launch of North Carolina sports betting, the next few weeks will provide ample opportunities for men’s and women’s players to make a name for themselves across a handful of TV networks.
That influence will ultimately allow a host of players to cash in on the NCAA’s “NIL” (or Name, Image, and Likeness) allowances, where players can cash in on the use of their image while they’re enrolled in college.
The ability to market specific companies is tied to the unique ability of a given player to excel on the court while also possessing the right combination of social media clout and digital prowess to cash in fully on said likeness.
While teams like the UConn Huskies (+370), Houston Cougars (+550), Purdue Boilermakers (+600), UNC Tar Heels, and Arizona Wildcats (+1300 each) are the national leaders when it comes to title odds on national sportsbooks like ESPN BET North Carolina, the actual players that take the court this month are the ones that can more immediately cash in on their success during March Madness.
With that in mind, BetCarolina.com broke down which MBB players have the top NIL potential this spring, headlined by stars from Duke and UNC:
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College Basketball NIL Rankings: Top NIL Players In March Madness
| Rank* | Player | Team | On3 NIL Valuation | Combined Social Media Followers** |
|---|
| 1 | Jared McCain | Duke Blue Devils | 1.1 Million | 2.8M |
| 2 | R.J. Davis | North Carolina Tar Heels | Undisclosed | 206K |
| 3 | Zach Edey | Purdue Boilermakers | Undisclosed | 72K |
| 4 | Dalton Knecht | Tennessee Volunteers | Undisclosed | 24K |
| 5 | Jamal Shead | Houston Cougars | Undisclosed | 39K |
| 6 | DaRon Holmes | Dayton Flyers | Undisclosed | 20K |
| 7 | Robert Dillingham | Kentucky Wildcats | Undisclosed | 888K |
| 8 | Caleb Love | Arizona Wildcats | Undisclosed | 415K |
| 9 | DJ Wagner Jr. | Kentucky Wildcats | Undisclosed | 181K |
| 10 | Justin Edwards | Kentucky Wildcats | Undisclosed | 64K |
| 11 | Antonio Reeves | Kentucky Wildcats | Undisclosed | 39K |
| 12 | Mark Sears | Alabama Crimson Tide | Undisclosed | 18.4K |
| 13 | Tristen Newton | Connecticut Huskies | Undisclosed | 21K |
| 14 | Tyler Kolek | Marquette Golden Eagles | Undisclosed | 20K |
| 15 | Aaron Bradshaw | Kentucky Wildcats | Undisclosed | 8.7K |
| 16 | Elliot Cadeau | North Carolina Tar Heels | Undisclosed | 255K |
| 17 | Omaha Biliew | Iowa State Cyclones | Undisclosed | 39K |
| 18 | Hunter Dickinson | Kansas Jayhawks | Undisclosed | 117K |
| 19 | Stephon Castle | Connecticut Huskies | Undisclosed | 30K |
| 20 | Ja’Kobe Walter | Baylor Bears | Undisclosed | 55K |
*Rankings based on NIL Valuation from the website On3.com
**Social media following includes Instagram, TikTok and X
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Which NCAA MBB Player Has The Top NIL Value?
The most valuable NCAA MBB players when it comes to NIL potential are Jared McCain of Duke and UNC’s R.J. Davis, with the former holding an NIL valuation (per On3.com) of $1.1 million, while the latter has no valuation but does have 206K followers on social media, which is the fifth most of the group.
Other players that have the top NIL valuations at the moment in MBB are Zach Edey of Purdue, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Jamal Shead of Houston and DaRon Holmes of Dayton, who all have between 20K and 72K social media followers (between TikTok and Twitter).
Rounding out the national top 10 when it comes to NIL potential are Caleb Love of Arizona (and formerly of UNC), followed by Kentucky’s trio of DJ Wagner Jr., Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves, with Dillingham having the highest follower count (888K), while none of the bunch have NIL valuations at the moment.
Stay with BetCarolina.com as we follow this topic and give you the best North Carolina sportsbook promos to use when watching your favorite sports/teams.
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