The College Basketball Crown is set to unveil a hefty $500,000 NIL endorsement opportunity. John Fanta spoke to three participating head coaches about how the first-year tournament is differentiating itself from other postseason events.

Mike Nardi stood by the bench as an assistant coach when Villanova lost to UConn in the Big East quarterfinals. Just two days later, he found himself courtside in place of Kyle Neptune as interim head coach.

UC is +450 to win the tournament, with only the Broncos (+390) above them on DK's odds board. Cincinnati starts its run on Tuesday, April 1 at 3 p.m. ET against DePaul and is one of the highest-rated teams in the field on KenPom. They are comfortable betting favorites against the Blue Demons.