For an in-depth overview on the 2025 NCAA Crown Tournament—which, I’m hoping, will go down as one of my favorite events of the year—head to my full overview and breakdown here on DKN. This is just a quick-hitter about the payouts for the tournament. As, indeed, the stakes in this tournament are all about NIL money—none of the pomp and circumstance of March Madness and its upcoming Final Four, for better or worse. We’re here for the purse, people!
As March Madness is winding down, I’ll be hitting my regularly-scheduled-programming of game write-ups for individual games each round, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. I’ll also be filling out a college basketball crown tournament bracket, to which I’ll link here later. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more to-the-minute, point-of-need analyses and plays throughout tournament week.
These teams are playing for bags. Here’s the payout breakdown.
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2025 NCAA Crown Tournament payout structure
(Photo Credit: FOX Sports/FS1)
The champions will walk away with a hefty $300,000 NIL package. That’s right, these athletes are going home with serious cash for their performance. The runners-up will earn $100,000, and the semifinalists won’t go home empty-handed, pocketing $50,000 each. This is more than just a tournament—it’s an opportunity for players to prove themselves and cash in, as the landscape of college basketball has evolved with NIL deals since their introduction in 2021.
Champion’s purse
$300,000 NIL package
Runner’s up purse
$100,000 NIL package
Semifinalist(s) purse
$50,000 each
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