Transfer portal, NIL challenge teams to fill rosters, even amid March Madness

Morehead State coach Preston Spradlin wasn’t surprised when several players from his 2021 March Madness team eventually took their talents elsewhere, with a couple landing at Power 5 programs.

The Eagles’ return to this year’s NCAA Tournament shows he didn’t panic. Even though the Ohio Valley Conference school tucked in the eastern Kentucky mountains lacks the flashy profile and deep resources that larger programs can offer — especially when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) — Spradlin worked the transfer portal to his advantage by selling small-school virtues along with a successful résumé.

“We’ve had some guys who played at the Power 5 level that have come down because they wanted a bigger role and wanted to experience playing more and all those types of things,” the eighth-year coach said the day after Selection Sunday. “So yeah, there’s give and take both ways, and it works in both directions.”