SAN DIEGO -- Cinderella may not be dead yet, but she might be getting more expensive.
That's pretty much the way Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun described the state of the popular NCAA Tournament phenomenon during a press conference Saturday before his Aggies meet Utah State in the second round of the tournament on Sunday at Viejas Arena.
In the current age of NIL, where high-major programs stock up talent by luring away the best mid-major players every spring to increase the gap within levels of Division I, there were no double-digit seeds left in the Sweet 16 last season -- unless you count big-budget Arkansas, a No. 10 seed.
This season, as of Saturday afternoon, just three mid-major teams were left: Utah State (a No. 9 seed), High Point (No. 12) and VCU (No. 11).
"We're going to find out after tomorrow probably what the price tag it is to go to a Sweet 16," Calhoun said, appearing to refer to the combination of school and booster-paid money given to players. "Most of the Power Fours you talk to, they say $10 million. And it's not going down.
"I think every coach, every level, you have to be able to navigate it. And it's certainly an ever-changing landscape.
"But I think America is dying for a mid-major. So if one of these three or four teams that are left can get to a Sweet 16, you instantly become America's team, right? Everybody in the country roots for the underdog.
"You've just got to worry about kind of your program, where it's at, and do the best you can with the resources you have because some of these schools just don't have it."
Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun yells toward players during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Villanova, Friday, March 20, 2026, in San Diego.
What Utah State has, Calhoun said, is manufactured through fundraising. He said the Aggies opted in to school-funded revenue sharing, with schools able to pay players up to $20.5 million across all sports this season, but said Utah State gave "zero dollars" to men's basketball program for revenue sharing with players.
(Officials at Arizona have said it the school paying the full $20.5 million to players, and that men's basketball has a competitive budget, but will not release percentages paid to each sport, nor disclose NIL payments.)
Thanks to fundraising, Calhoun said, the Aggies' budget rose from $880,000 to $2.4 million, still roughly a quarter of what high major teams are paying players but triple what they had a year ago. Utah State managed to keep local star Mason Falslev and bring in standout guard MJ Collins from Vanderbilt, two players with market values likely at least in the high six figures.
"I think it's on every coach's mind around the country," Calhoun said. "You think about back in the day it was, `What's your practice facility look like? What's the arena? Are you chartering? What's the deal?
"Now it's what's the budget? What's the school sharing with you? And what's the donor base like?"
Calhoun said he knew his staff would need to spend 70% of its offseason time raising funds, but that Utah State had an "incredible" donor base that helped. He said USU raised $300,000 alone by hosting an event with former USU pros, while he and his wife also kicked in $150,000, making them the program's second-highest donors.
"It's the fight that every university has," Calhoun said. "That's what I said yesterday with the administrators. They've got a tough job. ADs don't have it easy either.
"But we've made significant strides. We'll continue to work at it. It's been a total group effort but a lot of work."
