Penn State basketball 'at the bottom' of NIL race per Mike Rhoades

NIL has greatly increased the gap between programs that have a lot of spending power and programs that have little to none. Unfortunately for Penn State basketball, it seems to be a part of the latter.

Fourth-year head coach Mike Rhoades, who spoke to the media during a virtual summer availability, was asked about where he feels the program stands with NIL funding in relation to his Big Ten counterparts, and he didn't mince words.

"We're at the bottom," Rhoades said. "It is what it is. You get what you're given, you try to do the best that you can. What teams are doing in our league and what we're doing are totally different. When your back's against the wall compared to what others are doing, no excuses. You got to figure it out."

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It's difficult to ignore the signs of how much NIL is impacting the on-court product. According to On3's Pete Nakos, every Final Four team spent at least $8 million on the roster. Two of those teams were from the Big Ten: Illinois and eventual champion Michigan. Of the Sweet 16 teams, which also included Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue, the minimum cost was $4.5 million.

NIL has every athlete looking to get paid, and often times their destination comes down to the highest bidders. If those are the circumstances against which Rhoades and his staff are competing, Nittany Lion hoops with be at a disadvantage barring a financial shift.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State basketball 'at the bottom' of NIL race per Mike Rhoades