The lack of NIL funds is a valid reason why VT can't currently compete with a lot of P5 schools. But take a look at the current KenPom rankings. VT is #153 in the country. If you excluded all teams above them that are members of the ACC, SEC, B10, B12, and BE... the power leagues in basketball... VT would still be #75. Here's a partial list of some the programs above VT: GW UMass-Lowell North Texas ECU Lipscomb Montana State High Point UC Irvine UNC Wilmington Louisiana Tech Middle Tennessee Sam Houston State Purdue- Fort Wayne Wright State Oakland Kent State Akron Norfolk State Belmont Troy Texas State Arkansas State Furman Wofford (!) Samford McNeese State St. Thomas Santa Clara I don't care what your NIL budget is relative to UNC, or Duke, or Alabama, or even VCU. If you are a school the size of VT, a member of a P5 basketball league, with all the resources and exposure that membership provides, there is no freaking excuse for fielding a basketball program that is worse than that motley list of teams. VT is underachieving vs its peers in terms of financial support for hoops. But it is vastly underachieving its position in the overall pecking order of college basketball programs. And that is not purely money driven.