Some Syracuse basketball opponents in the Atlantic Coast Conference are among heavyweight programs in the sport that are eyeing new revenue streams amid the current climate in collegiate athletics.
These days, as schools pay their athletes directly, along with third-party name, image and likeness ("NIL") deals, financial considerations have become a dominant force in college hoops and other sports, namely, football.
With the arrival of revenue-sharing for the 2025-26 sports season, colleges and universities have to keep refueling their financial tanks year after year to bring in top players, and that includes retaining existing guys, as well as finding prospects in the transfer portal or at the prep level.
Breaking—A huge new event is in the works involving a majority of CBB's blue bloods, sources tell @CBSSports. It's called the Diamond Cup. The debut is planned for 2027. It's a major, unprecedented scheduling idea. Can it all come together? Let's hope so. https://t.co/GSukG6ojoJ
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 20, 2026
In the 2025-26 season, the Orange, under then-head coach Adrian Autry, suited up at the NIL-driven Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. This coming campaign, with Gerry McNamara at the program's helm, SU will not play in the Players Era Festival; rather, the 'Cuse is focused on other types of non-conference encounters, such as reportedly playing twice in New York City.
However, as CBS Sports reported on Wednesday, some of the sport's biggest names are in discussions for an eight-team, pool-play event called the Diamond Cup that would commence in the 2027-28 stanza.
Syracuse basketball, much like its peers, will want to seek out new ways to bring in revenue.
Schools that might compete in the Diamond Cup, if the event comes to fruition, include Arizona, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, national champion Michigan and fellow ACC school North Carolina.
Participants could receive several million dollars in each year of the event, with "unprecedented guaranteed revenue for each school in a new era of competition and player revenue share requirements," according to a pitch deck for the Diamond Cup that CBS Sports obtained. The pitch deck also noted "huge" NIL opportunities for athletes.
The schools in discussions to possibly play in the Diamond Cup are some of the biggest brands in college basketball, and these programs are among the all-time winningest squads in the sport. So, too, is Syracuse basketball, but the Orange has struggled in recent seasons, having failed to make the annual NCAA Tournament for five consecutive campaigns.
McNamara, the former 'Cuse standout guard who captured a national championship at his alma mater in 2003, is trying to reverse that slide. Certainly, it would be logical if Syracuse basketball looks to participate in events such as the Diamond Cup and the Players Era Festival (again) down the line.
Then, there's Duke, another ACC member. Late last month, word came out that the Blue Devils and Amazon had announced a multi-year agreement for Prime Video to air three Duke non-conference games at neutral sites every season.
Now, I'm not expecting the Orange to score a deal like this anytime soon. McNamara has to build the program back up first. That being said, in this new era of college athletics, Syracuse basketball, like its peers, must be on the look-out for new revenue streams to help forge long-term success in a sport that has rapidly changed, and will continue to do so moving forward.
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