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From college sports to high schools: NIL deals for prep athletes now allowed in 7 states

CLEVELAND — Ian Jackson and Johnuel “Boogie” Fland are among the brightest stars in the firmament of high school basketball and now have business deals to prove it.The New York City teens and friendly rivals are cashing in on their name, image and likeness through marketing contracts often referred to as NIL deals. The contracts have begun to trickle down to the high school level after the NCAA’s decision last year to allow college athletes to monetize their stardom.AdvertisementSeven states have so far approved the deals for prep athletes. Other states, such as Ohio, continue to debate whether NILs would sully high school sports.Jackson and Fland, both of whom are ranked as top college prospects for the 2024 graduating class, are paid a percentage of sales on a merchandise company’s products carrying their likeness and four-figure monthly checks to post about the brand on social media.AdvertisementJackson, 16, said he is saving the money he earns from the merchandise company Spreadshop and several other deals to buy a home for his family.“I want to put my family in a better place,” Jackson said.Fland, 15, also said he wants to help his family.“It’s been a very big deal,” he said. “All the hard work is finally paying off.”Johnuel “Boogie” Fland shoots hoops in the gymnasium of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y., on May 2, 2022. (Robert Bumsted/AP)In Ohio, high school principals began voting May 1 on whether to change the state high school athletic association’s bylaws to allow athletes to sign deals.“A lot of us here at the OHSAA and school administrators don’t like NIL,” said Ohio High School Athletic Association spokesperson Tim Stried. “We wish we weren’t having to deal with this, but it’s not going away. We can have a hand in shaping it or do what the NCAA did and fight it until otherwise.”Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the National Federation of State High School Associations, said NIL rights for high school athletes could prove disruptive, but she tempered her criticism, saying, “I don’t think we’re going to see a lot of this.”High school, Niehoff said, “is not intended to be an opportunity to earn a living, and we hope it will stay that way.”AdvertisementThe issue of NIL deals for high school athletes follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision last June that said the NCAA cannot restrict education-related compensation benefits for the country’s nearly 500,000 college student-athletes. Since then, Alaska, California, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana and Utah have created laws or policies allowing NIL compensation for high school athletes.Jackson, who attends Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, is represented by his AAU coach. Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, has hired a marketing consultant to help Fland and other students at the school with NIL deals.Generally, college and high school athletes can use sports agents to market their name, image and likeness, but they are not permitted to hire agents to represent them professionally without endangering their eligibility. The standard fee for marketing agents is 15-20% of an athlete’s NIL deal.High school athletic associations in states where NIL deals are permitted bar students from using their school names and team logos in the deals they strike.In Florida, high school athletes are not allowed to benefit from their stardom. But Laney Higgins, a senior volleyball player at Carrollwood Day School in Lake Magdalene, cut a deal after her season ended that has her donating earnings to a concussion center that treated her.She signed with Q30 Innovations, a Connecticut company that produces devices to help reduce brain injuries, after suffering numerous concussions playing her sport. She donates the earnings to the University of South Florida Concussion Center in Tampa.AdvertisementHiggins is continuing her volleyball career at Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven, Georgia, this fall.“Brands are going to continue to see that female student athletes can fulfill goals in a unique and authentic way because the biggest name doesn’t always mean the best success,” Higgins said.According to the latest data gathered by Opendorse Deals, a company that its officials say have helped connect 100,000 college athletes with third parties for NIL deals, the average payout has been small thus far. Division I athletes with at least one deal have earned about $664 on average, according to the data. For Division II athletes, it’s $59 and just $43 in Division III.Nearly 70% of deals involve social media posts, the Opendorse data shows.David Ridpath, an associate professor of sports business at Ohio University, frames the opportunity for student-athletes to benefit financially as a civil rights issue. Athletes are not employees of the schools they attend and should not be restricted from earning money, he said, adding that amounts won’t be large but could put “a few extra bucks in their pockets.”“In my view, it’s all been positive,” Ridpath said. “College and, by extension, high school athletes, are not employees and should not be restricted to any market place where they have value.”AdvertisementBasketball phenom Mikey Williams is among the exclusive group of high school athletes who have signed lucrative NIL deals. Williams, who will play his senior year at San Ysidro High School in San Diego, signed a deal with shoe and athletic apparel maker Puma for an undisclosed amount while attending a sports academy in Florida.Former Texas high school football star Quinn Ewers is another exception to the norm of modest earners. The highly touted quarterback chose to forgo his senior year to enroll early at Ohio State University last year, a move that allowed him to sign a reported $1.4 million in NIL deals before arriving on campus last summer. Ewers played only two meaningless snaps for the Buckeyes last season before choosing to transfer to the University of Texas.Matthew Mitten, a sports law professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, said there are potential pitfalls in NIL deals at both the high school and college levels, which he called the “last bastion of amateurism.”Mitten noted that University of Texas alumni and supporters in December announced that up to 16 football offensive lineman on scholarship would each receive $50,000 starting in August to support charitable causes.“It’s almost become a de facto pay to play,” Mitten said.Mitten and others wonder about the affect NIL opportunities could have on the forbidden yet hardly uncommon practice of high schools recruiting athletes. He raised the possibility that wealthy alumni from private high schools might copy the University of Texas alumni model.AdvertisementMitten and others say parents of high school athletes need to become educated about NIL deals to protect their children should an opportunity arise.“I think they’re going to have to be careful,” Mitten said. “There’s a whole lot of legal issues that minors and their parents and guardians won’t be familiar with.”

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Disease-spreading ticks are present throughout Illinois, but researchers say there are precautions those heading outside can take to limit risk. Take time to familiarize yourself with…

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Chicago Blackhawks Q&A: What is GM Kyle Davidson’s plan for the rebuild? What will they do at goalie?

There still are so many questions about the new Chicago Blackhawks front office’s plan for its first offseason.General manager Kyle Davidson has shared a lot of reasons why he tabbed Norm Maciver, Jeff Greenberg and Brian Campbell to be in his inner circle and how they plan to modernize hockey operations. But Davidson didn’t offer a ton of detail about the draft, free agency, the coaching search — you know, hockey stuff.AdvertisementIn some cases, there aren’t a lot of details to be had yet.For example, Davidson can’t fully understand his draft strategy until he knows whether he’ll have a first-round pick — and that information comes with Tuesday’s lottery.AdvertisementHe has a list of attributes he wants in a coach, but if he has candidates in mind who might meet those criteria, he’s not yet divulging. But that likely will play out in July.Still, there are some answers that we have and others we can intuit. Here are some readers’ questions.Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson speaks after being introduced, March 1, 2022, at the United Center. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Are the Hawks satisfied with their goalies or are they looking outside the organization? — @Ottawa19711Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia are both unrestricted free agents, but neither has looked like a long-term solution.Delia, who has been with the organization since 2017, had a 3.85 goals-against average and .899 save percentage over eight appearances (six starts), compiling a 1-4-1 record.AdvertisementHe also faced the second most five-on-five shots per 60 minutes (38.78) among goalies with at least 200 minutes ice time, according to naturalstattrick.com.Lankinen finished 8-15-6 with a 3.50 GAA and .891 save percentage. He also was on the negative side in goals saved above average (-15.5 GSAA) among qualifiers, according to hockey-reference.com. He also has made just 66 career starts, so that has to be taken into consideration.General manager Kyle Davidson is keeping all options open.“We’re still pretty early in talking about that,” he said. “We definitely need to bring some NHL contracts in.“Kevin and Collin are part of that discussion, they’re not out of that candidate list, but there’s some players that we’ll look at in free agency and see which direction we want to go.”Would the Hawks roll the dice and invest up to $4 million annually in 27-year-old Ville Husso, who split the season in St. Louis with Jordan Binnington and will be an unrestricted free agent?AdvertisementSurely, the Blues can’t keep two goalies under 30 making top dollar, can they?The Winnipeg Jets’ Eric Comrie, who’s 26 and had a 2.58 GAA and .920 save percentage in 19 games, will be a Group 6 UFA. But if the Jets keep goalie coach Wade Flaherty on staff, it could be difficult to pry Comrie away.The Washington Capitals may have a decision to make between Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vaněček, who will be restricted free agents with arbitration rights.Vaněček, 26, was inconsistent during the regular season but he’s young, relatively low-cost ($716,667 cap hit 2021-22) and could grow with the Hawks. And if he’s doesn’t pan out during a multiyear rebuild, no big deal.Davidson said he’s “not ruling out the trade market” and is keeping an eye on the pipeline.“We have a couple options,,” Davidson said. “Most of them are not ready to step into the NHL, in any respect, but they’re very promising.Advertisement“Arvid Söderblom has been excellent in Rockford this year. … We just signed Jaxson Stauber out of Providence College, and we’re really high on him, so he’s going to be turning pro next year. And then we have Drew Commesso at Boston University who was on the U.S. Olympic team and was selected for two World Juniors in a row.”What’s the rebuild strategy, draft and develop? Acquisition of proven NHL assets? Hybrid? We’ve been trying the latter unsuccessfully for a while, so what will be different? — @pdx2ordFrom GM Kyle Davidson’s comments last week, he definitely is on the draft-and-develop side of things, and he may be more willing to employ the “patience factor” than predecessor Stan Bowman, who had given a lot of NHL ice time to young players before his ouster.“If a player does end up back in Rockford, that’s not a failure at all,” Davidson said. “Looking back at some of the Cup teams, Duncan Keith spent time in the minors. A lot of the core of those early Cup teams with the Blackhawks spent time in the minors.“… They’re going to learn what they need to do to get to the NHL and stay in the NHL and it’s not a race to the NHL for any of our prospects, it’s more of that journey of getting to the point that when you do get recalled, we can’t send you back. That takes time, that takes development and that takes commitment, but it takes commitment from our side working with them to the point that they come up and stay.”AdvertisementIt doesn’t hurt that CEO Danny Wirtz isn’t pressuring Davidson to turn the Hawks into a contender in a season or two, so Davidson is putting an emphasis acquiring prospects, not just placing all the Hawks eggs in the blue-chip basket.“Quantity is what you need in building a depth of talent that’s going to come up together and sustain success at the NHL level,” he said. “If we can add more high-end talent, then that’s what we really want to do. It’s not necessarily an indictment of the players in our system. It’s more so just outlining, we need more.”That’s not to say the Hawks won’t look at the market, of course.“One thing we do want to put in place is playing a more up-tempo style of hockey,” Davidson said, “and if we need to go find a player or two on the market to help drive that philosophy and style of play, then we’ll definitely consider it. I’m not going to rule out anything.”Well, almost anything. Don’t expect another splash contract like Seth Jones’ eight-year, $76 million extension.“I would say it’s unlikely we’re going to sign some long-term deals,” Davidson said. “Very unlikely. But that’s not to say we won’t fill some spots in the UFA market if the right opportunity presents itself.”AdvertisementAnaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) kneels on the ice as he watches the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate one of their first-period goals during a game at the United Cente, March 8, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)It seems to me that things are heading in the right direction because of Kyle Davidson. And because of the circumstances why he is the new GM, where would this organization be if Stan Bowman had not been forced out? Would Bowman still be the GM had there not been a scandal? — @manutileThat scandal would be the Hawks’ cover-up of Kyle Beach’s 2010 sexual assault allegation against then-video coach Brad Aldrich.According to an independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block, the team’s senior leaders — including Bowman — violated the team’s own sexual harassment policy by failing to “promptly and thoroughly investigate” Beach’s allegation until after the Hawks won the Stanley Cup.When Jenner & Block released its findings in late October, Bowman stepped down as president of hockey operations and GM.It’s usually sketchy to play what-if, but in this case it’s fair to wonder if Bowman would’ve stayed in his role if he hadn’t been implicated in the scandal or if the scandal had never existed.AdvertisementBowman hadn’t even been in his new role as hockey operations president for a year yet. CEO Danny Wirtz added the title to Bowman’s GM duties in December 2020 when Wirtz named Jaime Faulkner president of business operations.Wirtz tweaked top leadership to “reimagine the potential of hockey” and have both sides work together in ways they hadn’t before. He also wanted to grant Bowman full control of the hockey side months after firing team President John McDonough, who had a firm hand on both fronts.Bowman had announced a rebuild before pivoting to a summer spending spree that included acquiring defenseman Seth Jones and goalie Marc-André Fleury.But the new-look Hawks got off to a 1-9-2 start that precipitated Jeremy Colliton’s firing.We may never know what Wirtz’s thinking would be in a hypothetical scenario in which Bowman isn’t entangled in a scandal, but it’s reasonable to think he could’ve survived Colliton’s abysmal start.Colliton, after all, was Bowman’s first swing at a coaching hire after he dismissed Joel Quenneville in November 2018. Many a GM has gotten a second chance at picking the right coach.AdvertisementAlso remember that in August 2020, Bowman had three weeks with Wirtz in the Edmonton bubble to bond and sell him on his long-term plan for the Hawks.When Wirtz promoted Bowman that December he praised Bowman’s “body of work” entering his 19th season.“Stan has set forth a vision for where he wants to take the organization and the hockey team (and) a system to get us there,” Wirtz said. “We have a lot of trust in Stan, his knowledge is great and he’s a growth-minded leader. You don’t see that a lot in people who have success. They have success, stop and rely on that.”But growth takes time and patience for trial-and-error.Given Wirtz’s trust in Bowman before the events of 2010 were revealed, it’s logical to conclude Bowman would’ve received such latitude.AdvertisementIs anyone untouchable or will offers be considered for anyone in trade? — @syats59In short, no — unless a player’s no-trade clause deems it so.However, it would be hard to imagine the Hawks would part with leading scorer Alex DeBrincat (41 goals) unless another GM puts something outrageous on the table.“I don’t necessarily subscribe to the untouchable theory because there’s always a situation where someone’s going to offer you,” GM Kyle Davidson said in March. “Whether it’s realistic or not, there’s always a situation where you might get offered something that you can’t turn down.”That happened with forward Brandon Hagel, who fetched two conditional first-round picks and two rookie forwards, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, in a blockbuster deal that included sending two-fourth rounders to the Tampa Bay Lightning.Said Davidson: “When you announce something like a rebuild, it’s only natural that people come to you with a lot of different ideas.”AdvertisementThe opening month of the season was too much to take and why the players put up with their performances is a real question. Wasn’t the core of Blackhawks enough to say, “We’ve had enough,” or has the skill level throughout the line diminished so much saving the season was impossible? — Tom K.After talking to various members of the Hawks organization and some NHL experts, I don’t get the sense that skill was the problem.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.In fact, associate general manager Norm Maciver said skill had been prioritized over competitiveness and speed for too long.The players said they often came up short against better teams, unable to compete at the level they needed to for three periods.That’s not to say that most of the teams in this year’s playoffs aren’t deeper and more talented than the Hawks, but by their own admission the Hawks have to fix their inconsistency.AdvertisementPlayers also cautioned that losing feeds on itself.“Things turn sideways when you’re not winning games,” Seth Jones after the season finale, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. “A lot of player meetings and meeting after meeting, it’s never fun, it makes the season longer.“If you find a way to win more games, it makes it more fun coming to the rink.”

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What will happen in free agency? Who will play in Summer League? What to watch for this Chicago Bulls offseason.

The Chicago Bulls ended the 2021-22 season on a frustrating note when the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated them from the first round of the playoffs in five games.Next up is a critical period of recruitment and roster management for executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and the rest of the front office as the Bulls aim to build on their first postseason berth in five seasons.AdvertisementHere are the key dates and topics to track for the Bulls offseason.May 16-22: NBA draft combine, ChicagoMay 17: NBA draft lottery, ChicagoJune 13: NBA draft early entry withdrawal deadlineJune 19: Last possible date for the NBA FinalsJune 23: NBA draft, Barclays Center, New YorkJune 29: Last day for teams to make contract decisions and qualifying offers to free agentsJune 30: Free agency negotiations beginJuly 1: Moratorium begins; teams can sign players to rookie, minimum and two-way contractsJuly 7: Moratorium ends; teams can begin making trades and signing playersJuly 7-17: NBA Summer League, Las VegasJuly 13: Last day to withdraw qualifying offers to free agentsAug. 31: Last day to waive playersNBA draftAdvertisementAuburn’s Walker Kessler blocks a shot by Jacksonville State guard Darian Adams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2022, in Greenville, S.C. (Chris Carlson/AP)The Bulls went to a tiebreaker after finishing with an identical 46-36 record to the Minnesota Timberwolves. After winning the draw, the Bulls hold the 18th pick in the draft. That’s their only pick this year.The end of the season exposed two major areas of needed improvement: size and shooting. Those aren’t issues the Bulls can rectify through the draft alone, but the front office likely will address one of those weaknesses as it makes another addition to the young core.[ [Don’t miss] Illinois center Kofi Cockburn says he’s declaring for the NBA draft: ‘It’s time for me to take that next step’ ]Last year’s draft paid off immediately for the Bulls, who selected Ayo Dosunmu in the second round and elevated the homegrown guard into an unexpected starting role for much of the season.The Bulls could be in position to add another Illinois alumnus after center Kofi Cockburn declared for the draft, although there might be better fits for the frontcourt — such as Auburn’s Walker Kessler — available with the 18th pick.Free agencyExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 133Bulls guard Zach LaVine and forward DeMar DeRozan head to their locker room after playing the Bucks at the United Center on April 24, 2022. The Bucks won 119-95 to take a 3-1 lead in their playoff series. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)This is an important free agency period for the Bulls. Although the front office isn’t likely to take as big of a swing as it did last year — picking up DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso — shoring up the margins of the roster will be a key to getting past the first round next season.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The Bulls bench finished as one of the worst in the league this season, providing only 20.6 points per game, and that lack of support became an insurmountable weakness in the playoffs. Creating a more balanced bench will be crucial for the Bulls this summer.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Zach LaVine deserves his big payday — whether it’s with the Bulls or somewhere else ]Meanwhile, Zach LaVine will spend the summer poring over offers in his first offseason as an unrestricted free agent. LaVine made clear his intention to weigh all possibilities before signing a new deal. If he departs Chicago after five seasons, he would leave a gaping hole in the Bulls roster.AdvertisementNBA Summer LeagueExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 75Ayo Dosunmu tries to block the shot of Atlanta guard Trae Young in the second half of a game at the United Center on Feb. 24, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)The Bulls haven’t determined how they’ll use the NBA Summer League — which takes place July 7-17 in Las Vegas — to prepare younger players for the upcoming season. While they can be expected to send their draft pick and Windy City Bulls players to Las Vegas, they haven’t committed to sending Dosunmu and Patrick Williams.Both players voiced enthusiasm about playing in Vegas this summer, but this will be a calculated decision for the Bulls. After stepping in for Ball and Caruso, Dosunmu played significantly more time than the Bulls planned in his rookie season, including 40 starts.[ [Don’t miss] Bulls veterans preach continuity as they hope to ‘run it back’ in 2022-23 after their 1st season together ]Williams could use the minutes after missing most of his second season because of a wrist injury. But third-year players aren’t often called for summer league, and the competition level might not be high enough to push the power forward.If either player does play in Vegas, Bulls fans would get a look at a substantial portion of the franchise’s future.Free agents: Zach LaVine (unrestricted), Derrick Jones Jr. (unrestricted), Tristan Thompson (unrestricted), Troy Brown Jr. (restricted), Matt Thomas (restricted), Tyler Cook (restricted, two-way), Malcolm Hill (restricted, two-way)Contract option: Tony Bradley (player option)Under contract: Nikola Vučević (expires 2023), Coby White (2023), Javonte Green (2023), Ayo Dosunmu (2023), DeMar DeRozan (2024), Patrick Williams (2024), Marko Simonović (2024), Lonzo Ball (2025), Alex Caruso (2025)Eligible for extension: Vučević, White

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NCAA lacrosse tournaments guide: Who’s in, schedule, how to watch and more

The brackets were officially unveiled for the 2022 NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse tournaments Sunday night, with a few surprises. Here’s what you need to know:In the 18-team men’s field, Maryland received the No. 1 overall seed after going 14-0 and beating Rutgers, 17-7, in the Big Ten Tournament championship. Here’s a look at the teams and their resumes, including Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which takes into account strength of schedule:AdvertisementNo. 1 seed Maryland: 14-0, Big Ten champion, 1st in RPINo. 2 seed Georgetown: 15-1, Big East champion, 2nd in RPINo. 3 seed Penn: 10-4, Ivy League champion, 4th in RPINo. 4 seed Yale: 11-4, Ivy League finalist, 6th in RPINo. 5 seed Princeton: 9-4, 5th in Ivy League, 3rd in RPINo. 6 seed Rutgers: 13-3, Big Ten finalist, 5th in RPINo. 7 seed Cornell: 11-4, Ivy League semifinalist, 8th in RPINo. 8 seed Brown: 10-5, Ivy League semifinalist, 10th in RPIBoston University: 12-4, Patriot League champion, 12th in RPIDelaware: 11-5, Colonial Athletic Association champion, 25th in RPIHarvard: 8-4, 6th in Ivy League, 15th in RPIManhattan: 8-6, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, 48th in RPIOhio State: 10-5, Big Ten semifinalist, 14th in RPIRichmond: 11-4, Southern Conference champion, 13th in RPIRobert Morris: 10-5, ASUN Conference champion, 29th in RPISaint Joseph’s: 14-3, Northeast Conference champion, 16th in RPIVermont: 11-6, America East champion, 35th in RPIVirginia: 11-3, Atlantic Coast Conference champion, 9th in RPIIn the 29-team women’s tournament, Atlantic Coast Conference champion North Carolina secured the No. 1 seed, while ACC runner-up Boston College received the No. 3 seed. Maryland, which won the Big Ten Tournament title for the first time since 2018, got the No. 2 seed. Here’s a look at the teams and their resumes:No. 1 seed North Carolina: 18-0, ACC champion, 1st in RPINo. 2 seed Maryland: 16-1, Big Ten champion, 2nd in RPINo. 3 seed Boston College: 16-3, ACC finalist, 3rd in RPINo. 4 seed Northwestern: 13-4, Big Ten semifinalist, 4th in RPINo. 5 seed Syracuse: 13-5, ACC quarterfinalist, 6th in RPINo. 6 seed Loyola Maryland: 19-1, Patriot League champion, 8th in RPINo. 7 seed Florida: 15-4, American Athletic Conference champion, 5th in RPINo. 8 seed Stony Brook: 14-2, America East regular-season champion*, 9th in RPICentral Michigan: 12-7, Mid-American Conference champion, 74th in RPIConnecticut: 13-4, Big East finalist, 14th in RPIDenver: 17-2, Big East champion, 10th in RPIDrexel: 11-7, Colonial Athletic Association champion, 42nd in RPIDuke: 15-3, ACC quarterfinalist, 13th in RPIFairfield: 12-6, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, 38th in RPIJacksonville: 13-4, ASUN Conference champion, 21st in RPIJames Madison: 13-4, CAA regular-season champion*, 11th in RPIJohns Hopkins: 10-8, Big Ten semifinalist, 15th in RPIMassachusetts: 16-3, Atlantic 10 finalist, 20th in RPIMercer: 13-4, Big South champion, 39th in RPIMichigan: 10-6, 4th in Big Ten, 18th in RPIMount St. Mary’s: 15-4, Northeast Conference champion, 45th in RPINotre Dame: 9-9, ACC semifinalist, 16th in RPIPrinceton: 13-3, Ivy League champion, 12th in RPIRutgers: 15-3, Big Ten finalist, 7th in RPISaint Joseph’s: 14-6, Atlantic 10 champion, 30th in RPISouthern California: 13-4, Pac-12 semifinalist, 17th in RPIStanford: 12-6, Pac-12 champion, 27th in RPIVermont: 14-4, America East champion, 33rd in RPIVirginia: 9-9, ACC semifinalist, 19th in RPI*- Stony Brook and James Madison were not allowed to participate in their conference tournaments because of their universities’ decisions to leave the America East and the Colonial Athletic Association, respectively, beginning the 2022-23 academic year.AdvertisementHere’s a look at some of the notable teams on the men’s side who didn’t make the cut:Duke: 11-6, 3rd in ACC, 7th in RPINotre Dame: 8-4, 2nd in ACC, 11th in RPIArmy West Point: 12-4, Patriot League finalist, 18th in RPIJacksonville: 14-3, Southern Conference finalist, 24th in RPIVillanova: 9-6, Big East finalist, 19th in RPIDenver: 9-6, Big East semifinalist, 20th in RPIJohns Hopkins: 7-9, Big Ten semifinalist, 21st in RPINorth Carolina: 8-6, 4th in ACC, 17th in RPISyracuse: 4-10, 5th in ACC, 30th in RPIFirst-round games begin for the men’s tournament on Wednesday, while the women’s tournament gets underway Friday. Here’s a look at the schedule:MENFirst roundManhattan at Vermont, Wednesday, 6 p.m.Robert Morris at Delaware, Wednesday, 7 p.m.Second roundBoston University at No. 5 seed Princeton, Saturday, noonRichmond at No. 3 seed Penn, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.Saint Joseph’s at No. 4 seed Yale, Saturday, 5 p.m.Virginia at No. 8 seed Brown, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.Manhattan/Vermont at No. 1 seed Maryland, Sunday, noonHarvard at No. 6 seed Rutgers, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.Ohio State at No. 7 seed Cornell, Sunday, 5 p.m.Delaware/Robert Morris at No. 2 seed Georgetown, Sunday, 7:30 p.m.WOMENChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.First roundDrexel at No. 8 seed Stony Brook, Friday, noonRutgers vs. Saint Joseph’s, Friday, 2:30 p.m. (at Stony Brook, New York)Duke vs. Johns Hopkins, Friday, 3 p.m. (at College Park)Mount St. Mary’s at No. 6 seed Loyola Maryland, Friday, 3 p.m.Denver vs. Vermont, Friday, 4 p.m. (at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)Fairfield at No. 5 seed Syracuse, Friday, 4 p.m.Southern California vs. Virginia, Friday, 5 p.m. (at Chapel Hill, North Carolina)Mercer at No. 7 seed Florida, Friday, 5 p.m.Central Michigan at No. 4 seed Northwestern, Friday, 5 p.m.Massachusetts vs. Princeton, Friday, 7 p.m.Connecticut vs. James Madison, Friday, 7 p.m. (at Loyola Maryland)Jacksonville vs. Stanford, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (at Gainesville, Florida)Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Friday, 8 p.m.Second roundAdvertisementSouthern California/Virginia at No. 1 seed North Carolina, Sunday, noonDuke/Johns Hopkins at No. 2 seed Maryland, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.Denver/Vermont at No. 3 seed Boston College, Sunday, 1 p.m.ESPNU will broadcast all of the men’s tournament games leading up to the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN2, and the championship game will be televised on ESPN.The first and second rounds of the women’s tournament will be livestreamed on ESPN+. ESPNU will broadcast the quarterfinals and semifinals, and the championship game will be televised on ESPN.As is tradition, the champions will be crowned on Memorial Day weekend.The men’s semifinals and championship game will be held Saturday, May 28, and Monday, May 30, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.The women’s semifinals and championship game will take place Friday, May 27, and Sunday, May 29, at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore.