Louisville Coach Goes on NIL Rant After ACC Tournament Loss

Jeff Walz made an odd connection between his team's turnover problems and NIL

Louisville women’s basketball coach coach Jeff Walz and his Cardinals are likely heading to the NCAA Tournament, regardless of his team’s loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament on Friday.

But that didn’t stop Walz from making a rather interesting connection between his team’s play and Name, Image and Likeness money.

Walz was asked about his team's pattern of turning the basketball over. In Friday's game with Notre Dame, Louisville made 22 field goals and turned the ball over 20 times.

Walz said that had been a pattern for Louisville lately. He also said that his players have to care about protecting the basketball.

That's when he suddenly connected his team's penchant for creating turnovers to NIL as a way of actually punishing players for their turnovers on the court.

“… See, this is where nil could really improve our game because, see, if I could fine say, $500 a turnover I guarantee you we wouldn't turn that thing over one time. They'd care.

“But they get all this good stuff, it's all great, but let's make it pay for play,” he said. “The game will get cleaned up, I promise you. Our game will get better. If you pay for play, it'll get better, because that's really what it is. We just can't fine them. As a player, would you not care more, Jayda (Curry), if I said, every turnover is $500 — you're out two grand tonight. We would make money as coaches. Our athletic department would make money off our players. Our NIL would come back to the school. But they'd start changing.”

The Cardinals finished the season 27-9 and should be selected for the NCAA Tournament next Sunday. But Walz’s rant will go down as one of the most interesting of the season.