BYU basketball reportedly isn't close to spending $20 million for top roster

The college basketball landscape is trying to catch up with the new era. There's no way a roster of 15 players could ever rival any of the ones in college football. But there are some programs that are trying to throw money at the problem.

A recent report by CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter revealed North Carolina is spending $20 million on a roster that isn't expected to contend for a title. Mike Malone is applying his NBA experience to Chapel Hill early. Other college basketball analysts chimed in on the insane total for UNC, saying $20 million isn't even enough to construct a top-tier roster.

With that being said, where does BYU stand? Kevin Young has been able to pull multiple five-star talents, but isn't topping out anywhere near the $20 million mark.

How could this happen with BYU's current roster? The simple answer is, Young is selling players on being developed by a staff of former NBA coaches. This was confirmed by Cougars' insider Robbie McCombs, who explained the process for Young and his staff.

"BYU hoops isn’t close to spending $20M on the roster, but if Jaxon Kohler remains eligible they could be a preseason top 15 team," McCombs wrote on X. "BYU’s highest impact players (outside of a late addition of Jaxon) are non bigs, who weren’t as expensive relative to their production"

UNC isn't an outlier in the situation. The incoming players are demanding more money because the market is unregulated right now. North Carolina clearly has money to spend considering their situations with both respective major sports programs. Mack Brown was fired after never missing a bowl game and replaced by Bill Belichick, who has been embroiled in scandal ever since stepping foot on campus.

Malone is doing his best to make the transition to college, but the jury is still out on whether he'll be a good fit. This seemed like a stepping stone move for him to be back in the NBA.

Outside UNC there are a few other teams spending at a high rate. It paid off for Michigan by winning a national championship this year. Duke, Kentucky and Kansas are hovering around the $20 million mark with their respective rosters full of blue-chip talents. BYU has been able to scout players who want to be developed for the next level. AJ Dybantsa came to Provo with an NIL offer reported at around $7 million. He also went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

As McCombs said, BYU will have a top-15 roster if Kohler is eligible this season. There should be more programs trying to emulate what Young and his staff are doing. For those analysts saying $20 million doesn't scratch the surface, the Cougars are proof that's not true. In the end, it's best to identify which players are future NBA players or working as a hype man for their own brand.

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