Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan shared a statement on the state of NIL that should have fans in College Station questioning the team's pedigree ahead of the 2026-27 season, at least relative to a rumored $22 million Kentucky Wildcats roster.
Meanwhile, I spoke with NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson ahead of Tuesday's 2026 NBA draft, and was told that the rumors of Darius Acuff Jr.'s demise are greatly exaggerated. Jeff Teague claimed Acuff had a bad reputation with teammates at IMG Academy, but Robinson doesn't foresee a draft slide to go along with it.
Here are the latest headlines from the SEC:
Bucky McMillan: NIL 'doesn't even mathematically make sense' this cycle
Per McMillan on The Next Round Live, "This year, in the SEC, this recruiting class - it's been something different. It doesn't even mathematically make sense, and I mean this, what some of these places have spent this year."
Again, this feels like a reference to Kentucky. While the Aggies are in the Arkansas Razorbacks' ballpark at No. 2, their spending combined equals what Wildcats head coach Mark Pope and Co. are playing with in Lexington.
McMillan came out and said that the SEC is a player-driven league where his coaching doesn't matter as much as it did in the Southern Conference. It sounds like McMillan is still getting used to the arms race that Power Conference basketball has become.
Darius Acuff Jr. may not be slipping in the draft after all
As previously mentioned, Teague started the rumor about Acuff not being liked by teammates. Per Teague on the Club 520 Podcast, "People questioning his work ethic, they question his circle… they still say he valuable, but they just question. Some of his teammates at IMG didn’t f**k with him."
Robinson has not heard that those questions have led to NBA front offices moving Acuff down their draftboards. Robinson did share the consensus he's hearing on Acuff being an all-time John Calipari guard with the Hogs, though.
"I haven't heard that," Robinson said. "I haven't heard anything to suggest that there would be a slide. What I like about him is that he's a true lead guard in this draft. I know that there are people out there that say that he's one of the best guards that Calipari has coached."
Acuff is a proven entity, having scored 91 points and 23 assists in the 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. Per ESPN, Acuff's 30-point, five-assist average in his first two NCAA Tournament games made him only the second player in the past 50 years, following only Oscar Robertson, to reach those marks.
The Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets are reportedly two teams to monitor with Acuff, with Russell Westbrook's free agency needing to be addressed on the former and a crowded young core eyeing Austin Reaves in free agency. Robinson relayed from his sources in Brooklyn that the Nets have a strong interest in offering Reaves. In that case, the Kings could make more sense for Acuff.
We'll see how things shake out for Acuff. It may be more favorable than some would've thought after hearing those IMG Academy rumors on Thursday.
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