My warning went out as the madness began. There weren’t going to be many Cinderellas at this ball for aristocrats. So now the NCAA Tournament has reached its Final Four and Two, and not only has a Cinderella been out of sight this spring, the glass slipper has been crushed under the coach’s wheels and the good prince has turned to online dating. The power basketball conferences have dominated, and because power means football, and football means money, specifically more NIL money to use as tokens for players to use the NCAA transfer portal, pessimists see the mid-majors such as San Diego State on life support. The Cinderellas may have been benched, but it’s for the moment. After watching this event for weeks, I haven’t seen a thing to make me or anyone else drink the panic cocktail of bitters and hard Kool-Aid. As of last Wednesday, 1,729 collegiate basketball players had entered the portal. There are 364 Division I basketball schools, 79 in the power conferences. Plenty to go around, it seems to me. None of this applies to football, which has many more roster players to worry about than hoops. The Big East isn’t a Power Four football conference, with UConn — not exactly Alabama — its only Division I football school. So the ACC isn’t producing big football dough. Most basketball schools aren’t taking many players through NIL and the portal. There isn’t that much money available because the sport doesn’t pay many bills, nor does it need as many players. An exception is Maryland, a mess that has lost nine players to the portal after having a fine basketball season and had a coach leave. But that is rare. I still have seen good games played by the underdogs. Totally inexperienced in the ways of the tournament, UCSD came this close to beating Michigan, a No. 2 seed. Others, such as Colorado State, also found the slipper. Sure, the top four seeds have made up the Final Four, and the Sweet 16 was loaded with power, but I’ve seen a lot of teams that could have been beaten, making it hard for me to think that the NIL and portal are going to signal the end of the mid-major. San Diego State is a so-called mid-major, and I don’t care how many power schools there are; this is a top-25 program from a school in which NIL and football money doesn’t offer much help. Brian Dutcher is one of the finest coaches in the country, and despite his team’s troubles this past season, losing its best player before the year began and playing without its top seven scorers from 2024’s Sweet 16 team, it still won 20 games and made the tournament. Also, it beat Houston. It might have been Dutcher’s best coaching job. This program is going nowhere south. Dutch already has opened the portal to Sean Newman Jr., one of the nation’s better lead guards. There will be others. He will coach them up. Look at all these teams. How many have been to a Sweet 16 and Final Two over the past three seasons? No, I’m not giving up on State or the mid-majors. They will get players — experienced players — and as a result will get slippers. This season is an anomaly. The last time four top seeds made it to the Final Four was 17 years ago. Portal or not, it took a long time for all of them to get back. What I dislike most about the portal is that it never closes. Kids just keep transferring. Kansas wing AJ Storr has entered the portal and will be playing for his fourth college team this coming year. He also went to four different high schools. Once a player transfers, that should be it. No more — unless the coach who recruited the player dashes off for bank, which is what happened at Maryland. High school recruiting is being wrecked. The youngest player in Auburn’s starting lineup is 22. Cinderella’s ride didn’t have many passengers this year. But there will be another tournament, maybe even a larger one. The mids will be back. Just remember, the first athlete to enter the Portal was Goliath. And he fell to a mid-major. … Magoon Gwath will not enter the transfer portal, remaining an Aztec — at least until he’s read in on his NBA draft prospects. Magoon is not ready to play in the NBA. He still has some growing-into-his-body to do. But I won’t be surprised if some team sees him as a prospect. He is young, athletic and 7 feet tall. … What a great job Eric Olen did at UCSD. Now he’s off to what I used to call Albuquerque High. … The last time I saw a three-second violation, time was being kept by high and low tides. … The Padres honor Peter Seidler with a Peter Seidler move and wrap up Jackson Merrill for nine years. Luck may be the residue of design, but they got lucky with this kid. Merrill not only has talent, there are caldrons inside. Competitor of the first order. … Mike Tomlin says he’s fully comfortable with Mason Rudolph as his starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. Sure. Comfortable, like sitting down hard with your back pockets full of roofing tacks while having your wisdom teeth removed. … NFL’s owners have tabled the Tush Push. They’re probably waiting to see how their teams are affected by this non-football play, which is suitable for rugby. … Jerry Jones: “I’m all for the Rooney Rule.” Given his indelible record of minority head coaching hires he’s made in Dallas, he doesn’t have to say anything. … Case Keenum will get $3 million in Bears dollars this season to caddy for medalist Caleb Williams. … Finally, technology available since Ralph Hay first got NFL owners together at his Hupmobile dealership, comes to the chain gang. But tech is not going to help officials spot the football correctly in the first place. … Eagles GM Howie Roseman says he won’t even scout a player with a history of violence against women. “I won’t even watch them.” There’s one guy the Chiefs will never hire. … All fans attending Coastal Carolina football games this fall will find basic concessions won’t cost a Confederate coin. Free. Aztecs alums will try to get food delivered to wherever they happen to be other than Snapdragon. … Tulane quarterback transfer AJ Finley has been arrested for allegedly stealing a truck. There are times when the transfer portal simply doesn’t offer enough transportation. … People are actually asking if the NFL needs a G League. It has one. College football. … Reports that Arizona State is putting in a maroon football field were made of April Fools’ stuff. But it would be easy in Tempe. Plant a lawn, then don’t water it. … LeBron had a 40-foot travel the other night. I figured eight very long steps. True. An embarrassment to the game. … Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz may be the fastest baseball player I’ve seen since San Diego High’s Sylvester Crowell in the early 1960’s. If Sylvester hit the ball on the ground, he was on second soon enough. … I know nothing of these things, so I need an expert. Is now a good time to put a coal chute into my basement?