Dan Issel says college basketball's playing field has been leveled: 'We can't cheat like we used to'

Dan Issel said the quiet part out loud during Wednesday’s episode of Run It Back.

Issel, who is set to release a book titled “Dan Issel, from Kentucky Wildcat to NBA Legend” this October, sat down with the likes of Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons, and Lou Williams to talk about his new book, his all-time Kentucky starting five, his days as an NBA head coach, Dikembe Mutombo, and much more.

But the question that caught the attention of the Big Blue Nation was when Williams asked the Hall of Famer why Kentucky hasn’t been able to compete for national championships as of late.

“With NIL, we can’t cheat like we used to,” Issel, who was a multi-time All-American during his time at Kentucky (1966-70), said laughingly. “I was hoping Boogie (DeMarcus Cousins) was on the show because we need him to kick in more NIL money and help us out a little bit.

“I think the landscape of college basketball, with the transfer portal and with NIL, has really, really changed, and it has brought a lot of equality to college basketball. When you used to count on Kentucky and North Carolina and Duke and Kansas being at the very top. I don’t think that’s gonna happen anymore.”

Dan Issel on why Kentucky basketball hasn't won a NCAA Title since 2012:

"With NIL, we can't cheat like we used to… we need Boogie to kick in more NIL money."

😂💰@MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/NARTez155I

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 6, 2026

Issel isn’t wrong on the second part of his answer. Yes, Duke continues to sit atop the college basketball hierarchy, but the other Blue Bloods have recently gone through years of struggle. NIL has certainly played a part in that — other schools with plenty of cash can now compete for the same talent that was once mostly funneled to the top programs. College basketball has absolutely changed in that way.

But to Issel’s point about Kentucky specifically needing more NIL money, he probably wasn’t spending too much time on social media last season. The Wildcats infamously went into the 2025-26 season with a reported roster price of $22 million, likely the most in college basketball. UK seemingly had plenty of money to spend, and the program did not shoot down any claims saying otherwise. A lack of funds does not appear to be the issue with landing elite players right now for Kentucky.

It was also funny to hear Issel admit something that we already pretty much knew, but something we don’t hear said out loud by the people who were experiencing it at the time: college players were getting paid (in some form or fashion) long before NIL came along. Even if Issel was half-joking with his “we (Kentucky) can’t cheat like we used to” comment, there was certainly some truth in his words.

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