Tonight, a UNLV fan [had] a chance to win up to $150,000 by making a halfcourt shot during the team’s showdown against San Diego State at the Thomas & Mack Center. It promises to be a high-stakes spectacle.

But the stakes may be even more elevated behind the scenes: The promotion is serving as a “test run” for a plan to change the face of NIL funding for the Scarlet and Gray.

Name, image and likeness deals, or NIL, allow players to accept money directly from donors, and it has quickly become a leading factor in roster building in men’s basketball and football.