UConn’s NCAA Tournament Runs Are A Financial Boost For The Big East
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UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley, left, speaks with UConn women's head coach Geno Auriemma at the First Night practice event at Gampel Pavilion, Oct. 18, 2019 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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TNSEntering Friday night, the UConn men’s and women’s teams both remained in their respective Final Fours of the NCAA Tournament.
That’s good news for UConn, but it’s also good news for the Big East Conference.
“The more success that UConn has, the more money that will come into the league, which honestly benefits the league as a whole,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in an exclusive interview.
Benedict is a busy man these days. He’s currently in Phoenix where Geno Auriemma and the No. 1 ranked UConn women (38-0) were set to face South Carolina in the Final Four Friday night.
On Saturday here in Indianapolis, Dan Hurley and the UConn men will face Illinois in the men’s Final Four.
In January, Division I members voted to expand the men's and women's basketball performance funds to financially reward teams' performances after reaching their respective Final Four. Each basketball performance fund will be expanded by three total units: one awarded to each of the two teams that advance to and play in their respective championship game, with an additional unit awarded to the national champion team.
For this year, a women’s basketball unit value is $113,636, while a men’s unit value is $358,375. The units will be be distributed to conference offices in 2027, and each conference decides how to allocate the money.
“We fully supported the NCAA’s decision to award three additional units to the two national semifinal winners and the overall champion as a way of recognizing the extraordinary effort that goes into wins at that stage of the tournament,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said via text. "Unit payments represent a meaningful component of our conference operating budget, so any wins on the final weekend will now result in a clear financial benefit for us.
“Our conference revenue distribution formula includes performance bonuses tied to post-season basketball success, which ensures that schools who excel in March Madness are rewarded financially in the manner they deserve. ”
Units earned during the tournaments are paid out to conferences on a rolling basis. In men's basketball, units are distributed over six years, and in women's basketball, the units are distributed over three years.
Division I members voted to establish the women's basketball funds during last year's NCAA Convention. The first women's basketball units, which were earned during the 2025 tournament, will be distributed in April.
Rick Pitino and the St. John’s men also earned units for the league by reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, while Kevin Willard and the Villanova men also earned a unit for making the NCAA Tournament.
“As hard as it can be to imagine from December through Mid-March, BIG EAST coaches and administrators s are always incredibly supportive of each other in non-conference and postseason play,” St. John’s AD Ed Kull said via text. “In addition to the benefit from a financial perspective, the reputation of the league is raised considerably when our teams do well in March.”
At this time of year, UConn is often driving the bus for the Big East.
The women’s program is into its 25th Final Four and Auriemma is seeking his 13th national championship.
Meantime, the UConn men are 12-1 all-time in the Final Four and are seeking their seventh title and third in four years.
“We came here for rings, not watches,” Hurley said here at the Final Four. “Everyone that comes to the Final Four gets a beautiful watch, but only one group is going to get a ring.”
This article was originally published on Forbes.com