The Sweet 16 in men’s March Madness—tipping off with teams representing a record-low four conferences and no Cinderella stories—simply means the rich are going to get richer.
Conferences earn roughly $2 million for every game one of their teams plays in the NCAA tournament through the Final Four (the championship game does not award another payment).
So far, the SEC’s record 14 March Madness bids are paying off the most—to the tune of at least $58 million. That comes from $2 million for the SEC’s automatic qualifier, conference tournament champion Florida, $26 million for the 13 at-large bids, and another $30 million for teams that advance past the first round, including seven to the Sweet 16, the most ever for one conference.
One interesting note is the Big East, with no teams left in the tournament, has earned $18 million from nine units, more than the ACC’s $14 million from seven units so far. Duke is the lone ACC team alive.
Spread the Wealth?
For the rest of the tournament, there are 12 units worth $24 million still up for grabs, which will all be earned by either the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, or Big 12. So, that means no extra cash for the non-power conferences, as has been the case in recent years.
In the previous two tournaments, UConn alone earned a combined $20 million via 10 units for the Big East en route to back-to-back national championships. In 2023, San Diego State and FAU earned $10 million for the Mountain West and AAC, respectively, during their Final Four runs.
