MVC Basketball: Longterm impact of losing Loyola and gaining Belmont

Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; The Loyola Ramblers wave to Sister Jean after their win over the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Loyola Ramblers won 71-58. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

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The Morehead State Eagles Ovc Mens Championship 8 /

Finances of MVC Basketball going forward

Since the recognized beginning of the Atlantic Ten (2007-08), that conference has sent 37 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Missouri Valley has launched 18. Large sums of money are paid to conferences based on ‘appearances’ in the tournament. Since financial distributions seem to go up every year, next Spring’s NCAA distributions should approach roughly $300,00 per appearance. That money is multiplied by six and given to the conferences over a six-year period.

Those distributions are typically paid out to conference members in an equally divided manner. League offices routinely keep a small percentage of that money, but for this analysis, we’ll act like none of that money goes to the league.

Nor will we add into this conversation the number of games won by conference teams. Leagues are paid per appearance, so every game a team wins creates another appearance and another NCAA distribution.

Financial distributions are made over six years. So, when Drake and Loyola were invited to the Big Dance, Valley teams were guaranteed roughly $1,800,000. Simple (not precise) math says each Valley team will receive approximately $30,000 per year over the next six.

Since previous payouts are ongoing, the institutions are receiving multiples of that amount each year. When we compare the A10 and the Valley, financial benefits from last season are the same (minus the successes of the conference teams).

However, the A10 has secured twice as many appearance units over those fourteen seasons. Last year the Ohio Valley Conference sent one team to the Big Dance.

All Division 1 conferences receive at least one bid to the NCAA Tournament. Every post-season win creates a multiplication of finances for each athletic department’s NCAA payment.