Mean Green Blog

As much as it might pain some North Texas fans out there, everyone who cares about Mean Green sports should be pulling for South Alabama today when the NCAA Tournament field is announced.

Western Kentucky is already in the field by virtue of winning the Sun Belt tournament. USA is sitting one the bubble, although a lot of projections have the Jaguars in. Why should UNT fans care? Money that could go to the Sun Belt Conference, that’s why. The NCAA Tournament is a giant cash cow for not only the NCAA, but conferences around the country.

The NCAA divides a big chunk of the money derived from the tournament based on a shares system. Each team that earns a spot in the tournament earns a “share” for the conference. Each win in the tournament adds another share. The big boys from the Big 12, ACC and Big East make out like bandits because they get six or seven teams in the tournament that combine for six or seven wins. Shares for the 2006-07 tournament were worth $177,000. The Sun Belt picked up one share when UNT made the tournament and lost to Memphis in the first round.

The league’s problem is it has gotten just one team into the tournament for the last several years and that team has lost in the first round each time. The Sun Belt could definitely use a larger piece of the pie, not to mention a little more respect in general. Getting a second team in the tournament would help on both fronts.

Say USA does make it in and both the Jaguars and Hilltoppers fall in the first round and this season’s shares turn out to be worth $180,000. Getting just one extra team in and landing one extra share would net the league more than $1 million in additional funding over the next six years. If you don’t think the league and its schools could use another $1 million, you haven’t been around the Sun Belt very long.

It’s reason enough to hope for an extra bid for the Sun Belt today.