The Southeastern Conference will earn a whopping $70 million payout from the NCAA Tournament after sending a record 14 of its 16 schools to the Big Dance.
Two of those programs, No. 1 seeds Auburn and Florida, are still alive and will meet in the Final Four on Saturday in San Antonio.
The NCAA pays conferences one “unit” — worth roughly $2 million each by Sportico’s calculations — for every game their members play in the tournament. The SEC will play 35 games before Monday’s final, earning 35 units to get to the $70 million estimate.
That shatters the previous record of 25 units the Atlantic Coast Conference won in 2016.
The Big Ten earned 21 units ($42 million) during this year’s tournament and the Big 12 finished third with 20 units ($20 million). The Big East and ACC were next with nine units each ($18 million).
“In the SEC, we believe the financial results follow the underlying work, and we remain laser focused on our work,” SEC associate commissioner of men’s basketball, Garth Glissman, told Front Office Sports.
Earnings are distributed to conferences over a six-year basis.
No. 1 seeds Duke and Houston meet in the other national semifinal on Saturday, with the winners playing for the national championship on Monday night.
