With 14 teams in the tournament, the SEC already is guaranteed about $28 million from the NCAA basketball tournament, even if every team loses in the first round (you get about $2 million for each game played by a team in your conference.) Since you only get to collect that for the first 5 rounds, the ACC's maximum payout if every team it has entered goes as far as they can possibly go, the maximum the ACC can win is $38 million. If just 5 SEC teams win in the first round, they will be guaranteed as much money as the maximum the ACC can win for the whole tournament.
Odds are the SEC will garner something between $50-$60 million from this tournament, while the ACC gets about $15-25 million (and that's assuming Duke gets to the final four.) And they have to divide that money up among two more teams.
Don't expect the ACC to catch back up to the SEC in basketball anytime soon.
Odds are the SEC will garner something between $50-$60 million from this tournament, while the ACC gets about $15-25 million (and that's assuming Duke gets to the final four.) And they have to divide that money up among two more teams.
Don't expect the ACC to catch back up to the SEC in basketball anytime soon.
