A first-round appearance in the men’s NCAA Tournament can net a conference revenue in the $1.6 million neighborhood over a six-year period.
Leagues often divide those "shares" among conference members, making March Madness a time when administrators may hear the ring of cash registers as much as they hear the cheers of crowds.
That would be a welcome sound for a Missouri State athletic department that is trying to make up a $1.1 million budget shortfall.
It isn’t the same for women’s basketball, however. Missouri State’s conference championship and NCAA Tournament trip won’t net the school any big-money shares.