The SEC set records with 14 bids to March Madness and seven teams in the Sweet 16. It also obliterated the mark that matters more than any other: dollars earned. The conference collected 35 NCAA Tournament units that are worth millions of dollars each, easily eclipsing the previous mark (25) set by the ACC in 2016.
Under the NCAA’s revenue distribution model, each game played equates to one unit earned (except for the national championship). This year, the units are worth approximately $350,000 annually and paid out annually over six years — or $2 million over the full payout period. Which means the SEC has earned $70 million, to be split equally among the membership.
With 16 schools, the unprecedented success this month will result in $4.4 million per campus from 2026-31. The Big Ten finished second in the unit-acquisition game with 21, followed by the Big 12 with 20.
The ACC and Big East earned nine, the Mountain West six and the West Coast Conference four. On a units-per-bid basis, the Big 12 led the way with 2.9 units per participating team.
The Big Ten collected 2.6 per participant while the SEC earned 2.5.
(To a certain extent, the SEC faced a diminishing-returns situation because Tennessee and Kentucky faced each other in the Sweet 16.) All in all, the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 collected 76 units, or 57.6 percent of the total available units.
In part because of realignment, this was the most top-heavy tournament in history. Other winners and losers from the regional .
