Selection Sunday is almost here, which means it's time to talk about the other scoreboard: money. Every game a team plays in the NCAA Tournament is worth real dollars to its conference. Here's how it works in 2026.
What's a "unit"?
The NCAA pays out tournament money in "units." A team earns a unit for each game it plays, and the money goes to the team's conference, not straight to the school. It's paid out in annual installments over six years.
According to Forbes, every round a team survives earns more than $2 million for its conference over those six years. The NCAA hasn't released this year's unit value yet, but Forbes reports it will be at or above last year's $347,275.
What changed this year
In January, NCAA members voted to add three units each to the men's and women's basketball distribution funds. Under the change, both teams in the championship game earn a unit, and the national champion earns one more, per Forbes.
That matters because, until now, the money flattened out at the very end of the bracket. Now a run all the way to the title pays off for the conference that sent the team.
How the SEC passes it along
Once the money hits a conference, each league decides how to distribute it. The SEC is a useful example. On top of its shared revenue, it pays direct bonuses to schools that make the field, per Forbes:
- $100,000 for appearing in the preliminary round, first round and/or second round
- $125,000 for appearing in the regional semifinals and/or regional finals
- $300,000 for appearing in the Final Four
Last year, the SEC put a record 14 of its 16 teams in the bracket. Those teams played 35 games, earning 35 units worth roughly $70 million for the conference.
Where the women's tournament stands
Last year was the first in which women's teams earned units. Fox Sports reported that conferences would receive $113,000 for each game a women's team played in 2025, from a $15 million pool, about 26% of the women's basketball media deal. That pool is scheduled to grow to $25 million, or 41% of the revenue, by 2028.
It's a much smaller number than the men's side, where Fox Sports noted a unit from the 2024 tournament was worth $2 million total over six years. But it's a start, and the new units added in January apply to both tournaments.
Do players see any of this?
Not directly. Units go to conferences, then schools. But the money matters more than it used to. Under the House settlement, schools now share revenue directly with athletes, up to a cap. Tournament dollars are part of the athletic revenue picture that schools draw on as they make those payments.
So when a mid-major makes a surprise run, it isn't just a feel-good story. It's real revenue for a conference, and that money flows back to its schools.
What to watch
As brackets fill up, keep an eye on the conferences sending the most teams. More bids mean more chances to earn units. And for fans, every upset you're screaming about on the couch is also a multimillion-dollar swing for somebody's league.