UConn reacts to introduction of revenue units for NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

UConn women’s basketball has been the most successful program in the country over the last 30 years. Now, all future NCAA Tournament runs will come with a direct financial reward. On Wednesday, the NCAA’s Division I membership unanimously voted to implement performance units for the women’s basketball tournament — a system that has existed for years on the men’s side.

“It's a statement that they made today about where women's basketball fits into the big picture of college athletics,” Geno Auriemma said

Essentially, conferences will get paid for every game a member school plays during March Madness. $15 million — 26 percent of the revenue from the tournament’s media deal — will be divided, coming out to roughly $113,636 per game. By 2028, the pot will increase to $25 million — 41 percent of the revenue. Men’s basketball’s units system also started out with 26 percent of revenue.

That means if the Huskies reach the Final Four for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons, the Big East will receive $1.26 million over the next three years. It’ll be up to the conferences to decide how to distribute the money.

“I think that’s huge, just for women to continue to capitalize on what we brought to the sport and what we do for the sport in general,” Paige Bueckers said after UConn’s win over St. John’s. “It's a step in the right direction.”

While the extra money will certainly be a nice bonus for the Huskies and other powerhouse programs, Auriemma believes it can be transformative for low-major conferences.

“A lot of the small schools, this is their livelihood, right? A lot of the small schools, they they count on their men's team making the NCAA Tournament, trying to go deep into the tournament,” he said. “That is a huge, huge chunk of their revenue as a department. So to have another team within the department that can theoretically earn that, it's great for the schools. It's great for the future of the game, of the sport.”

While the units are a major step for women’s basketball, Auriemma wants to make sure progress doesn’t stop there. Players and coaches are responsible with improving the product on the court, but the NCAA has to do its part, too.

“I hope that we can capitalize on it,” he said.

Specifically, Auriemma continued his crusade against the two-site regionals, believing a return to four sites will only help grow the game. Currently, the NCAA is set to stick with the two-site regional format after announcing host cities through the 2028 tournament.

“We've gotta go back to four regionals so that we can spread the game around the country more instead of just two sites,” he said. “That will, I think, make even more revenue available for everybody.”

The revenue units are the latest step towards rectifying the inequities that were first brought to public attention during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Women’s basketball has been exploding in popularity over the last few seasons with record viewership and attendances. The new media rights package with ESPN values the women’s tournament at $65 million annually — about 10 times more than the current deal, which ends this year.

The 68-team field for the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be revealed on Sunday, March 16. The first two rounds will be held on campus sites from March 21-24 while Spokane, Washington and Birmingham, Alabama host the regionals on March 28-31. The Final Four will take place in Tampa with the national semifinals on Apr. 4 and the championship game on Apr. 6.