Hotline newsletter: Two poor NCAA Tournament showings will hinder conference cash flow over upcoming payout cycles
* The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published each Monday-Wednesday-Friday during the college sports season (and twice-a-week in the summer). This edition, from April 1, has been made available in archived form …
Counting NCAA cash: A two-year slump
The Final Four is set, which means the NCAA Tournament money is set: Units are awarded for participation through the semifinals — the championship game isn’t included in the cash calculation.
For that reason, we have the final totals for each conference.
Two assumptions:
• Each Power Six splits the money evenly among all members.
• Each unit earned this month will be worth approximately $1.8 million over the six-year payout window.
Big Ten
Total units: 21
Value of units: $37.8 million
Per-school split: $2.7 million
ACC
Total units: 20
Value of units: $36 million
Per-school split: $2.4 million
SEC
Total units: 19
Value of units: $34.2 million
Per-school split: $2.4 million
Big 12
Total units: 13
Value of units: $23.4 million
Per-school split: $2.3 million
Pac-12
Total units: 7
Value of units: $12.6 million
Per-school split: $1.05 million
Big East
Total units: 5
Value of units: $9 million
Per-school split: $900,000
As noted, the payout cycle consists of a rolling six-year period on a delayed basis. In the spring of 2020, the NCAA will distribute the cash earned by each conference from 2014-19.
The Pac-12 will have two poor years within that period:
2014: 13
2015: 12
2016: 11
2017: 14
2018: 3
2019: 7
If we use 13 units as a reasonable single-year benchmark, then the slump in 2018-19 translates to a shortcoming of 16 units (10 earned instead of 26).
That’s a conference-wide shortfall of at least $25 million, which translates to more than $2 million per school over the period in which both ’18 and ’19 are included.
Oh, and it’s not vanishing into the ether; it’s going into the pockets of the Pac-12’s competition. — Jon Wilner
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Hot off the Hotline
• Cal planned to bring Wyking Jones back for Year Three, changed course, then in less than one week hired unemployed former Georgia coach Mark Fox. Flawed searched don’t always result in bad hires. As I wrote Friday, the Bears better hope this is one of those instances.
• We passed on the ‘Saturday Night Five’ column and instead published a Monday morning overview of Pac-12 basketball that addressed the contrasting fortunes of the men’s and women’s teams. The former is struggling, the latter thriving — and the Pac-12 Networks have something to do with it.
• ICYMI: The Friday newsletter attempted to clean up loose ends on the eye-popping report that the Pac-12 turned down an offer from ESPN to take control of the Pac-12 Networks distribution and extend the Tier 1 rights into the 2030s. Previous editions of the newsletter are available in archived form using the following hashtag:
https://www.mercurynews.com/tag/pac-12-hotline-newsletter/
Why we need your support: Like so many other providers of local journalism across the country, the Hotline’s parent website, mercurynews.com, recently moved to a subscription model. A few Hotline stories will remain free each month (as will this newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe at a rate of just 12 cents per day for 12 months. And thanks for your loyalty.
Draft Developments
• Washington guard Jaylen Nowell announced Sunday (via Instagram and Twitter) that he would enter the NBA Draft. The conference player of the year is hardly a lock for the first round and has until late May to return to school for what would be his senior season.
• Meanwhile, Washington State freshman CJ Elleby has declared for the draft — yes, CJ Elleby — but is very much leaving his options open. Elleby isn’t considered a second-round pick at this point, much less a first-round candidate. But the evaluation process is a tool for prospects, and he’s using it.
Key Dates
(All times Pacific)
April 3: Washington starts spring practice
April 6: USC’s spring game (11 a.m., Pac-12 Networks)
April 6-8: Final Four (Minneapolis)
April 13: Utah’s spring game (10 a.m., Pac-12 Networks)
April 13: Stanford’s spring game (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks)
April 13: Arizona’s spring game (5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks)
April 21: NBA Draft declaration deadline
In the News
• DeMarco Murray raised the profle of Arizona’s coaching staff the moment he agreed to oversee the running backs. The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year recently met with the media and discussed his move to the sideline, his relationship with Kevin Sumlin and more.
• An interesting development in USC’s quarterback competition: If you haven’t heard of Kedon Slovis, it’s understandable, but he’s making a serious impression.
• Utah held its first scrimmage of the spring, and quarterback Tyler Huntley was efficient. Healthy, and efficient.
• Former Cal quarterback Ross Bowers, who went from starter to third string with remarkable speed, is headed to Northern Illinois.
• We know how much Arizona spent investigating allegations of sexual harassment by former coach Rich Rodriguez ($137,000), but we still don’t know exactly what he did.
Recruiting Trail
• The No. 2 ranked cornerback in the class of 2020, Kelee Ringo, is from Scottsdale. Rivals analysts Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney discuss Ringo’s upcoming decision. His top schools are Texas, Georgia and Ohio State, which isn’t a good sign for the Pac-12. Not good at all.
On the Hardwood
• Mark Fox “seems like a safe hire, hardly bold or daring,” writes Jeff Faraudo at CalBearsMaven. “Fox’s resume is solid, but will he be able to reassemble Cal’s crumbling program and engage a fanbase that mostly lost interest as the Bears went 16-47 the past two seasons?”
• Colorado is “upgrading (its) schedule significantly,” coach Tad Boyle said. No reason not to: The Buffs have all their key players back and should contend for the conference title.
• Also in Boulder: The offseason begins in eventful fashion for McKinley Wright. He’s due for shoulder surgery, and (understandably) nervous about it.
• UCLA not only lost Kris Wilkes but associate coach Duane Broussard, who’s bound for TCU.
Money Matters
• Significant news in the naming rights space, as United Airlines on Friday offered to nullify the $69 million Coliseum deal with USC. The plan has encountered backlash given the venerable stadium’s status as a war memorial. “However the naming rights deals dispute is resolved,” writes the L.A. Times’ Arash Markazi, “this issue should force everyone involved to do more to make the sure the stadium is an actual living memorial to all who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, which was the original intent.” (Psst: The best ideas always come from sportswriters.)
Medal Stand
A section devoted to content on Pac-12 Olympic sports.
• Oregon is headed to the Final Four after beating No. 1 seed Mississippi State (which had to play in Portland). No surprise who led the way for the Ducks.
• Stanford has quite the rivalry with Notre Dame. They square off this evening with the Final Four at stake.
• The top freshman basketball player in the conference is on the move: Dre’Una Edwards is looking to leave Utah. (‘There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow’ — it’s an area we call … the transfer portal.)
• ASU swept Arizona on the (baseball) diamond for the first time in a decade.
Looking Ahead
What’s coming on the Pac-12 Hotline:
• The Hotline’s new football recruiting column, on hiatus during the NCAAs, returns this week. Our topic: Oregon coach Mario Cristobal, who has brought an SEC level of fervor to the west coast.
• One year ago, the Pac-12 Networks revamped their strategy for engagement, smartly increasing their focus on football. How did it turn out? We’ll take a look.
The next newsletter is scheduled for Wednesday. Like it? Please forward this email to friends (sign up here). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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