Hampton University
The Pirates, 17-17 after defeating Manhattan Tuesday in the first round and the only team that entered the field of 68 with a losing record, are a 32-point underdog to the unbeaten Wildcats (34-0), and some say that is being kind.
But regardless of the outcome of their matchup with a Kentucky team that is chasing history, Hampton and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will be winners when the final buzzer sounds at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky, thanks to the NCAA Basketball Fund.
The fund was created in 1990 to more equitably divide tournament revenue and split it among Division I programs. The way it works is that teams receive a unit each time they advance in the tournament up to the championship game. Each unit is worth a specific amount of money each year and encompasses a six-year period. This year, that amount is more than $250,000. But instead of the money going directly to the schools, it goes to the schools’ conference, which is responsible for divvying it up as it sees fit. The NCAA suggests that the money be evenly divided and most conferences follow that suggestion.
“You’re talking about an economic value of $1.2 to $1.3 million over a six-year period,” says MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. “That’s huge.”
The MEAC has earned 34 units and $23.13 million since the fund was created.
“That’s not a bad number,” Thomas says. “You always wish it were better.”
