What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, we have the initial revenue-sharing estimate, we have a new NCAA Tournament and we have a newly-wealthy Big 12 basketball coach.
Move Revenue Sharing Clarity
Yahoo Sports had two more reports this week about the upcoming revenue sharing in college sports.
The first came late in the week as power conferences, including the Big 12, distributed a memo to its programs to let them know that the initial “cap” for revenue sharing in 2025-26 will be $20.5 million.
Now, that’s a tentative figure. We probably won’t know the final figure until the entire House vs. NCAA settlement is approved, hopefully in April. But there are plenty of hurdles ahead.
The real number to watch is 22, as in 22% of power four revenues, which is what the final revenue-sharing figure will be figured. As previously reported, the belief is that the rev-share cap will go up about 4% each year.
The other piece was also a Yahoo report about a memo the NCAA distributed to all its members. This was a Q&A about the settlement.
The NCAA confirmed that the rev-share is for all sports. So, for instance, Iowa State can’t share revenue with men’s basketball but not women’s basketball. If the Cyclones opt-in, it’s for all sports. Schools can also opt-in or opt-out. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said two weeks ago that those conversations are happening inside the conference and he expects each of his 16 schools to be “competitive.”
NIL will continue, per the Q&A. But student-athletes will now have to report any contract for $600 or more to their school and to a third-party. I’m assuming that’s a clearinghouse the NCAA will set up.
But the settlement is still a long way away from being fully settled. We’re in a period where those that want to object can, and the Olympic sports coaches and athletes that are starting to lose their access to scholarships aren’t going away.
This is going to be messy before it all gets settled.
Can You Torvik?
No, it’s not a dance craze. It’s the new metric we all have to track for the men’s NCAA Tournament.
Torvik is replacing the Sagarin ratings as another metric the committee can use to determine the field. It is supposed to show “… how many more, or fewer, wins a team has against its schedule versus what a bubble team would expect to have against the same schedule.”
This metric will use NET as the basis for opponent strength and it will consider the typical bubble team as one ranked No. 45 in NET. It will also be made available to the public.
For reference, in the final NET ratings on March 17 the No. 45 team was Texas A&M. The Aggies made the NCAA Tournament. The next team below them — Oklahoma — did not.
So there might be something to it.
McCasland’s New Deal
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported late in the week that men’s basketball coach Grant McCasland’s contract was reworked to pay him $24.9 million through 2029-30. It extends the original deal by a year and pushes the original from its $18.15 million over six years.
Good for McCasland. But, also, why? The original deal was for six years and he certainly wasn’t underpaid. Tech won 23 games last year but lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
So, the going rate for an NCAA Tournament appearance is $6.75 million (the difference in the two deals)? Well, OK then.
Bust a Move
If you watched the WNBA you know the Minnesota Lynx did a post-game dance after every home victory. Well, among the Lynx is former Iowa State star Bridget Carleton.
So, you know what’s coming, right?
One More Thing
Here’s another reason to love the Big 12, per Evan Miya. Look at all those elite shooters.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
