Mattress Mack providing NIL deals for Houston basketball families to travel to NCAA Tournament

Family and friends of Houston basketball players will not have to worry about travel expenses to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars received the No. 1 seed in the South Region on Sunday night, slated to play 16th-seeded Longwood in Memphis on Friday. Houston was crowned regular season champions and made the tournament finals in its first season in the Big 12. Poised for a deep run into March Madness, players can just worry about the tourney ahead.

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has committed to “providing additional NIL opportunities” for each eligible Houston player to pay for families to travel to the tournament. Facilitated through the Houston-driven NIL collective LinkingCoogs, the owner of Houston’s Gallery Furniture and sports wagerer has been a well-known spending in NIL.

He also placed a $1 million bet last month on the Cougars to win the NCAA Tournament that would payout $7.5 million, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

“Gallery Furniture is honored to be associated with the outstanding Houston Cougars men’s basketball team,” McIngvale said in a statement. “Sending parents and friends to support the great Cougar players is a win-win for players, parents and friends. With the support of family and friends at away games the players feel at home.”

Mattress Mack continues to make big NIL investment

He’s worked extensively with Cougars athletics in the past, signing a team-wide NIL deal with the Houston basketball team valued at $1 million this past summer. Similar to the new deal announced Sunday, he provided funds for Florida Atlantic athletes’ families and friends to make the trip to the Final Four last year. McIngvale told On3 at the time the cost of the FAU deal was “north of $50,000, south of $100,000.”

This current Houston roster has worked with Gallery Furniture extensively throughout the season, filming ads and social media promotions. While the NCAA provides each athlete’s family $3,000 to pay for transportation, hotel and meal expenses if their team reaches the Final Four, Sunday’s financial commitment ensures friends and families can easily travel to opening rounds.

“This goes to show the type of person Mack is,” LinkingCoogs co-founder Landon Goesling told On3. “This goes much deeper than your typical NIL partnership. Mack understands what it means for these guys to have their families with them on the road and be able to support them at these NCAA tournament games. He announced it to the team at our last content shoot. It was pretty special. The team gave him a big group hug.”