Women's basketball NCAA Tournament unit payouts to begin next season

For the first time in women’s basketball history, unit tournament payouts are coming to the sport.

Speaking with reporters Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, NCAA president Charlie Baker confirmed there will be units for the 2024-25 tournament, according to the Washington Post. For years in men’s March Madness, units have been awarded to conferences for each game played and then distributed to member institutions.

As the Post previously reported, Final Four teams UConn, Purdue, Alabama and NC State have all earned approximately $10 million for their leagues to be paid out over the next six years beginning in 2025.

In early January, the NCAA signed an eight-year agreement with ESPN worth $115 million annually to televise 40 college sports championships each year, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament. The value of the women’s basketball property only appears to be growing, valued at about $65 million per year. That’s roughly 10 times more than the previous contract that expires this year.

“I know we’re going to get units coming up here pretty soon,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said Saturday. “That can’t come soon enough. Why are we waiting to put that in? Let’s do it now. Why wait? I think change has to happen a little bit quicker than what – they want to move.

“But they’re listening now, and that’s a good start, right? They’re listening, and they’re understanding there is a value to women’s basketball. And that’s a good start.”

TV viewership keeps rising in women’s basketball

Some crucial questions remain, including what the value of a women’s basketball unit is worth and how they will be paid out. The NCAA’s finance committee will meet with the women’s basketball oversight committee and the Division I women’s basketball committee later this month. Whatever model is laid out will need to be voted on and ratified at the NCAA conference in January 2025.

The sport’s TV ratings are at a record high this tournament. An average of 14.2 million people tuned in to see Iowa beat UConn in the Final Four, ESPN announced. Viewership peaked at 17 million. That topped the previous record, which Iowa set in its last NCAA Tournament game against LSU, for the most-watched college basketball game in ESPN history. It also became ESPN’s second-best, non-football broadcast in history.

Iowa’s Elite Eight matchup against LSU – a rematch of last year’s national championship – averaged 12.3 million viewers.

The NCAA has laid out its game plan for units to be distributed to schools and conferences.