With both BYU and San Diego State advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, the Mountain West Conference will distribute $1.7 million per year to its league members over the next six years.
“It gives us more money for the future,” said Chuck Lang, SDSU’s associate athletic director for business administration. “We have those shares for the next six years. That’s a good place to start.”
Each tournament game a team plays – excluding the championship – is worth at least $240,000 annually for that team’s league over a rolling six-year period, according to the NCAA’s distribution formula. With at least seven tournament games this year, the MWC will receive at least $1.7 million from this year’s bracket from 2011 through 2016.
The NCAA money comes from television and other sources, with the value of each game expected to grow annually. It’s a relative windfall for the MWC.
Of the $180.5 million in Division I basketball funds to be distributed this year, 63 percent goes to the six power conferences: the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast.
May 2011 Wyoming Cowboys Wiretap
San Diego State avenged their only two losses of the 10-11 season by defeating Brigham Young in the title game of the 2011 Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Despite the loss, Jimmer Fredette was named Tournament MVP, scoring 106 points in three games.
Kawhi Leonard, D.J. Gay and Billy White of San Diego State joined Fredette on the All-Tournament Team, along with UNLV's Tre'Von Willis.
• Click here to view RealGM’s comprehensive list of 2011 Conference Tournaments.
BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, the nation's leading scorer with a 27.9 average, was named the Mountain West Player of the Year.
Also earning first-team honors: San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard and D.J. Gay, Colorado State’s Andy Ogide and New Mexico’s Dairese Gary.
Jackson Emery of Brigham Young was named Defensive Player of the Year, Kendall Williams of New Mexico won Freshman of the Year and Drew Gordon was Newcomer of the Year.
• Click here for more award information from the Mountain West.