based on reports and estimates following the conclusion of the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament, here's a breakdown of how the Big 12's performance likely translated to a higher per-team revenue compared to the Big Ten and SEC:

How NCAA Tournament Revenue Works:

Units: The NCAA awards conferences "units" for each team that participates in the tournament (excluding automatic qualifiers for their first game) and for each win a team achieves.  
Unit Value: Each unit has a monetary value that is paid out to the conferences over a multi-year cycle. In 2025, a single unit was estimated to be worth around $2 million over six years.
Distribution: Conferences then distribute this revenue to their member institutions based on their own formulas. Many conferences choose to divide the money equally.

Big 12's Performance and Estimated Revenue:

The Big 12 sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament: Houston, Texas Tech, BYU, Arizona, Iowa State, Kansas, and Baylor.  
These teams collectively won a significant number of games, with Houston reaching the National Championship, and Texas Tech, BYU, and Iowa State making the Sweet Sixteen.
Reports indicate the Big 12 earned approximately $40 million in units for their performance.
With 16 member teams in 2025, a rough estimate (assuming equal distribution) would be $2.5 million per team based solely on units earned in this tournament year (to be paid out over six years).  
SEC's Performance and Estimated Revenue:

The SEC had a record 14 teams in the tournament.  
They also achieved a record number of wins, earning approximately $70 million in units.
With 16 member teams, a rough estimate of equal distribution would be $4.375 million per team based on units earned this year (to be paid out over six years).
Big Ten's Performance and Estimated Revenue:

The Big Ten sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament.  
They had a solid showing but did not reach the same heights as the Big 12 or SEC in terms of deep runs.
Estimates suggest the Big Ten earned around $42 million in units.
With 14 member teams, a rough estimate of equal distribution would be $3 million per team based on units earned this year (to be paid out over six years).
Why the Big 12 Likely Made More Per Team:

While the SEC earned the most total revenue due to their record number of wins and participating teams, the Big 12's higher concentration of deep runs with a smaller number of teams likely resulted in a higher revenue per team for this specific tournament.

The Big 12 had a higher percentage of their tournament teams reach the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight compared to the Big Ten. Houston reaching the National Championship also contributed significantly to the Big 12's unit total.
While the SEC had more participants, their revenue was spread across 16 teams. The Big 12's strong performance with fewer teams meant a larger slice of the revenue pie for each member institution.
Important Note: These are estimations based on publicly available information about unit values and conference earnings. The actual distribution methods within each conference can vary and might factor in other elements beyond just tournament performance. However, the strong showing of a higher proportion of Big 12 teams deep into March Madness strongly suggests a favorable per-team financial outcome compared to the Big Ten and even the SEC in 2025.

Sources and related content

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBig12?sid=YouTube

Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drakectoll
Follow the show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LOBig12