Updated: Economics of the NCAA Tournament - CAA Style

Here's our breakdown on this year's tournament from today's Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The Colonial Athletic Association will get a handsome check — a payday that could increase — with three teams in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

CAA commissioner Tom Yeager said the conference will get at least $750,000 — $250,000 for each team — from the NCAA for the next year six years for getting VCU, Old Dominion and George Mason into the tournament. Another $250,000 will be added for each win those teams accumulate. The NCAA bid means VCU will get at least $350,000 next year from the CAA under a complicated revenue-sharing formula.

The Rams received just under $200,000 this year, Yeager said. The conference gets a check from the NCAA each season based on its performances in the NCAA tournament the previous six years.

Forty percent of that goes into the CAA's "excellence pool," which is divvied up based on shares that teams accumulate. The other 60 percent is divided equally among the conference's 12 schools.

VCU's First Four win netted us an extra $11K last night.

Long story, short: Root for CAA teams!

CAA Official Men's Basketball Preview

This gave me heartburn.  Some of the highlights (really shouldn't call them that):
-George Mason returns their entire starting lineup from 2009-10.  ODU and VCU return 4 out of 5 starters.  There's the Top 3 teams in the league for 2010-11.
-We do not return a single person in any major statistical category.  Again, not a good sign.
-The Preview:

Senior point guard Marques Johnson is Georgia State’s lone returning starter. The N.C. State transfer started 20 of the Panthers’ final 24 contests and was second on the team with 73 assists.


Junior guard Jihad Ali averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg over GSU’s final nine games last season. He poured in a career-best 22 points in the Panthers’ 61-57 victory over George Mason, including the game-winning three pointer with 42 seconds left.


The Panthers face the difficult task of replacing their top five scorers from a year ago, who combined to average 47.2 ppg. GSU has added seven new players to this year’s roster, including three junior college transfers.
 
Ugh, more bad news considering we were one of the worst scoring teams in the conference.

CAA Link