Today’s guest columnist is former George Mason University deputy athletic director Kevin McNamee.
It was March of 2006, and one of the nation’s youngest and aspirational institutions was on the proverbial “Road to the Final Four.”
George Mason University, with Jim Larranaga at the helm, led Mason’s program past the basketball giants UNC, Michigan State and UConn to secure its historic placement in the Final Four. The University of Florida put an end to the magical ride, but since then George Mason has navigated that road well.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, the school has jumped up to the Atlantic 10 Conference from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and chosen to avoid the big-football-school model while still achieving growth during a chaotic era for college sports. It has held its own despite losing Larranaga, who moved on to Miami and guided the Hurricanes to this year’s Elite Eight. Most important, the school is serving more than 37,000 students as the largest public research university in Virginia.
Yet with all the changes in college sports over the past decade and a half, the NCAA tournament road continues to be remarkably consistent. It provides three primary access lanes for most institutions.
The first lane is open to one-bid leagues. The current CAA conference would fit this category. Beyond the competitive elements, many of these institutions are focused on basketball budget management, as well as revenue enhancement through nonconference game guarantees. These programs can also be disproportionately imbalanced regarding scheduling. The need to play “money” games is a must for many. However, the schools paying the guarantees usually hold the cards on calendar date availability. This can lead to scheduling compaction and concern for athlete well-being during November and December. The scheduling window often coincides with final exams and holidays, further compressing the calendar. This template is all too common.
When conference play starts, seed positioning for the conference tournament AQ (automatic qualifier) becomes the total focus.
These conferences are acutely aware of the process, and as long as the game continues to be played with five of yours versus five of theirs, they have a chance to live the dream. Just ask Saint Peter’s.
The second access lane is a much trickier path. Institutions affiliated with conferences that have had at-large bid success, minus Power Five revenue, face a completely different set of circumstances. The Atlantic 10 conference fits this category.
The margin of error, minus a significant external revenue source, can be razor thin. Varying institutional profiles, coupled with the rising costs of higher education, specifically affordability, can place significant stress on subsidies budgeted to support this level of postseason expectation. There’s also the reality that pursuing limited bids makes coaching hires incredibly challenging. Unlike the Power Five, there is little monetary room for a hiring error in a 14-16 member conference that is fighting for three or four bids. Power Five programs can afford to make a hiring error disappear. That’s not necessarily the case in this lane.
Finally, conference revenue sharing formulas also take on enormous importance regarding the total competitive health of all members. Conference success is about lifting all boats.
Regarding the scheduling template for this lane, Gonzaga is an example of a program that realizes the body of work it needs to accomplish before entering conference play. This year’s opponents included UCLA, Alabama, Duke and Texas. The reality is that minus a very productive nonconference segment, there is little to no path to the at-large bids in this lane.
The final lane of access belongs to the Power Five conferences, plus the Big East. Playing history, institutional commitments, financial resources, media rights deals and revenue sharing formulas have tethered these programs to the tournament formula. The ability to manage the scheduling criteria for the coveted at-large bids is extensive. The template is to play at home a minimum of eight games during the nonconference segment. They buy these opponents, at a cost of approximately $90,000, to prevent having to return the game. Add in a couple of attractive neutral site, made for television, marquee matchups, and it’s then on to conference play. In conference they basically need to hold serve at home and steal some wins on the road. For some, a conference road game may be their first true road game. When you do the math you can see the path. It is an annual rinse and repeat model.
Iconic sportscaster Verne Lundquist summed up the only common thread that runs through all three access lanes. Marking the completion of Mason’s Elite Eight win over UConn, Lundquist declared, “By George, the dream is alive.”
Everyone continues to share that dream.
Prior to his tenure at George Mason, McNamee was a coach and administrator at St. Bonaventure. Over his 45 years in college athletics, including 27 at GMU, he developed extensive expertise in university, conference and NCAA governance.