Abilene Christian estimates its NCAA Tourney run is worth $100 million | Opinion
In 2019, the Abilene Christian Wildcats men’s basketball team made the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The former Division II school drew the Kentucky Wildcats, one of the sport’s true blue blood programs, and lost by 35 points. They may have gotten crushed in that contest, but they crushed it in the other game.
ACU estimated the exposure was worth $74 million.
So what exactly is a win against Texas in the NCAA Tournament, and then a round-of-32 game against UCLA, worth to America’s favorite West Texas, small private school?
“So far we are close to $120 million plus and we really haven’t had time to tally up the totals,” ACU President Dr. Phil Schubert said in a phone interview from Indianapolis before his school played UCLA on Monday afternoon.
After I picked myself up off the floor, I declare Abilene Christian the 2021 National Champions. Not necessarily in men’s basketball, or any one sport. ACU wins the ROI trophy.
On Monday, Abilene Christian’s fantasy ended when the 11th-seeded Bruins defeated the 14th-seeded Wildcats 67-47 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The magic (or miracle) required to defeat Texas on Saturday night did not appear on Monday.
At the 15:01 mark of the first half, ACU led UCLA 12-8. Hope the marketing people at ACU took a photo of that scoreboard.
UCLA then went on an 18-0 run over the next 8:30, and that was that.
ACU’s inability to score got ‘em, and the Bruins did what the Bruins should do in these types of matchups.
Back-to-back ACU possessions early in the second half summed up the game when a pair of Wildcats’ shots near the basket were both blocked.
“We just couldn’t find it tonight,” ACU coach Joe Golding said in a Zoom call with the media after the game.
ACU scored a total of 100 points in two NCAA Tournament games. On Monday, Oregon scored 95 points in a win against Iowa.
UCLA is just too big, and talented, for the Wildcats.
Of course, so was Texas ... but that’s a different column.
What happened to Abilene Christian on Monday is typical of the first-round upset, low-seed winner; round two is too much.
(How the NCAA Tournament selection committee made this UCLA team an 11-seed — and having to play-in, no less — is almost as dumb as Loyola-Chicago as an eight-seed.)
Even in a loss, ACU left a mark. Golding’s team is swarming, exhausting, charming and memorable.
“You can say what you want, but Abilene Christian beat the University of Texas less than 48 hours ago,” Golding said.
The players don’t know it yet, but around Abilene they won’t have to pick up a check for the rest of their lives. And the next time any of these guys hit Perini Ranch in nearby Buffalo Gap, spot ‘em a free steak.
Monday’s outcome does not diminish a thing, nor dampen the impact Golding and his team have made on their university, and Abilene, over the last three years.
This team achieved everything a school of this size, and conference, can be expected to do. It elevated the profile of the entire university, and the value of the degree from Abilene Christian.
“I hope people learn about ACU,” Golding said. “It’s a special place.”
The success of a basketball team should not have that type of an effect on an education, but it somehow does.
“There are other places a university can make significant steps, but I’d say nothing compares to the level of visibility and market value that comes with men’s basketball, at least for us,” Schubert said. “There is no way we can afford the type of the kind of investment return we get here. It shows you what an incredible opportunity these situations bring.”
This is the only place where the inane financial logic of college athletics makes sense, and why schools all over the United States pour tens of millions into their respective football and men’s basketball programs.
All of these small schools that sit on the fringe pray for the type of run ACU has put together since 2019.
Because these runs yield increased donations, increased applications and increased enrollment.
“It’s been subtle because the trend is college enrollment has been on a decline and we have bucked that trend,” Schubert said. “Doing this has promoted a culture, but it signaled to our community, our faculty and our staff that we are capable of doing big things on a big stage. Not just basketball.
“It transcends into academics. It’s a shot across the bow that we do not ever settle for mediocrity. It gave us confidence.”
The scoreboard says the Wildcats were blown out on Monday against one of the biggest names in college basketball, but no team in this tournament achieved more than the Abilene Christian Wildcats.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 7:04 PM.
