Money moves

The GIST: The gals are getting paid. On Wednesday, the NCAA unanimously voted to pay women’s college basketball teams for playing in the NCAA Tournament, a long-overdue perk men’s squads have received for years. Here’s what you need to know about the game-changing decision.

How does it work?: The NCAA will commit $15M to support women’s basketball through the Women’s Basketball Equal Conference Fund and Women’s Basketball Performance Fund next year. Squads will earn financial rewards for each round they advance to in March Madness.

• Teams will begin accruing units (more on that in a sec) during this year’s tourney, which will be distributed beginning in 2026.

Where will the money go?: Players and teams don’t directly benefit from the payments. Instead, conferences are awarded “performance units” — aka revenue — based on how far their teams advance. From there, the conference’s governing body decides how to distribute the funds.

• The monetary value of a unit will vary from year to year, but a single unit was worth $2M during the 2024 men’s tourney. Cha-ching.

The impact: Women’s college hoops continue to grow, with last season’s national title game bringing in a whopping 18.7M viewers — 4M more than the men’s championship. Now, the women competing will benefit from the viewership and revenue they generate, finally aligning with the structure on the men’s side. About damn time.

The GIST: Big things are happening in the SEC, with nine teams ranked in the latest AP Poll. Tomorrow offers three key conference matchups between ranked opponents — with all of these squads likely making an appearance in March, it’s the perfect time to get a leg up on your bracket by getting to know them now.

No. 4 Alabama at No. 8 Kentucky — 12 p.m. ET — ESPN: Alabama was on an eight-game win streak before losing to Ole Miss on Tuesday, meaning they’ll be extra hungry to turn the tides back in their favor. Meanwhile, Kentucky is coming off back-to-back wins over ranked teams — can they make it three straight?

No. 1 Auburn at No. 23 Georgia — 1 p.m. ET — SECN: Despite losing star senior Johni Broome to an ankle injury, Auburn’s still rolling. The Tigers have yet to lose in SEC play, with senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara picking up the slack in Broome’s absence. Case in point? He had a season-high 20 points in a Tuesday win over Mississippi State.

• As for Georgia, upsetting the nation’s No. 1 team is the best March Madness resume booster you can get. The Bulldogs will lean on freshman Asa Newell, who leads the team with 15.3 points per game.

No. 21 Ole Miss at No. 15 Mississippi State — 6 p.m. ET — ESPN2: Ole Miss junior forward Malik Dia has been unstoppable over the last three games, averaging 21 points per contest, a big increase from his season average of 9.5 points.

• Mississippi State will need to contain him to get back in the win column, especially after back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Auburn. An in-state rivalry with major stakes…this is going to be good.

Is watching more women’s sports events on your to-do list for 2025? Well, you’re in luck because the Dunkin’ Women’s Beanpot Championship is back at Boston’s TD Garden for the second straight year.

Northeastern and Boston University women’s hockey teams will duke it out on the ice for the ultimate college and city bragging rights.

• To make this experience even more special, enjoy this exclusive offer and purchase tickets to the January 21st championship for only $21.50. It was all meant to bean.

Be part of history and buy your tickets today.