But the bigger point is not that we think Drake or Bradley or UNI would have bulldozed teams like Duke, Michigan State, or Texas Tech and made it to the Sweet 16, Elite 8, or Final Four. That probably would not happen, though it did happen in 2006, when they put 4 MVC teams in the MVCT and gave them a chance. Bradley and Wichita State both made it to the Sweet 16, and another mid-major, George Mason, made it to the Final Four.
The bigger point is that every team is awarded about $2 million for each game played. So if the MVC could get 2 or possibly 3 teams in the tournament, and maybe one or two advance, that would bring in an additional $5 to $10 million dollars to the MVC every year. That is many times the athletic department budgets of any MVC school. Just think what the MVC schools could do with that kind of revenue- bigger recruiting budgets, better facilities, maybe more money back-channeled into NIL. It would greatly improve the qualify of the every team in the MVC, and would lead to more MVC teams qualifying for future bids.
That scenario frightens the Power Conferences. They simply cannot allow it. It's why they keep changing their selection formulas and keeping some of them "secret" to keep mid-majors out. They do not want to share that money with mid-majors, even though it is a drop in the bucket compared to the athletic department budgets of those Power Conference teams that range from $100 million to over $200 million per year. It wouldn't hurt them a bit if a little more money went to mid-majors, but they are afraid it would improve those programs, make them more competitive, and steal future bids and more NCAA money.
Mid-majors just want a chance to play and get a small piece of the massive NCAA revenue pie.
