Unprecedented payday, institution-wide benefits highlight UNO’s first NCAA Tournament berth

The University of Nebraska Omaha earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 2 seed St. John’s in its first-ever trip to the men’s NCAA basketball tournament on Thursday. That matchup will be played in Providence, R.I.

“It’s a monumental moment for the men's basketball program,” UNO Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell said.

Success and social media fame adds up to a large payday for the Omaha Athletic Department – benefiting the university across the board.

“We are quite literally approaching close to $10 million headed into the tournament because of all the media coverage that program was getting,” Dowell said, “and that's before we even qualified for an NCAA tournament.”

The AD said the revenue figure “doesn’t compare” to previous years. If the Mavericks win a game or two in the tournament, Dowell said that number could double.

The men’s basketball team made a splash on social media with a postgame locker room celebration throughout the 2024-25 season. Assistant coach Kyan Brown slammed and kicked a trash can in the locker room after a late December win, amping up the team and quickly blowing up on through social media.

AD Dowell said the school is also hoping for increases in enrollment, donations and alumni engagement following the tournament.

“Not only just an athletic department, certainly increased ticket sales, increased philanthropy, corporate sponsorship sales, for example,” Dowell said. “But also, the reality is you become more relevant of a product in our market.”

Many mid-major programs see an enrollment bump after making the tournament, he said. It’s important for the school to not miss the chance to elevate its brand.

“We are going to capitalize as much as possible,” he said. “I can tell you, quite literally, there has been more people engaged in reaching out than has ever happened, in the history of our institution.”

Moments like these are why UNO decided to jump to Division I back in 2011, Dowell said.

Creighton’s men’s basketball team also made the tournament. The Bluejays are a No. 9 seed and will play against No. 8 seed Louisville on Thursday. That game will be played in Lexington, Ky.