We’re coming off a spectacular 2022 season called March Madness, where all of America stops and pays attention to college basketball, whether its men’s or women’s. If we’re lucky, fans can be treated to magical moments, even magical runs where a team plays well above its tournament seeding.

In 2022, Saint Peter’s University from New Jersey made one of those magical runs as the 15th seed, upsetting perennial tourney favorite Kentucky in their opening game, followed by another upset of Murray State. Almost immediately, social media and journalists crowed that these two wins would elevate Saint Peter’s financially and reputationally. Wild claims were asserted about what impact a Cinderella run might mean.

Conjecture is one thing, but actual analysis and research is quite another. My guests today have done the research on the benefits of a run through the NCAA tournament, winning at least 2 games as the lower seed. They will walk us through what the statistics show, and the actual benefits of, a winning streak in the post season. This is especially important for senior campus leaders who want to separate fact from fiction.

I’m joined by Drs. Kurt Rotthoff, Trevor Collier and Nancy Haskell. Dr. Rotthoff is a Professor of Economics and Finance at Seton Hall University; Dr. Collier is a Dean and Professor of Economics at the University of Dayton; and Dr. Haskell is an Assistant Professor of Economics, also at the University of Dayton. Each are co-authors in the 2020 study “The “Cinderella Effect”: The Value of Unexpected March Madness Runs as Advertising for the Schools”, published in the Journal of Sports Economics.

My Forbes article on Saint Peters.