Utah Valley Pays $1 Million 'Ransom' Fee That Will Allow Them To Play In WAC Basketball Tournament
A judge granted Utah Valley an injunction to compete in the WAC Tournament, but the conference is threatening to pull the No. 1 seed unless a $1 million exit fee is paid by Tuesday night
Is the Western Athletic Conference holding its No.1 tournament seed hostage over an exit fee from Utah Valley university before the actual basketball action begins Wednesday? Absolutely they are, in what is essentially a ransom to play.
In its final year of existence, the WAC has decided to demand a $1 million exit fee for Utah Valley by 7 p.m. ET Tuesday night, or it will re-seed the bracket for Wednesday’s tournament that is set to get underway in Las Vegas.
Yes, you read that right.
But, what you might have missed over the last week is that a judge ordered the WAC to immediately reinstate Utah Valley in all post-season tournaments as this divorce played out in a courtroom.
Update: On Tuesday night, as the deadline loomed, Utah Valley University promised to put $1 million into a court's escrow account. This will allow them to participate in the WAC mens and women's basketball tournament that will start on Wednesday. The money will be sent and deposited by Wednesday morning.
How Did We Get Here, With WAC And Utah Valley?
This all stems from Utah Valley informing the WAC last summer that it planned on leaving for the Big West conference starting with the 2026-2027 academic year.
Then, last month, the Western Athletic Conference filed a lawsuit against Utah Valley in Texas after the school had allegedly failed to pay its $1 million exit fee, which also led to the conference taking the team off its broadcasts of basketball games this season.
Sherrone Moore Fallout: Accuser Paige Shiver Says She Endured Years Of 'Harassment' At Michigan
So, Utah Valley filed its own lawsuit in a Utah court, seeking an injunction that would allow the team to participate in the upcoming postseason tournaments. When a judge granted the injunction, it was supposed to allow UVU to play this week, and possibly beyond.
But on Wednesday, the WAC released a statement on social media that was essentially a ransom letter demanding the $1 million exit fee, or the conference would take the No.1 seed out of the bracket before the start of the conference tournament Wednesday.
"As of this time, Utah Valley University has not complied with a Utah's Judge's order that directs UTah Valley University to to place $1 million in escrow with the court- The amount of their agreed-upon exit fee from the Western Athletic Conference. As the court ordered preliminary injunction is contingent upon that directive, the WAC board of Directors has instructed the commissioner to plan for the men's and women's WAC basketball tournament without Utah Valley University, as it would be a member not in good standing.
"The conference will release new brackets if the university does not comply with the court's directive within the order by 5:00 p.m MT on Tuesday, March 10. The conference regrets that the intentional actions of Utah Valley University have caused uncertainty and harm for institutions, student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans across the WAC - including Utah Valley University."
Ok, so now we're playing a game of chicken between a school and a conference. The court, when agreeing to the TRO and injunction, ‘directed’ Utah Valley to pay the $1 million fee, but it was not ‘ordered’.
But, this is also the WAC standing firm. However, it may look in the process. They believe the conference is owed the $1 million, and are clearly looking at the injunction order handed down by the court in their favor.
So, who's going to blink first? Both feel as though they are in the right. And, we could witness both mens and women's basketball teams being deemed ineligible to play on Wednesday.