Some University of Hawaii basketball fans are embarrassed that the conference its team plays in, the Big West, was represented in the NCAA Tournament by Cal Poly, a team with an overall losing record, finishing at 14-20.

And perhaps they had a valid reason for that — at least on the surface — when undefeated and No. 1 Wichita State, as expected, clobbered the 16th-seeded Mustangs 64-37. The conference’s only NCAA Tournament team — which made it only by winning the Big West tourney — was blown out and no one was surprised.

That occurred Friday in what is now known as the second round. To keep things less confusing, I like to refer to it as the round of 64.

Having your only conference entrant being forced to "play in" is also considered an ignominy, by those who don’t know better. Cal Poly was widely considered the worst team in the NCAA tourney field of 68, so it was sent to Dayton, Ohio, to play Texas Southern.

But as things turn out, UH and the rest of the Big West get to cash in because Cal Poly was among the eight teams competing in the First Four while many fans were still filling out their brackets and pretty much ignoring the play-in teams.

The thing to remember is you get as much TV appearance money for the first-round as you do for the other rounds, which is about $1.5 million per.

And the Mustangs had a much better chance to win and advance to another payday starting from the first round instead of the round of 64.

Let’s face it. Their chances of shocking the Shockers were about as likely as Jimmy Buffett winning Warren Buffett’s little game of billion-dollar blackout bingo. Or, anyone else for that matter.

So, it was actually a good thing that the Big West’s lone ranger got a play-in game against someone it had a chance to handle. That’s what the Mustangs did, dispatching the third-place team from the SWAC fairly easily, 81-69.

And that win translated into about $170,000 for UH, athletic director Ben Jay said.

The $1.5 million to each conference per member appearance is spread over the next six years.  Every conference divides up its spoils from March Madness differently. The Big West — used to getting just one unit for its one-and-done solo appearance — uses it for conference administrative costs, or the other end of the equation and actually buying TV time instead of getting paid to be seen.

But now, pending approval of the schools’ presidents the money that kicks in starting next year generated by Cal Poly’s win will be divided into 12 shares; one for each of the nine schools, one as a bonus to the Mustangs for doing the work, and two for the conference.

"It’s better than paying conference dues," Jay said, when reminded that other conferences don’t take as much.

So, instead of being considered a mockery for how bad they looked in the round of 64, the Mustangs of Cal Poly should be toasted by the rest of the Big West for even making it that far.

They won at the right time to get to The Dance, and playing in turned into paying in to their conference brethren.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.