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Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin didn’t shy away from the topic of NCAA Tournament seeding this week, making it clear that he thinks it’s driven largely by financial thoughts and ticket sales.  

“I’m a firm believer in the NCAA Tournament and the committee is so financially driven,” Cronin said, via a local reporter from Fox 19. “No matter what is said on that Sunday, they’re trying to sell tickets.

“Nobody will admit that, because it’s all about the student-athlete, supposedly. But it’s a business. If it wasn’t a business we’d be able to have a bus trip in the conference we play in.”

Cincinnati, which sits at No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, is projected as a No. 4 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest Bracketology. But he apparently feels that matchups along with seeding are largely dependent on what sells tickets.

“You may get moved a seed line. Teams could get moved around from a 4 to a 5 or an 8-9 to a 7-10, to get that pod to sell more tickets.” 

When he was asked to clarify that stance of believing teams were moved around to sell tickets, Cronin doubled down.

“That’s a fact,” Cronin said. “For everybody. That’s a fact. That’s just business.”

Cronin also referenced the 2009 Maui Invitational Tournament. Cincinnati was a late entry due to Louisville pulling out, and the Bearcats lost in overtime in the championship game to Gonzaga in what he said was one of the more thrilling championship games the invitational has seen.

But because of the late entry, Cincinnati couldn’t market it in time to its fans -- and poor attendance is a big reason he says he hasn’t been able to get his team back to Maui.

Said Cronin: “Anyone who says this isn’t a business is wrong and living in a fantasy land.”