NEW YORK -- Arkansas might have won the NCAA men's basketball championship, but Duke and the other eight teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference won the grand prize -- cash.

The ACC will receive $4.14 million as part of the NCAA's $31.5 million payout to reward conferences for their teams' performances in the championship tournaments.

But this year's payout is not determined by this year's tournament results. This year's payout was determined by previous tournament results. And this year's results will be used to determine, in part, next year's payout.

The payout is based on a six-year rolling point system. Each team receives a point for just making the tournament and a point is given for each round a team advances to. Total conference points are added over a six-year period and multiplied by the figure the NCAA allots per point ($42,500 this year) to determine conference payout.

For example: The Big East Conference -- featuring St. John's, Seton Hall and Connecticut -- had a dismal showing in last year's NCAA tournament. Only three of its teams made the tournament for three points. And two of those teams advanced to the second round, where they were eliminated (two more points). The Big East had a total of five points for 1993, the worst in its history.

But from 1988-92, the Big East tallied 13, 15, 13, 18, and 10 points respectively. With the five points, it had 74 total points. That translates into $3.1 million -- third best behind the Big Ten (featuring Purdue, Michigan and Indiana), which will collect $3.7 million, and the ACC.

"Even when you have a bad year it's not so bad," said Tom McElroy, associate commissioner of the Big East. "And with profit-sharing, our teams that don't make the tournament aren't left out in the cold."

Like most conferences, the Big East will spread its NCAA money among all of its teams. The teams that performed the best will get the bulk of the money.

"We have our own reward system for teams that advance [which according to McElroy is more than the $42,500 the NCAA gives per round]," he said.