Division I men’s basketball teams will be able to play two exhibitions against any other four-year schools without needing a waiver that required game proceeds be donated to charity under a change approved at the NCAA convention.

In a move to help close the pay gap between men and women in college sports, the NCAA will now pay Division I women's basketball teams who play in March Madness games starting this year.

Some pivotal games to watch this week (all games ET): • Utah at TCU, 7:30 p.m. Friday • USC at Indiana, noon Sunday • Seton Hall at Connecticut, 1 p.m. Sunday • Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 3 p.m. Sunday • Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. Sunday • Oklahoma at South Carolina, 3 p.m. Sunday

In a historic vote Wednesday at the NCAA convention in Nashville, the organization approved a plan to pay women's basketball teams for making the NCAA Tournament. Men's basketball teams have been reaping the benefits of the same revenue sharing plan for many years.

The move brings a level of parity with the men’s tournament and adds an incentive for schools to invest in their programs to an even greater extent.