It looks like things may actually work out and I may very well find myself n Indianapolis that weekend (summer classes are either all online, or end on Wednesday's).
I absolutely love the money ball idea. It sort of reminds me of the NBA's 3 point shooting contest.
where the last ball on the rack is worth 2 points instead of one. Maybe inserting them at the 30 second mark and having them count for 2x the basket amount (2, 4 or 6 points). This could sort of have that super-cell endgame effect we saw in 2009.
I also think changing the number of basketballs used per match could make the game more interesting, Lowering the number could create a game similar to breakaway where ball control was key, or increasing the number of basketballs could have a plentiful effect and make the game play out more like Aim High or Lunacy.