There's a reason men's basketball is considered a revenue sport, folks.
The Wall Street Journal published a study featuring the most "valuable" men's basketball programs in the country, and — you're not going to believe this one — Ohio State's program is among the nation's upper crust.
And despite Kentucky being on the verge of immortality, it's Louisville holding down the top spot. Ohio State, though, outpaces any other B1G program by at least ~$28,000,000.
You'll have to head to WSJ.com for the full rundown, but here's a look at the country's top eight programs:
| SCHOOL | 2014 ADJUSTED REVENUE | VALUATION |
|---|---|---|
| LOUISVILLE | $52,402,893 | $367,435,000 |
| ARIZONA | $43,012,887 | $314,959,000 |
| KANSAS | $41,620,226 | $291,250,000 |
| OHIO STATE | $30,165,640 | $249,402,000 |
| WISCONSIN | $30,209,211 | $221,666,000 |
| KENTUCKY | $36,592,832 | $213,285,000 |
| SYRACUSE | $30,473,602 | $202,983,000 |
| INDIANA | $36,681,846 | $199,011,000 |
I guess the lesson here is that selling your soul to the KFC Yum! devil is good for your program's bottom line. How did they arrive at these numbers? From the article:
To calculate what a college team would be worth on the open market, if it could be bought and sold like a pro team, Brewer analyzed each major program’s revenues and expenses and made cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections for each.
For comparison's sake on these numbers, former Cleveland Browns owner, Randy Lerner, is poised to sell his English Premiere League club, Aston Villa, this summer for about $222,000,000.
Thad Matta, by the way, is the seventh highest-paid coach in America.
