TRIVIA TIME!
“Which team holds the title of the most valuable in college basketball?”
Take a moment to guess…
Time’s up!
If you guessed Duke, Houston, or even the reigning national champs, the Florida Gators — nice try, but nope!
The correct answer is… the North Carolina Tar Heels!
According to a new Wall Street Journal study, UNC holds the title of the most valuable team in college basketball. That news comes not long after the Tar Heels barely made the cut for the NCAA Tournament — but off the court, their value is unmatched.
UNC’s men’s basketball program has an enterprise value of $378 million, which tops the list and edges out their Tobacco Road rivals, Duke, who come in second at $370 million. Those two are the only programs to crack the $300 million mark.
The study was conducted by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus.
Here’s how the top 10 shakes out:
| Rank | Program | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | $378,000,000 |
| 2 | Duke | $370,000,000 |
| 3 | Indiana | $279,000,000 |
| 4 | Ohio State | $262,000,000 |
| 5 | Louisville | $260,000,000 |
| 6 | Arizona | $257,000,000 |
| 7 | Syracuse | $256,000,000 |
| 8 | Illinois | $232,000,000 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $223,000,000 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $217,000,000 |
As the numbers show, there’s a massive drop-off between Duke and Indiana. In fact, UNC is valued nearly $100 million more than the third-place Hoosiers.
Even in a year where the ACC has taken heat for being down, there’s no denying one thing — North Carolina and Duke still sit atop the college basketball universe, with UNC clearly leading the pack in value.
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