Illini No. 13 on college basketball’s most valuable teams list
Illinois’ head coach John Groce reacts to an Illinois turnover during the quarter-final game of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament against Michigan at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, on Friday, Mar. 14, 2014 The Illini lost 64-63.
March 17, 2014
The Illinois men’s basketball team was ranked No. 13 on Forbes Magazine’s 2014 list of college basketball’s most valuable teams.
Among the top 20 most valuable teams ranked, Illinois came in as No. 13 with a team value of $15.8 million and a profit of $10.3 million. The two NCAA tournament games the Illini played this past year net the program approximately $3 million over six years.
The University of Louisville’s men’s basketball team topped the list for the third straight year with a team value of $39.5 million. Six other Big Ten programs cracked the top 20. Indiana University – Bloomington, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Michigan State University, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and University of Minnesota ranked 5th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 14th and 19th, respectively.
Forbes uses a weighted methodology to determine how much value a team generates for their athletic departments, universities and fellow conference members. The average team on the list is worth $20.2 million.
