Newly released rankings provide the answer.
Highlights from the annual report, compiled by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue Columbus, were published by The Wall Street Journal.
The study determined what college teams would be worth if they were sold on the open market like a professional franchise, with the estimates based on “each program’s revenues and expenses with cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections.”
Kentucky, with a valuation of $334.2 million, is ranked No. 1, followed by No. 2 Kansas ($319,470,000), No. 3 Louisville ($238,400,000), No. 4 Duke ($201,500,000) and No. 5 Indiana ($196,200,000).
No. 6 Syracuse rated highest among teams in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut at No. 6 ($162,980,000).
Also in the Top 20: No. 7 North Carolina, No. 8 UCLA, No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Illinois, No. 12 Purdue, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 16 Minnesota, No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 Dayton, No. 19 Maryland and No. 20 Michigan State.
National champion Virginia may have been king on the court, but in these rankings placed 36th.
Despite its four national titles, UConn is only ranked 72 at $34,740,000, a drop of 52.5 percent from last year's rankings.
A total of 177 of the nearly 400 Division I teams were ranked. Among tristate programs, St John's University checked in at No. 64 ($38,460,000), Rutgers No. 74 ($32,560,000), Seton Hall No. 87 ($24,960,000), Iona No. 128 ( $10,850,000), Manhattan College No. 141 ($9,420,000) and Wagner College No. 171 ($5,740,000).
Click here to read the complete rankings.
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