Ohio State basketball lost four members of a top-five 2015 recruiting class between December 2015 and March 2016. Its season finished with any injury-depleted Buckeyes squad getting mopped at home by Florida in the second round of the illustrious N.I.T. tournament.
And yet! If Ohio State's men's basketball program were sold on the open market like a professional basketball team, it would fetch ~$240.4 million, which is more than North Carolina ($2216) Syracuse ($203.9) and Duke ($203.9).
Allow a professional to explain how these numbers were conjured.
From wsj.com:
[Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus assistant finance professor Ryan] Brewer analyzed each program’s revenues and expenses and made cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections to calculate what a college team would be worth on the open market, if it could be bought and sold like a professional franchise.
Indiana is the country's highest valued Big Ten team, coming at $243.8 million. Wisconsin is the only other B1G school to make an appearance in the study's Top 10, coming in seventh place with a $206.9 million valuation.
Michigan, by comparison, finished No. 21 on the list with a $82.1 valuation, putting them on par with Dayton's $80.6.
| RANK | SCHOOL | VALUATION ($, MILLIONS) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOUISVILLE | 301.3 |
| 2 | KANSAS | 258.2 |
| 3 | KENTUCKY | 244.3 |
| 4 | INDIANA | 243.8 |
| 5 | OHIO STATE | 240.4 |
| 6 | ARIZONA | 235.4 |
| 7 | NORTH CAROLINA | 221.6 |
| 8 | WISCONSIN | 206.9 |
| 9 | SYRACUSE | 203.9 |
| 10 | DUKE | 203.9 |
For comparison, this same study valued Ohio State at $249,402,000 in 2015, which was good for No. 4. Though it's a dip, everyone's numbers appear to be down. For example, Papa John's Louisville Cardinals also finished No. 1 in 2015 with a staggering $367,435,000 valuation.
