Study: IU basketball is nation’s third most valuable program

The value of Indiana basketball is on the rise.

After coming in fourth nationally in Ryan Brewer’s annual rankings of the country’s most valuable college basketball programs, IU moved up one spot in this year’s study.

The study was published in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal.

Brewer, an assistant professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, valued Indiana at $277.8 million, a 14% increase from a year ago ($243.8 million).

In 2015’s study, Indiana was eighth nationally at $199 million.

Kentucky, valued at $342 million, was No. 1 in the valuation study and Louisville, valued at $320 million, was No. 2.

The values are assigned using factors that determine what a program would be worth on the market if it could be sold like a professional team. Among those factors: expenses, revenue, cash-flow, risk assessments and growth projections.

Here’s how the other Big Ten programs came in on the list:

6. Wisconsin – $178.9 million (down 13.5%)
7. Ohio State – $177.9 million (down 26%)
8. Maryland – $154.6 million (up 24.8%)
11. Purdue – $140.4 million (up 28.2%)
12. Illinois – $127 million (up 28.2%)
16. Michigan – $97 million (up 18.5%)
17. Northwestern – $93.3 million (up 14.5%)
18. Michigan State – $92 million (down 27.3%)
27. Minnesota – $77.9 million (down 21.9%)
32. Penn State – $64.3 million (down 6.3%)
33. Iowa – $60.8 million (down 3.3%)
50. Nebraska – $48.5 million (up 17.5%)
80. Rutgers – $28.7 million (up 10.9%)

Filed to: Wall Street Journal