WSJ: Arizona, ASU among top 50 most valuable basketball programs
Apr 15, 2019, 11:56 AM
Arizona State guard Remy Martin, right, drives on Arizona guard Justin Coleman, left, in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, March 9, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Following a season that saw one program end its streak of NCAA Tournament appearances and another possibly start one, the value of college basketball in Arizona has increased tremendously.
After failing to appear in the annual NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012, the Arizona Wildcats were still listed as the ninth most valuable college basketball program in the country by the Wall Street Journal. During the 2018-19 season, the Wildcats saw an increase of almost three percent in valuation, bringing their total value to $137.38 million.
The Wildcats are prepared to see their current value increase as they currently own the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
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As for Arizona State, the Sun Devils’ program is listed at No. 32 in the nation with a total value of $67.55 million, an increase of about 41 percent from last year. This increase comes after head coach Bobby Hurley led the Sun Devils to their first back-to-back appearances in the tournament since 1980-81.
The Sun Devils recently rewarded Hurley for his accomplishments with a reported five-year extension.
Including the Arizona schools, seven total Pac-12 programs are listed in the top 50 most valuable programs. UCLA, listed at No. 8, is the Pac-12’s most valuable program with a total value of $138.39 million.
Virginia and Texas Tech, this year’s national championship participants, came in at No. 36 and No. 62, respectively.
For the third straight year, the University of Kentucky was labeled as the most valuable program in all of college basketball.
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