Arizona hoops fans ranked second in the country

Fan support is never really an issue for the University of Arizona basketball team.

One of the top programs in the country, Wildcat faithful flock to the McKale Center to see their team take on all comers, as sellouts are the norm.

Now their support has been quantified.

According to a study by Emory Sports Marketing Analytics, Arizona’s fan base ranks second only to Louisville in terms of loyal support.

For our College Basketball Fan Equity analysis we use a “Revenue Premium” method. The intuition of this approach is that fan base quality is reflected in a school’s men’s basketball revenue relative to the team’s performance. To accomplish our analysis, we use a statistical model that predicts team revenues as a function of the team’s performance, as measured by winning rates and post season success. The key insight is that when a team achieves revenues that greatly exceed what would be expected based on team performance, it is an indication of significant brand equity. The analysis therefore avoids bandwagon effects and gets at the core loyal fan bases.

Trailing Arizona are elite programs like Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky, as well as notable schools like Arkansas, Texas and Syracuse, Marquette and Oklahoma State.

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