Minnesota Gophers MBB Valued at Shockingly High Price in Recent Study
University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle immediately pulled the plug on the Ben Johnson era of Golden Gophers basketball the moment they finished slogging through the 2024-25 season, finishing with a 15-17 record that (sadly) went down as Ben’s second best in his four year head coaching tenure.
If there’s an opportunity for the Gophers, it’s that an NIL competent coach and good roster may take them to new heights, as a basketball team. But there’s plenty of hope for the Minnesota men’s basketball program when you take a deeper look at their non-NIL financials.
Unlike most other schools that run major deficits on a yearly basis in their athletic department, the University of Minnesota runs a surplus under Mark Coyle. For football, that may not matter quite as much, because the profits get so high, but in the less-revenue and non-revenue generating sports, it makes them stand out.
That includes the men’s basketball program, which in a recent study done by University of Columbus (IN) professor, Ryan Brewer, came out as the 15th most valuable basketball program in the entire country. As could have been expected, North Carolina (1) and Duke (2) took the top two spots, with Indiana a far-away third.
The Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team is worth how much?
Other Big Ten programs like Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State come in ahead of the Gophers, along with other blue blood basketball schools like Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse. But the layman would be incredibly surprised to see schools like Villanova (16), Texas (18), Georgetown (19), Alabama (21) and Wisconsin (26).
The Wall Street Journal just published Brewer’s valuations are based on what a program would be worth if they were able to be sold like NBA teams are, taking into account their revenues, cashflow future sustainability.
“The numbers are the product of a regular study conducted by Brewer, who begins his research with a simple question: What would these teams be worth if they could be bought and sold like a pro sports team? He answers it by studying revenues and cash flows while making financial projections about the team’s sustainability. In a way, it’s not different than it would be if he were analyzing the value of any other business. “
Andrew Beaton – Wall Street Journal
| Institution | Ranking | Cash Flow | Revenue | Enterprise Value |
| North Carolina | 1 | 23,156,000 | 38,000,000 | 378,000,000 |
| Duke | 2 | 14,194,000 | 47,600,000 | 370,000,000 |
| Indiana | 3 | 12,902,000 | 34,000,000 | 279,000,000 |
| Ohio State | 4 | 18,162,000 | 34,100,000 | 262,000,000 |
| Arizona | 6 | 16,231,000 | 34,700,000 | 257,000,000 |
| Syracuse | 7 | 16,422,000 | 34,400,000 | 256,000,000 |
| Illinois | 8 | 14,262,000 | 33,200,000 | 232,000,000 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 22,000 | 33,800,000 | 223,000,000 |
| Kansas | 11 | 4,888,000 | 28,600,000 | 191,000,000 |
| Michigan | 12 | 11,333,000 | 26,000,000 | 189,000,000 |
| Michigan State | 13 | 5,971,000 | 27,200,000 | 183,000,000 |
| UConn | 14 | 124,000 | 26,300,000 | 165,000,000 |
| Minnesota | 15 | 11,851,000 | 22,100,000 | 164,000,000 |
| Villanova | 16 | 3,591,000 | 25,500,000 | 162,000,000 |
| Texas | 18 | 3,628,000 | 26,500,000 | 153,000,000 |
| Georgetown | 19 | 57,000 | 27,800,000 | 152,000,000 |
| Alabama | 21 | 7,713,000 | 22,600,000 | 145,000,000 |
| Gonzaga | 22 | 9,329,000 | 22,800,000 | 144,000,000 |
| Wisconsin | 26 | 6,902,000 | 20,400,000 | 136,000,000 |
| UCLA | 29 | 644,000 | 17,700,000 | 130,000,000 |
Why are the Gophers worth so many hypothetical dollars?
While the Minnesota Gophers haven’t had a lot of success on the court in recent years, they are a Big Ten legacy school, so future sustainability isn’t a problem. Their relationship with the Big Ten Network and huge recent TV deal also helps boost their revenue. That, along with smart budgeting, allows for their high cashflow number.
These valuations are all hypothetical, since collegiate programs can’t be bought and sold. Still, they’re based on real numbers. Segmenting between sports is also difficult. The Boston Celtics just sold for $6.1 billion. The Minnesota Timberwolves changed hands at $1.5 billion and the Minnesota Twins are looking for $1.7 billion.
Related: Niko Medved Lands Transfer Portal Big Man for Gophers Basketball
Nothing trumps football though, and that’s true at any level of sport. Brewers valuation, using the same principles, had Ohio State top on the gridiron with a valuation at $1.96 billion. That’s just five times more than the top basketball program. In that study, which was done earlier this year, the Minnesota Gophers ranked 21st in the country.
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