Indiana (fourth), Wisconsin (sixth), Illinois (seventh) and Minnesota (eighth) were the Big Ten Conference schools among the top 10 revenue producing basketball programs in the country for school year 2004-05, according to an article last week in the Capital Times newspaper of Madison, Wisconsin. The article, using figures from a Wall Street Journal report earlier in the year, said Indiana’s revenues were $12 .5 million and expenses were $4.1 million. Minnesota’s figures: $10.3 million and $2.8 million.
Louisville ($18.5 million and $5.4 million), Arizona ($17 million and $4.5 million) and North Carolina ($15.2 million and $4.8 million) were the top three programs. The Gopher program, long known for its high ticket prices compared to many schools, once ranked even higher in national revenue but losing seasons and empty seats have impacted the Minnesota numbers. For the upcoming season, individual game and season tickets are still available to watch the Gophers, a consensus media pick to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
The Capital Times article also listed recruiting expenditures for most Big Ten programs. Among schools listed, Illinois had the highest expenditures at $230,000, Minnesota was at $124,374 and Wisconsin expended only $43,309. The Badgers, who focus their recruiting in Wisconsin and Illinois, have won two conference championships in the last five years and are among the favorites to win the title this season. Many schools have a much more national scope to their recruiting than Wisconsin, a program that also has recruits from Minnesota and South Dakota.