Indiana basketball is a historic program for a reason. The Hoosiers have been able to raise five championship banners in the historic Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and basketball is basically a way of life in the state of Indiana.
The Hoosiers are also a program that brings in a lot of money based on media rights, TV ratings, and the fanbase sticking around. What doesn't seem to make sense, though, is how this program can still be so valuable without the success to back it all up.
In a recent study done by the Wall Street Journal, Indiana basketball ranks as the third most valuable program in all of college basketball behind just UNC and Duke, two of the biggest blue blood programs in the country. The difference between Indiana and those two programs, though, is that their success has lasted for years, and Indiana hasn't won a championship since 1987.
Indiana basketball has the money, now it needs to have the success
Ryan Brewster was the one who conducted this study, and according to his findings, Indiana basketball has a cash flow of $12.9 million, a revenue of $34 million, and an enterprise value of $279 million.
With that kind of money and NIL becoming more and more prevalent, there has to be a change in the tide coming soon, right? Well, that is hopefully the plan behind the hiring of Darian DeVries, is that he is going to be the one to bring this program back to where it was always meant to be...at the top.
Indiana basketball has made NCAA Tournaments in the last quarter century, 13 appearances to be exact. Indiana has even had a National Championship game appearance in the last quarter century as well, back in 2002 when they faced 1-seed Maryland but lost 64-52 in the big game. However, on the flip side, Indiana has only made the tournament four times in the last 10 years and hasn't been to the Sweet 16 since 2016 and the Final Four since that 2002 season.
India seems to have all the tools to put together a successful program, but somewhere, there seems to be a disconnect. Is DeVries going to be able to close the gap and make Indiana what it is destined and historically been? All is yet to be seen as the 2024-2025 college basketball officially comes to a close, and all eyes are on next season.