WCHL News

The Tar Heels have been named to the top of the list of college basketball’s most valuable teams.

According to Forbes magazine, Carolina’s team value is $29 million. That’s even 12 percent higher than last year.

One thing that helped keep Carolina at the top of the list for the second straight year was a low operating budget. Duke, on the other hand, spends $13.5 million, which is 50 percent greater than any other college basketball team.

Pure profit isn’t the only factor that pushed Carolina to the number 1 spot. Forbes looks at how much money the basketball program pushes back into the school. Once UNC pays for basketball operations, millions of dollars left over are used to pay academic and athletic scholarships and fund non-revenue sports.

The rankings also take into account how much money the basketball programs bring into the local economy.

Two other ACC teams made the top-20. Duke fell three spots to 11th and Maryland is ranked 13th.