Big East Athletics Spending

Here's an eye-opener for ya.....MU ranks 14th in the Big East in overall athletics spending. MU spends $15,157,774 on athletics, which is comfortably more than Providence and DePaul, and slightly less than Seton Hall University.

As you'd expect, football playing institutions dominate the spending. Regarding 'basketball-only' universities, Saint John's leads the way at $24,072,910 (love those NYC prices!).

Here is how MU compares to other 'basketball-only' schools in the Big East (at least with universities that do not compete in Division 1 football):

1. St. John's, $24,072,910
2. Georgetown, $17,705,058
3. Villanova, $17,007,533
4. Seton Hall , $15,260,330
5. Marquette, $15,157,774
6. Providence, $14,010,397
7. DePaul, $13,497,690

If one factors out Villanova and Georgetown (which play competitive non-D1 football), MU's athletics budget is roughly the median for similar institutions.

Interestingly, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports that "in the Big East, all NCAA credits will be combined, and each school will receive an equal share". Basically, MU will receive an equal share of NCAA basketball tournament money going forward -- whether or not it participates. CUSA's formula rewarded individual participants in the tournament. This could mean a boost for MU's athletic budget in future years if the conference remains strong.

Thanks to the Big East Basketball Report for locating this article from the Louisville Courier-Journal. Here's the link to the full article.