Richest college basketball teams

College basketball is all about breathless finishes, buzzer-beaters, pep bands, frenzied crowds and heated rivalries.

Oh, and money, too.

Sold out home schedules help, but the real cash pours in when your team makes a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Success brings out more folks wanting a piece of the action, many of them willing to donate money and pay premium prices for premium seats and perks.

Recently, Forbes set out to determine which schools had the most lucrative programs. The publication’s second annual ranking of the Most Valuable College Basketball Teams is based on how much cash the program brings to four areas: the university (including scholarship payments for basketball players); the athletic department (profit generated by the basketball program retained by the department); the conference (distribution of post-season tournament revenue); and local communities (estimated spending by visitors).

Here are the top 10:

1. North Carolina

2, Kentucky

3. Louisville

4. Indiana

5. Kansas

6. Arizona

7. Illinois

8. Duke

9. Maryland

10. Ohio State

To get the details, and to see the rest of the list, visit Forbes.