The Connecticut Huskies are the first public women’s college basketball program to report more than $3 million in annual ticket sales.
That $3.25 million total in 2023-24, which the school disclosed Wednesday in its most recent NCAA financial reporting, is more than 75 public men’s teams generated the prior year, including Alabama ($2.8 million), LSU ($2.4 million) and Oregon ($2.3 million). The Huskies lost in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa.
UConn is the only public FBS school that reports more spending on basketball than it does on football, and it’s not particularly close. The gap widened in 2023-24, according to the revenue/expense report, with basketball budgets totaling $32.93 million and football totaling $18.45 million. The Huskies football team reported $2.2 million in ticket sales, below both women’s basketball and men’s basketball ($8.3 million).
The 2023-24 year included a UConn men’s basketball national championship, the second consecutive title under head coach Dan Hurley. Along the way, the $8.3 million in ticket sales was $2 million more than the prior fiscal year. In total, the UConn athletic department reported $101 million in expenses, up from $90.7 million the prior year.
UConn’s record sales come as women’s sports across the country—pro and college—are seeing increases in commercial opportunities. The average public FBS school reported $174,389 in women’s basketball ticket sales in 2017-18; it was $244,627 in 2022-23, according to Sportico’s college finance database. In that span UConn’s sales have jumped from $2.41 million to $3.25 million.
Meanwhile, the Huskies women’s expenses jumped along with their increase in ticket revenue. The program spent $12.54 million in total operating expenditures, up from $10.5 million in FY23. Head coach Geno Auriemma is one of the sport’s highest paid coaches, having signed a new contract last summer. He set the all-time NCAA coaching wins record earlier this season.
Auriemma’s tenure has been filled by marketable athletes who drive ticket sales and online interest, with potential No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick Paige Bueckers the latest in a long line of players who have helped the Huskies build a massive following. UConn has about 180,000 more Instagram followers than any other program and has gained 20,000 this season to hit 482,000. Meanwhile, second-best Iowa (303,000 total followers) has fallen by 3,000 since early November. UConn also leads women’s basketball in TikTok and X followers.
UConn, which has won a record 11 women’s basketball titles, is one of the first FBS schools to release its 2023-24 financial reports. Others, like South Carolina, LSU or Iowa, might also have crossed the $3 million barrier last season.
(This story has been updated with additional statistics regarding women’s basketball social media followings.)