Did You Know (or Care): Ballin' chicks

I am probably among the few men who would admit to being fascinated by this, but I have to give credit where credit is due.  Happy New Year, y'all --

Led by the Italian-born Geno Auriemma, the University of Connecticut Lady Husky basketball team recently had its record-setting win streak snapped by the Stanford Lady Cardinal, who were also the last team to have beaten UConn prior to their unprecedented 90-game run.

The Lady Huskies have not lost back-to-back games since the end of the '92-'93 season.  Since that point, they have amassed an unbelievable 573-44 record (prior to 2010-2011) en route to 15 seasons of at least 30 wins, and their seven national titles are second only to the eight won by their chief rival, the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

The "Silent Night" basketball game

Situated in small town Upland, Indiana, about 75 miles south of Indianapolis, Taylor University is a Christian college with a unique tradition.  Have a look:

The most "valuable" college basketball programs

With March Madness now underway, I thought a financial perspective from some of the big name players would be in order --

A couple of months ago I wrote about a piece from Forbes.com that ranked the most valuable teams in college football for the '09 season.  Forbes has done it again, this time listing the 20 most valuable teams in college basketball for 2010.

Although college programs are not valuable in the same way as pro sports franchises, the following gives an idea of their "real world" worth:

1. University of North Carolina Tar Heels -- Team Value: $29.0 million, Profit: $17.7 million
2. University of Kentucky Wildcats -- Value: $26.2 million, Profit: $16.1 million
3. University of Louisville Cardinals -- Value: $26.0 million, Profit: $16.9 million
4. University of Kansas Jayhawks -- Value: $24.0 million, Profit: $15.2 million
5. University of Illinois Fighting Illini -- Value: $20.8 million, Profit: $13.9 million
6. Indiana University Hoosiers -- Value: $20.5 million, Profit: $14.2 million
7. Ohio State University Buckeyes -- Value: $18.3 million, Profit: $11.4 million
8. Syracuse University Orange -- Value: $17.0 million, Profit: $9.0 million
9. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins -- Value: $16.8 million, Profit: $8.7 million
10. University of Arizona Wildcats -- Value: $16.6 million, Profit: $8.5 million
11. Duke University Blue Devils -- Value: $16.4 million, Profit: $5.6 million
12. University of Wisconsin Badgers -- Value: $16.3 million, Profit: $10.1 million
13. University of Maryland Terrapins -- Value: $15.5 million, Profit: $9.5 million
14. University of Arkansas Razorbacks -- Value: $14.6 million, Profit: $10.0 million
15. Xavier University Musketeers -- Value: $14.4 million, Profit: $9.1 million
16. University of Tennessee Volunteers -- Value: $14.1 million, Profit: $8.6 million
17. University of Minnesota Golden Gophers -- Value: $13.5 million, Profit: $8.9 million
18. University of Pittsburgh Panthers -- Value: $13.2 million, Profit: $6.5 million
19. Michigan State University Spartans -- Value: $13.0 million, Profit: $6.6 million
20. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Runnin' Rebels -- Value: $12.9 million, Profit: $8.3 million