Southeastern Conference basketball programs spent more than $163 million in total operating expenses during the 2021-22 fiscal year according to the latest data obtained by the USA TODAY Sports Network in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University. The numbers represent a 40% overall increase over the previous year.
However, in current dollars, two schools spent less than they did in the 2018-19 fiscal year: the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators. The Tide’s expenditures totaled nearly $16 million that season and fell down to $10.9 million in the most recent year. Meanwhile, the Gators’ real-dollar spending went down from $9.7 million to $8.8 million.
Look below at each SEC school’s expenditures (minus the Vanderbilt Commodores, who are a private institution) on their basketball teams, with the total operating costs and recruiting costs presented, and where that program ranks among its peers in parentheses.