re: Why do small schools like Houston have better basketball programs than LSU?

It starts with a HC.

Only certain schools can put the resources into football - or don't even field football teams. They use MBB as the source to fund other programs.

LSU is competing with the UF's, AU's, UA's, of the world.

Football is king for all of them, but somehow those other programs are magically dumping a billion dollars into MBB NIL (LOL). It starts with a head coach and goes from there.

You’re right Houston is bigger than LSU, but still their football team makes more money than their bball team ever will. In LSUs tournament runs while WW was coach made 10x the money WBBs made when we won the Natty n WBB. An average Football team at a Major Conference school makes more than any bball program. It’s all TV deals for the Conference, some schools in the NE primarily put more into bball because that’s their money maker. Gonzaga(out West), Georgetown, St Johns, that’s all they got.

Louisiana AAU program is trash

University of Houston has more students than LSU. What is your definition of small school?

Tbh, "tradition".

It took Houston 30yrs to come back to what they once was but yeah. "Tradition"

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WW was coach made 10x the money WBBs made when we won the Natty n WBB.

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ever ask why? Go do some research in TV contracts. WBB packs the stadium just like Men’s. Ticket prices probably impact some but it is about TV revenue.

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LSU doesn’t have that guy now.

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and how McWoodward is throwing gasoline on an out of control dumster fire..........

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Houston gonzaga connecticut, georgetown, ect..ect.. I have always wondered why smaller schools have a richer basketball tradition than l s u and other big name universities.? Do they have more money?

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This isn’t that hard. It’s easier for a smaller school, especially one in an area where basketball is the dominant sport, to build and maintain a good to great roster of that size. And all of the schools that you mentioned hired guys who were or turned out to be great coaches.

However, some of this argument is flawed. Houston is not a tiny school. They also wandered in the basketball desert as a complete fricking joke for 25 years after the Phi Slamma Jamma teams in the 80s. Kelvin Sampson is just that good of a coach and they lucked into him being available at a bargain price coming off a probation and show cause.

UCONN is a state school, not some tiny private school. They hired a great coach in Calhoun and he raised them to a different level. They have had some ups and downs since he left, but seem to have found their footing with Hurley.

Georgetown is small, but based in a Basketball-rich area. But they were again the product of a great hire in John Thompson. And they’ve been very up and down since he retired. That’s how it is for small programs. The same will likely be true for Gonzaga when Mark Few retires.

Even for programs at larger schools- college basketball is about elite coaching and recruiting. You have to have both for great success, no matter how big or well-known your university is.

-Houston has one of the best coaches in basketball.
-Gonzaga has a really good coach
-UConn only cares about basketball and Jim Calhoun was a great coach for them and created a bigtime program
-Georgetown has been terrible for 10 years