But without football, there's a lot less excess revenue to spread around to buy players for other sports. It is no coincidence that the Sweet 16 contains only one non-P4 school, and St. Johns is a traditional basketball powerhouse with an exceptional coach.
Even traditional P4 powerhouse basketball schools such as UNC, Kentucky, and Kansas have had a steep dropoff in recent years while Alabama, Michigan, and Iowa, where football is relatively strong, have risen in basketball.