Gonzaga's basketball is not big because of the endowment; the endowment is big because of the success of the basketball team.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/nov/24/gonzaga-universitys-basketball-success-fuels/
"Gonzaga University’s basketball team has netted more than just wins in the past 15 years.
The Zags have spawned a transformation of a tiny, struggling college into a national brand and a money magnet.
The Jesuit liberal arts college enrolled 7,605 students this fall, 82 percent more than the 4,185 who attended classes in 1999.
Donors have swollen the college’s coffers to $173.3 million, nearly doubling its endowment. The university’s budget has almost tripled.
And generous pledges have enabled Gonzaga to build a $25 million basketball arena, a baseball complex, student apartments, an applied science building and other projects. A $60 million student center is under construction.
“Gonzaga was really suffering (in 1999),” said Don Herak, a trustee emeritus and major donor. “The basketball team was the catalyst for changing Gonzaga.”....
“Basketball – that’s how I heard about Gonzaga. I visited and got a good vibe,” said Gene Dawydiak, a Gonzaga senior and San Francisco native. Once enrolled, however, “I was disappointed it wasn’t as Catholic as I thought it would be; 99.9 percent of the time I forget it’s a Catholic school until I see a crucifix.”
Outside the fame and financial gain fostered by the Zags’ on-court success, the face of the university is changing.
• The number of minority undergraduates at Gonzaga has doubled to 1 in 5 students in the past 10 years.
• About 17 percent of undergraduate students received Pell Grants this school year, up 5 percentage points from seven years ago.
• Students who are the first in their family to attend college now make up 18.4 percent of the freshman class.
• About 95 percent of students receive some sort of financial aid.
• The school is led by its first non-Jesuit president, Thayne McCulloh.
Gonzaga’s student population has grown so fast the college has to secure rooms at a nearby hotel for housing. More than 3,000 students live on or near the 131-acre campus in 16 residence halls, eight apartment complexes and numerous houses in the Logan neighborhood.
I don't need to know all that.
My point is Gonzaga isn't faced with dropping its basketball team or any of its athletic programs because they are in a better financial situation than SCSU.