June 2008 - Posts
John Thompson Jr. built Georgetown into one of the nation’s elite basketball programs. His son, John III, is ensuring the Hoyas stay that way. That father-son combination places Georgetown at No. 16 on the list of the greatest college basketball programs.
Sure, the Hoyas have been hoopin’ for 100 years, with the occasional standout season (13-1 in 1919-‘20 or 12-1 in ’27-’28, or most impressively 22-5 and NCAA tournament runner-up in ’42-‘43), but it wasn’t until Thompson arrived in the ‘70s that the school became a hoops haven.
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Between “The Triplets” and “40 Minutes of Hell,” Arkansas was a no-brainer for the greatest college basketball programs of all time.
The Razorbacks, behind their six Final Four appearances, 1,473 wins, 26 regular-season conference titles, 29 NCAA tournament berths and a host of NBA players produced, ended up No. 17 on this list.
They don’t excel in any one area, but they don’t lag behind anyone either, which is the main reason the Hogs are in the top 20. If not for the dropoff in the last 10 years, they’d be higher.
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The handful of football schools on the list of greatest college basketball programs ends with No. 18, Ohio State.
Well, the last of this list’s traditional football powerhouses concludes with Ohio State. There are still a couple of teams left that could be considered football schools, but the Buckeyes are a clear-cut football school – with a great basketball legacy.
It’s funny, too. At one time, basketball could’ve been considered THE sport for THE Ohio State University. That’s what happens when a school has Final Four runs like the Buckeyes.
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This ranking of the greatest college basketball programs was incredibly tight. By assigning a numerical value to how schools compare in several categories (NCAA tournament success, number of wins, tournament titles, NBA players produced, among others), it came down to the slimmest of margins.
This is important because No. 19, St. John’s, starts off a run of nine programs separated by essentially a great season or two. Perhaps a Final Four berth or a conference crown combined with another team’s sub-par season would vault one school ahead of another.
And could St. John's ever use a great season sometime soon.
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Depending on one’s politics, being feted at the White House can be a huge honor or a teeth gritting affair. Does seeing President Bush hold up a Kansas jersey aggravate you or bring an even bigger smile to your face?
Maybe I’ll leave the politics to someone else…
In lieu of my personal biases (except when it comes to my allegiances to the Jayhawks as a University of Kansas graduate), I’ll pose this question: Who knew the President was such a big hoops fan?
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