Greatest hoops programs
My ranking of the best college basketball schools
Few college basketball programs can match Syracuse’s consistent excellence. Yes, the Orange have had their postseason bumps (Richmond, Vermont), but that’s true for any elite team. Everyone has an occasional NCAA tournament misstep.
And ‘Cuse more than makes up for any misstep with their overwhelming hoops résumé. That’s why they’re No. 9 on the list of greatest programs.
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Once upon a time, Connecticut hoops had a nice, cozy existence as a regional powerhouse.
Between 1947 and 1967, the Huskies won 17 Yankee Conference regular-season titles and reached the NCAA tournament 11 times. Sure, they only won one game in the Big Dance during that time, but that didn’t prevent them from developing a rabid local fan base.
Then two things happened: UConn joined the fledgling Big East in 1979, and it hired Jim Calhoun as its head coach in 1986.
Those two signaled the change from regional powerhouse to No. 10 on the list of greatest college basketball programs.
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Few college basketball programs have hit Cincinnati’s highs. Multiple national titles and Final Fours, legendary players and a bevy of conference crowns make the Bearcats among the all-time elite.
They’ve hit some lows, too. Cincinnati’s endured some serious Big Dance drought and heartbreak through the years, not to mention its off-court issues.
Still, it’s impossible to overlook how good the Bearcats have been. If not for its forgettable seasons between 1978 and Bob Huggins’ arrival in 1989, Cincinnati likely would’ve been higher than No. 11 on the list of the greatest college basketball programs.
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Nearly every team on this top 25 list of the greatest college basketball programs comes from a BCS conference: The Big Ten, ACC, Big East, Big 12, SEC or Pac-10. Those schools usually receive more media exposure, tend to draw highly touted prospects and feature plenty of big-name coaches.
So what to make of the schools on the list that aren’t from a BCS conference?
What to make of Utah, which lands at No. 12 on this list?
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Any mention of Villanova basketball always circles back to the 1985 national champions. It just can’t be helped.
That Wildcats team pulled off one of college hoops’ most memorable upsets, beating defending national champion Georgetown, a squad analysts had been trying to place among the all-time greats. The ‘Cats made 90 percent of their field-goal attempts in the second half, and shot nearly 80 percent for the game, a remarkable feat on the national stage.
It could go on and on (in fact, more later). But that’s the point. Villanova has more hoops lore than just than ’85 team.
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No team on the list of the 25 greatest college basketball programs is underrated. They’ve all been considered an elite team or been consistently good throughout the years.
But some simply get more attention than the others. And some can get outright overlooked.
Which brings us to No. 14 on this list, Illinois.
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Gotta love the names from Michigan State hoops. Magic and Mateen. Jud and Izzo. Smooth Steve Smith. Shootin’ Shawn Respert. The Izzone.
There was plenty of game behind those names, making it easy to place the Spartans at No. 15 on the list of the greatest college basketball programs.
MSU’s been to six Final Fours (more than Georgetown or Cincinnati), has won 67 percent of its NCAA tournament games (better than Indiana), has logged 22 appearances in the Big Dance, has 10 regular-season conference titles to go with 1,418 wins, more than its fair share of great NBA players and hasn’t missed an NCAA tourney since 1997.
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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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