The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

gtmo — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:24:28 GMT

If you're gonna go through all the trouble, you might as well do a top 50 or top 100. Believe it or not - there is much interest in who sits where OUTSIDE of a typical top 25 list.

I understand that you media types find that notion incredulous, but everything does not revolve around Lawrence, Lexington, tobacco road, or Westwood.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

kj (spartans weblog) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:47:59 GMT

Sounds like the weighting is more on historical results than on recent performance. Should be an interesting list, as most such lists tend to focus on the recent past.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Mike Miller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:27:53 GMT

Fair enough, gtmo. I can post a list of the top 100 later this summer. I'll do 25-11, then post the top 90, then do the top 10. Figure on on seeing 26-100 in August.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

49and4, Lawrence, Kansas — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:50:59 GMT

Can't wait to see whether Psycho T's hard work and will to win can push UNC into that coveted top spot.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Joe, Columbus, Ohio — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:51:10 GMT

Don't waste our/your time. What you are doing is creating a popularity list based on perceptions.

How would you weigh the fact that up until the mid 60s the NIT Tournament was more highly coveted than the NCAA?

How much consideration would you give a power conference team that finishes .500 but lost to the likes of Duke, NC....?

How about other factors such as entry into the HOF? becoming an announcer? intangible contributions such as being the architect behind forming the Big East? And what about those guys who have been in several places like Pitino? Do you credit Louisville? Kentucky, Providence? BU?

Good luck

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Matt, Lawrence Kansas — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:12:54 GMT

Psycho T got dealt with against Kansas. Player of the year??? Probably not. I wish we could put him up against the big XXII for a season and see the drop in statistics.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Bruce, Baltimore, MD — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:44:24 GMT

I know all lists are subjective, but how does Maryland rank below Marquette, Western Kentucky, and Memphis all-time when it 1.) has more championships then two of those 2 schools but tied w/the other one at 1, 2.) more NCAA tournament appearances than any of those 3 schools (albeit one less Final 4 appearance than 2 of those schools), and 3.) has sent more players to the NBA than any of those 3 schools?! Not to mention, 2 probable Hall of Fame coaches in it's history? Did Miller forget about everything that happened in the school's history prior to 2000? Maryland was a top notch program during the '70s and early '80s when Lefty Driesell was the head coach and attempting to make UMD the "UCLA of the East." Gary Williams resurrected the program after the mid '80s- early '90s slide that occurred as a result of the Lenny Bias death, reaching the top in 2002 after 10 straight tournament appearances (a streak that continued through 2004). One must also consider that UMD has always had the competition of the research triangle schools and the rest of the ACC to contend with, so the lack of conference championships (3, one of which occurred in the '50s; and UMD was the runner up 5 times) can be forgiven. I don't think UMD ranks top 10 all time, but top 20 or top 25 is not out of the question. If this list is based on a given program's history, then you can't pick and choose which program's overall history to use to justify your case. You have to use each school's overall history when making your final decision on where each school stands in your list. Case in point: "Memphis, boosted by its remarkable three-year run, came in at 29. The Tigers also don’t have an NCAA title and haven’t racked up enough wins to break into the top 25. But that recent success helps, and don’t expect John Calipari’s crew to stop winning Conference USA anytime soon." Shouldn't their history prior to the past 3 years be taken into consideration? If it's included, then the Tigers should be No. 30, not UMD.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Mike Miller — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:35:01 GMT

The Terps trail those three teams in total wins, win percentage, conference titles and NIT performance (except for W. Kentucky). Everything else is pretty much a wash, except for the NCAA titles. If Maryland would've continued its early success from the 2000s, it probably would've been 24th or 25th.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Brian, OKC, OK — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:49:23 GMT

Did you know that Oklahoma State has 17 conference championships? We have only had 18 players in the NBA which isn't great and we only have 5 in the NBA right now. I just don't see a 26th ranking being accurate especially with OU being ranked 24 with 1 player in the NBA. Don't get me wrong OU has had great success the past 25 or so years. No titles, less conference championships, less NBA players, I just don't get it.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Brian, Milwaukee, WI — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:00:10 GMT

You're wrong about Marquette and conference titles. Kevin O'Neill led the last Marquette team known as the Warriors to the Great Midwest Conference Championship over Louisville, Memphis, Cincinatti etc in 1994. MU also won the 1997 C-USA Conference Tournament.

The greatest college hoops programs (an intro)

Mike Miller — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:53:04 GMT

Thanks for that catch Brian. Marquette did win in '94.