Originally posted by Raising Heel:
Below is a list of schools with historically great college basketball programs. I have chosen this group of schools based on many factors - claimed national titles, conference championships, all time win/loss record, legendary coaches, number of All-Americans, recruiting power and general commitment to basketball.
**With all due respect to North Carolina, the Tar Heels have been left off the list to preserve some measure of objectivity in the rankings.
[/I]Please rank the below college basketball programs from best to worst.
[/B]
Just missed the list:
Arizona
Cincinnati
Florida
Michigan State
NC State
St. John's
I would just like the record to show that I feel dirty after doing this list because there are a lot of programs listed that I can't stand. Also, do not expect as much detail as I gave in the football program rank'em. This is basketball...y'all should just be thankful I'm even filling out this rank'em. THN11 says....
1. Kentucky -- obvious choice. Tons of national titles. Sustained success through the years. Tons of star power, and best fan base in college basketball by a mile (in terms of attendance home and especially away. Their away presence is stupidly impressive)
2. Kansas -- tradition, tradition, tradition. Phog Allen Fieldhouse is the coolest venue in college basketball by a mile (judging based on TV, I've never been). Rock Chalk Jayhawk is the coolest chant in CBB too. They've got (2nd?) most wins ever, and they're perennially good. Sustained success, several national championships. I hate Bill Self's domination of Roy though :/
3. Duke -- they could've been number 2 on this list, but they just missed out. What hurts them is no early success. Obviously, they've had incredible success since ~1985. Traditional/classic (but tiny as hell) stadium, several national championships, more ACCT championships than any other school.
4. UCLA -- 11 championships carries them a decent way, but they haven't done f***-all since then (except for '95 or whenever).
4a. Tradition galore (the pj pants, the stadium, the classic jerseys). Legendary coach in Bob Knight. Great atmosphere. What hurts them on this list is no elite success in the past 10+ years.
4b. Louisville -- sustained success since early '80's. A couple legendary coaches, multiple national championships
5. Connecticut -- I DESPISE this program. Hate it. I hate them almost as much as Duke and Moo because Calhoun seems like a d*** and Connecticut, the state, is a cesspool that just screams "yankee trash." It was fitting that Napier shot his mouth off during and after the national championship run last year -- lack of class from a player that played for a school with no class. Auriemma is a **** too. If UConn had been allowed to join the ACC, I would've lost my mind with anger. Their two most recent national championships were crap, with two players (KW and SN, respectively) who got ridiculously hot for the last 7-8 games of their season. Screw UConn.
6. Syracuse -- meh. They've never excited me. Boeheim is a good coach but an a-hole (sensing a theme here?). They have good fan support but the Carrier Dome is a dump. I can't be bothered to research and see if they have a strong bball past, but I'm fairly certain they sucked until JB got there. Like Pitt, they morphed from a football school into a basketball school. Not enough national championships to put them higher on this list
