Top 5 college basketball programs

Like a few other programs spread throughout this list, Georgetown lost two full seasons due to World War II Two national titles, four other Elite Eight pushes and 13 appearances in a Sweet You know the two Research Triangle neighbors posted below, predictably ranked much higher than the Wolfpack, but NC State fans, I ask you bask in this. You have one of the best programs in college basketball history and the numbers bear that out.

Twenty-seven Big Dance bids, and it would be more if the tournament wasn't auto-bid-only up until the mids. NC State is involved in one of the most famous cases of tourney snubbing: the team went and did not play in the Dance because the school was on probation.

That wound up being the latest and final case of a really good team being shut out of the NCAA tourney, opening up the at-large process we all know today.

David Thompson, one of the top 10 college players ever, a three-time consensus All-American, played for State and put the program on the national map under Norm Sloan. The best coach in school history? It's a close three-horse race, really. This program has wins over ranked opponents and has won 17 league tournaments.

State fans are hoping Kevin Keatts can, in time, cement himself as the next great State coach, the person who brings the Wolfpack back to the Final Four. The swaggiest team in college basketball history defined an era, ushering in college basketball in the early s and keeping it competitive with the Jordan-bolstered NBA.

Freshmen who kept Michigan top good a few years after, oh hello, this program won the national championship in Its only NCAA title. Michigan's been playing college basketball since Jan. Yet again we have a school so much more known for its football team football: kind of a huge thing in this country but it's nearly as good in basketball. Michigan won games under Johnny Orr and made multiple deep tournament runs in the s and '70s.

Bill Frieder won more games -- before Bo Schembechler canned him prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, when it became known Frieder had a handshake deal to take the Arizona State job after the season. Steve Fisher took over, won it all in '89, but booster rulebreaking eventually wound up costing Michigan a lot of wins in the record books.

It's not the best program in the Big Ten but it's capable of being the best program as frequently as any other team.

Rice's points in the '89 NCAAs remains a tournament record. Russell is the best player in program history, the only two-time consensus All-American and someone who finished his career with The Johnnies rank seventh in all-time victories and 17th in win percentage -- but have fallen from No.

Lou Carnesecca turned a Queens-based basketball outfit into a Big East power in the s, and we'll get to that in a minute, but St. John's was consistently good in the s, '60s and '70s, recruiting in local talent on the regular to keep the school competitive in the Metro New York conference and as an independent from In the s and s, Joe Lapchick set the standard Carnesecca returned in and for the next 19 years had New York City caring about college basketball nearly as much as it did about the Knicks.

John's played in the postseason every year under Carnesecca and won at least 20 games in 18 of his seasons. As it should, St. John's holds a winning record against every New York-based team it's played at least 10 games against -- except Syracuse, which is coming up soon. Hopefully Utah at No. Out in Salt Lake City they've had a good basketball program for decades.

If anything, Utah joining the Pac has oddly obscured that fact. In the Utes won the national championship with a record under coach Vadal Peterson, who went in 32 seasons. Jack Gardner took over for Peterson in and coached until The Utes were hiding in plain sight out West, consistently winning 23, 19, 24, 22, 23, 23, 26 games in a season. When Rick Majerus took the job in , the program was ready to ascend to a new plane. Majerus had victories to his name by the time he left in , the high point coming with a trip to the national championship game in He was an X-and-O wizard; the idea of Majerus taking Utah to the title game in a team tournament in that era was sort of mind-blowing.

That team had no consensus All-Americans that season, but Keith Van Horn won it a year before and Andre Miller got one a year after. I'll always have a soft spot for Utah in part because of its home arena: the Huntsman Center has been host to a handful of tremendous NCAA Tournament games over the years. This is the highest-ranked team without a national title.

With five Final Four appearances but no ring to show, Illinois sidles alongside Houston and Oklahoma for most Final Fours without winning it all. Let this ranking be a reminder that Illinois should never fall far from the top 25 conversation. As it happens, this list is going live in the same year, and within less than two weeks time, of Illinois being a projected top 10 team in college hoops for the first time in 15 seasons.

But let us go way back first, as Illinois was a reliable Big Ten bully long before the NCAA Tournament came along, then made the Big Dance before it was big and before anyone called it a dance in , , and Since then, it's been a different story. The team that lost in the title game to North Carolina is one of the best teams to not win it all in the past 40 years. Illinois' other flirtation with immortality was in , when it lost to Michigan which it beat twice in the regular season.

College basketball is better when Illinois is relevant. We'll see it as a truth this season. The rare program to have the benefit of only employing two coaches in the past 45 years. Jud Heathcote begat Tom Izzo. Michigan State fans have it good, and likely will so long as Izzo is running the show. Michigan State has made the NCAA Tournament 22 consecutive times, which trails Duke and Kansas among active streaks and is fourth longest in college basketball history.

In the before times, when Benjamin F. Van Alstyne sounds like a fake person Kramer made up on "Seinfeld" coached this team from , Michigan State won games and was in the throng of Big Ten powers. Forddy Anderson got the Spartans into the NCAAs in and '59, but it wasn't until Heathcote showed up in '76 that things changed for the better. Michigan State has not gone more than three seasons without appearing in the Big Dance since It won the title with Magic Johnson and Greg Kesler in '79 in what's arguably the most important game in college basketball history -- and also the most-watched game ever in the sport The Spartans have wins over ranked opponents, the seventh-most ever.

If Lute Olson never leaves Iowa to coach Arizona, it's possible to think U of A doesn't crack the top 30 on this list. But Olson changed the trajectory of a program. He was one of many Hall of Fame coaches we lost this year, and his influence was undeniable in the desert. The Wildcats own 10 wins over No. Arizona is 13th on this list and it's 13th in most victories ever 1, Like I said above, Olson changed it all. He's the best coach in the history of the Pac and won games for Arizona, even holding a game home winning streak at one point.

The '97 title-winning team is still the only one to beat three No. That group finished Sean Miller has run the show in Tucson since , and there's been off-the-court drama, but Arizona kept its relevancy for much of Miller's tenure by making three Elite Eights, two other Sweet 16s and having a few recruiting classes land in the top five.

Miller continued what Olson built, and it's a testament to this program's longevity given that its reputation prior to winning it all in was that of a March paper tiger, due to how many times the highly seeded Wildcats didn't make the second weekend. It's amazing to consider how good Ohio State's basketball program has been for the better part of seven decades, and yet it will forever pale in the shadows against Buckeye football.

OSU hoops isn't considered a top job in the sport, but all things considered, maybe it should be? Temple Owls men's basketball. Drake Bulldogs. Vermont Catamounts men's basketball.

Boise State Broncos men's basketball. Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball. UCF Knights men's basketball. Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball. Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball. Florida Gators men's basketball. Georgia Bulldogs basketball. Maryland Terrapins men's basketball. New Mexico Lobos Basketball. Rhode Island Rams men's basketball. Nevada Wolf Pack. Butler Bulldogs men's basketball.

UAB Blazers men's basketball. Southern Illinois Salukis. USC Trojans men's basketball. Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball. Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball. Utah Utes men's basketball. Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens men's basketball. Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball. Yale Bulldogs. Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball. Detroit Mercy Titans.

Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball. Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball. Furman Paladins men's basketball. Illinois-Chicago Flames. Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball. Penn State Nittany Lions basketball. Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball.

Florida International Panthers. Miami Hurricanes men's basketball. Iona Gaels men's basketball. Binghamton Bearcats men's basketball. Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball.

Wofford Terriers men's basketball. Though, they might not be in many March College Basketball Tournament picks, just yet. On the court, Louisville has one of the greatest National Collegiate rivalries with Kentucky. At the moment, Kentucky has had more success, but the quality on the court is undoubted.

It is one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball. For this reason, Louisville is heralded to have one of the best college programs.

Over the years, the University of Louisville has produced great players. This season, the University of Louisville looks set to top the Atlantic Coast conference. They could certainly have interesting March College Basketball Tournament odds to make it to the last four teams this year.

The main reason why so many revere UCLA is thanks to their dominance throughout the s and s. It is an era that is yet to be matched in college basketball. This has made them all time title leaders. The 11th championship in only served to strengthen this legacy.

UCLA has amassed 17 last four teams appearances the appearance subsequently vacated. UCLA alumni include some of the biggest names in basketball. This season, UCLA has ended the season in excellent form. They should be automatic qualifiers for the March College Basketball Tournament. Michigan State has had an excellent past two decades. They might not have the successful earlier years, but are certainly one of the best college basketball programs.

Michigan State has won two championships, in and They have also been to 10 last four teams rounds. This makes them joint sixth overall for the last four teams appearances. Michigan State alumni also draw from the biggest names in the NBA. Johnson was part of the championship winning team. This season, Michigan State looks set for seeding on Sunday, March 15th.

They currently sit second in the Big Ten conference. Having made it to the last four teams last season, they will certainly be in many March College Basketball Tournament picks. If you are from the blue grass state, then there is no doubt you bleed blue and root for the Kentucky Wildcats. They are the winningest team in the history of college basketball.

They have won seven national titles, appeared in 13 Final Fours and have taken home 24 conference championships. Although the program has been on the decline for the past decade, they still reach the tournament every year and attract high school All Americans and still produce NBA players.

There are also currently 12 'Cats in the NBA today.