Blueblood Rankings

Last week (prior to the Final Four and UConn's national championship) ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan put together a nice piece about Connecticut knocking on the door of joining college basketball's elite fraternity of "blueblood" programs -- UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, and Indiana.  Click HERE to read the article.

After last night, I'd say that UConn has indeed joined the illustrious ranks of the college basketball bluebloods.  Three national championships earns your inclusion, I'd say.  5+ appearances in the Final Four gets you close.  1,500+ all-time wins also gets you into the discussion.  And a coach that emerges as an icon of the sport doesn't hurt.

How does Virginia Basketball stack up on the blueblood meter?
Years of Existence: 106
All-Time Wins: 1,403
All-Time Record: 1,403-1,101 (.560)
20+ Win Seasons: 16
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 16
NCAA Tournament Record: 22-16 (.579)
Sweet Sixteens: 7
Elite Eights: 5
Final Fours: 2
NCAA Titles: 0
Iconic Coach:  Henry Lannigan?  Terry Holland?

It's a reasonably good history, but I'd say we're just on the outside of the top 25 in the "blueblood rankings" (if such a thing existed).

You know what?  Such a thing SHOULD exist.  In fact... here it is.


COLLEGE BASKETBALL BLUEBLOOD RANKINGS

The True Bluebloods:

#1 -- UCLA
Eleven national championships.  No other program can even come close to touching that.

#2 -- Kentucky
With seven national championships, UK is the only program with more than half of UCLA's total.

#3 -- North Carolina
Five national championships.  You can't think about college basketball without thinking about UNC.

#4 -- Duke
Four national championships and an all-time best .758 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament (94-30 overall record in the NCAAs).

#5 -- Kansas
At one point, KU was coached by the man who invented basketball.  It feels like they should have more than their measly three national championships.

#6 -- Indiana
Five national championships and the sport's most recent undefeated season (1975-76).

#7 -- Connecticut
Three national championships, four Final Fours, 1,547 total wins, .622 percentage in the NCAA Tournament.  Yes, they are blueblood.  Welcome to the penthouse, Huskies.


Tier Two Bluebloods (aka Baby Bluebloods):

#8 -- Syracuse
If there's a program next in line for knocking on the door for true blueblood status, it's Syracuse.  They only have one national championship, but boast 1,783 total wins in program history, including a 52-33 (.612) record in the Big Dance.

#9 -- Michigan State
Two national championships, a .693 record in the Tournament (52-23), and Tom Izzo is only 56 and isn't going anywhere.  I could easily see him double his championship count before he's finished his run with the Spartans.

#10 -- Louisville
Their two national championships in the '80s buoy them among the game's best programs.  Rick Pitino seems hellbent on delivering another championship to the Cardinal faithful.


The Rest of the Top 25:

#11 -- Cincinnati
Surprising, I know.  If you're like me, you only remember them from the Bob Huggins era.  But they have two national championships ('61 & '62) and rank 23rd in all-time program victories.

#12 -- NC State
One of their two national championships was fluky... but it's also one of the all-time great upsets and moments in the game's history.  At present, they are a middling ACC program, but the right coaching hire can quickly deliver them back to relevancy.

#13 -- Oklahoma State
Six Final Fours, two championships.  They have a rich history of basketball goodness, if not greatness.

#14 -- Florida
The Gators are nouveau riche, but their two national championships puts them in elite company (only thirteen other programs have multiple championships).

#15 -- Ohio State
Ten Final Four appearances (6th most all-time), one national championship, and a .643 record in the NCAA Tournament.  Thad Matta has them poised for an era of sustained greatness.

#16 -- Georgetown
One national championship, five Final Fours, and a lasting image of really good basketball teams led by John Thompson and Patrick Ewing.

#17 -- Maryland
They're slipping in these rankings after peaking with their 2002 national championship.

#18 -- Villanova
A program that will always be synonymous with the ultimate underdog story.

#19 -- Arizona
Elevated into an important program under Lute Olsen, now trying to gain traction as an elite program under Sean Miller.

#20 -- Michigan
The NCAA would have you believe that the Fab Five never happened... but we all know the truth.

#21 -- Arkansas
The Hogs rank in the top 20 in NCAA Tournament wins and overall team winning percentage, and in the top 10 in Final Four appearances.

#22 -- Marquette
It's a historically important basketball school with a national championship to its name.

#23 -- Temple
1,740 all-time wins, 6th most overall.

#24 -- St. John's
Very close to Virginia in terms of overall profile, but 1,703 total wins gives them an edge.

#25 -- Notre Dame
Not much success in the NCAA Tournament (sub-.500 record at 30-34 all-time), but with 1,674 total wins in program history, they deserve a spot in the top 25.


Just missed the cut: Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Oklahoma, UNLV, Utah, California, Iowa, Memphis, Virginia, Purdue, Butler, Georgia Tech, Pennsylvania, BYU, Princeton, Wake Forest, LSU, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Xavier


I had some help from Wiki.

• Men's Division I Basketball Championship
• NCAA Tournament All-Time Team Records
• All-Time Wins in NCAA