SI ranks the Top 20 college basketball programs

[MUSeashells&Balloons]

Kansas & Indiana are elite programs as well but their resume doesn't stack up the same way as the the four schools I mentioned.

Sure Kansas has the 3rd best winning percentage, 2nd most wins, 14 final fours and has been to the championship game 9 times, longest NCAA tournament streak, longest winning seasons streak. But I agree about IU

and their first coach invented the game, Allen field house is such a cool place to play basketball. I really just can't see a reason not to put Kansas at the top. Kansas like it or not is embedded in basketball lore.

[hoyahooligan]

http://college-basketball.si.com/2013/09/24/college-basketballs-20-best-current-programs-16-20/

Here's 20-16.

20. Gonzaga
19. Illinois
18. Michigan
17. Georgetown
16. Texas

wait what?!

[xu1990]

The Texas inclusion immediately discredits the entire project IMO. Granted, I have not read the criteria used in selection, but I can't fathom any situation that includes Texas as a "Top 20" basketball program in the nation. I realize I am a homer but from a purely basketball program standpoint, I will take X over Texas everyday.

[Friarfan2]

Look, I like Marquette, but people seem to forget that Marquette was terrible for most of the 80's, and while they were better in the 1990's they weren't exactly a high exposure team. They have had a resurgence since dwayne wade, and they deserve credit for this, but the 20 yrs from 1983-2003 can't just be ignored. I know some Marquette fans have accused me of "trolling" when I raised this issue regarding their "brand recognition", but it is reality.

I think the school that is getting the shaft is Xavier. Although their lack of Final Four does play against them.

[Bill Marsh]

The Texas inclusion immediately discredits the entire project IMO. Granted, I have not read the criteria used in selection, but I can't fathom any situation that includes Texas as a "Top 20" basketball program in the nation. I realize I am a homer but from a purely basketball program standpoint, I will take X over Texas everyday.

Texas has been a very successful program in recent years:

2013 -
2012 - NCAA bid
2011 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2010 - NCAA bid
2009 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2008 - NCAA bid, Elite 8
2007 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2006 - NCAA bid, Elite 8
2005 - NCAA bid
2004 - NCAA bid, Sweet 16
2003 - NCAA bid, Final Four
2002 - NCAA bid, Sweet 16
2001 - NCAA bid,
2000 - NCAA bid, 1 win
1999 - NCAA bid

That's almost the same 15 year streak of tournament bids that Gonzaga has. Do you consider Gonzaga to be a top program? But more than that, Texas has done it from a much tougher conference and they have done far more in the tournament after they got there than Gonzaga has. And more than that, Texas has only missed the tournament only 3 times in the past 25 years (1993, 1998, 2013). In addition to what I posted above, they reached an Elite 8 in 1990 and a Sweet 16 in 1997. If a Big East team had a record like this, we'd all be raving about it. In terms of the other things that SI was looking for, i.e. facilities, fan base, etc., Texas measures up well in all aspects.

[Bill Marsh]

I won't ask BillM what is the criteria for your list b/c I am sure that it will start a sh!tstorm (if you haven't already by putting Gtwn way behind Butler, WVU, Pitt, Xavier & VCU).

Honestly after I saw Louisville #1, I just ignored the rest of the list.

Arguments can be made for UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke - at #1 - thats it.

The title of the article is "Ranking College Basketball's Current Top 20 Programs".

SI is talking about how good the program is in this era, not what kind of history they have. UCLA has 2 championships in the open era. What they did in the Wooden era has become ancient history.

I listed Louisville #1 because of what they've done recently because I thought that's what SI was talking about. Plus they have great facilities and a great fan base. They are #1 in the country in revenue from their basketball program. Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke haven't been any better than Louisville recently. And it's not like Louisville doesn't have great history.

[MUBoxer]

The Texas inclusion immediately discredits the entire project IMO. Granted, I have not read the criteria used in selection, but I can't fathom any situation that includes Texas as a "Top 20" basketball program in the nation. I realize I am a homer but from a purely basketball program standpoint, I will take X over Texas everyday.

Texas has been a very successful program in recent years:

2013 - NCAA bid
2012 - NCAA bid
2011 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2010 - NCAA bid
2009 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2008 - NCAA bid, Elite 8
2007 - NCAA bid, 1 win
2006 - NCAA bid, Elite 8
2005 - NCAA bid
2004 - NCAA bid, Sweet 16
2003 - NCAA bid, Final Four
2002 - NCAA bid, Sweet 16
2001 - NCAA bid,
2000 - NCAA bid, 1 win
1999 - NCAA bid

That's the same 15 year streak of tournament bids that Gonzaga has. Do you consider Gonzaga to be a top program? But more than that, Texas has done it from a much tougher conference and they have done far more in the tournament after they got there than Gonzaga has. And more than that, Texas has only missed the tournament twice in the past 25 years (1993 & 1998). In addition to what I posted above, they reached an Elite 8 in 1990 and a Sweet 16 in 1997. If a Big East team had a record like this, we'd all be raving about it. In terms of the other things that SI was looking for, i.e. facilities, fan base, etc., Texas measures up well in all aspects.

Umm texas didn't make the ncaa tournament last year...

[MUBoxer]

I won't ask BillM what is the criteria for your list b/c I am sure that it will start a sh!tstorm (if you haven't already by putting Gtwn way behind Butler, WVU, Pitt, Xavier & VCU).

Honestly after I saw Louisville #1, I just ignored the rest of the list.

Arguments can be made for UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke - at #1 - thats it.

The title of the article is "Ranking College Basketball's Current Top 20 Programs".

SI is talking about how good the program is in this era, not what kind of history they have. UCLA has 2 championships in the open era. What they did in the Wooden era has become ancient history.

I listed Louisville #1 because of what they've done recently because I thought that's what SI was talking about. Plus they have great facilities and a great fan base. They are #1 in the country in revenue from their basketball program. Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke haven't been any better than Louisville recently. And it's not like Louisville doesn't have great history.

It depends on what you call recent I mean if we're talking about in the lives of current players as recent Kentucky blows ville out of the water if you're talking since 2000 then yes Louisville edges out most everybody

[MUSeashells&Balloons]

Look, I like Marquette, but people seem to forget that Marquette was terrible for most of the 80's, and while they were better in the 1990's they weren't exactly a high exposure team. They have had a resurgence since dwayne wade, and they deserve credit for this, but the 20 yrs from 1983-2003 can't just be ignored. I know some Marquette fans have accused me of "trolling" when I raised this issue regarding their "brand recognition", but it is reality.

I think the school that is getting the shaft is Xavier. Although their lack of Final Four does play against them.

I dont know when I tell people what my university is they always say: "Marquette oh they always do well in basketball, where is that school?" Thats what I hear in Denver so its definitely a nationally recognizable brand. brand recognition IMO is not basketball its that nobody know what city we are located in but actually.

[MUBoxer]

Look, I like Marquette, but people seem to forget that Marquette was terrible for most of the 80's, and while they were better in the 1990's they weren't exactly a high exposure team. They have had a resurgence since dwayne wade, and they deserve credit for this, but the 20 yrs from 1983-2003 can't just be ignored. I know some Marquette fans have accused me of "trolling" when I raised this issue regarding their "brand recognition", but it is reality.

I think the school that is getting the shaft is Xavier. Although their lack of Final Four does play against them.

A few things:

1) regaurding why we accuse you of trolling. It's because you are a fan of providence (not exactly GTown or Nova) always quick to point out our down years and make it sound like we were much much worse than we were. I would like to point out that you'd be ticked off if an MU fan in 87 was saying how you guys hadn't been relevant in the early 80s or something.

2) going off of you making us sound much worse than we were. NCAA tournament in 80, 82, 83 NIT in 81, 84, 85, 86, 87. Though you make it sound like we were absolutely horrendous, the 90s you make it sound like we weren't much better but NCAA in 93, sweet 16 94, 96, 97 and NIT in 90, runner up in 95, and 98. So in the 20 year spam you always talk about how bad we were we were in the post season 15 of those years.