if you include championships, overall win/loss record, recent success (last 10 years), fan support and media hype (goes hand in hand with marketability). it's very subjective, but here's my take:
1. kentucky. pains me to say it cause i hate everything kentucky. 7 championships, top three 3 fan support, won a title in '97 and has historical success. get's a lot of media hype (cbs). always in contention other than this past season.
2. UCLA. simply cause of the 11 championships. LA doesn't have the feel that other bball towns have...probably cause it ain't a town. still a big media following and does have many loyal fans (although you might not guess it when looking in the stands sometimes). legendary coach and players too.
3. indiana. desperately loyal fan base (in the top three also) even though the team has sucked for a while. great history and gets tons of media hype even though they don't deserve it with the talent they throw out there. this one's more about the history (5 championships) and the support i guess.
4. north carolina. 4 championships, top three coach, great fans, but they're not higher cause the top three raised the bar too high. barely above duke also cause of duke's success and hype the last decade or so. i believe they have a larger nationwide following than duke though and are like by more carolinians.
5. duke. simply because of the fans (the final one in my top three) even if it has a smaller following than other schools. great success in the last couple decades and 3 championships. media hype is beyond any other school and the players are legendary for the hate they endure from other school's fans. legendary coach still coaching too.
6. kansas. history galore, but only 2 championships. father of the game coached here. great support from fans. media following great, but not quite at the level of the schools above.
7. georgetown. great teams in the 80's (players and a coach). nothing really outside of that though. support is decent and the media only pays attention when they're doing good. still a historically important team in bball history though.
8. uconn. simply cause of their recent success. they are on such a roll it might never end. have they become the closest thing to duke...since duke? not really, cause duke recruits rich kids that pray a lot. 2 championships in the last 7 years along with the most talented lineups year in and year out.
9. cincinnati. 2 championships. oscar robertson. great run as far tourny appearances. last couple decades known as chokers and there's the recent coaching/player troubles as well, but that doesn't totally deminish the historical success of the team.
10. st. john's. because of their historical success. nothing to speak of in the last while. only team worth noting in new york as well.
11. michigan state. has one of the top three coaches in the game right now. been to more final fours than anyone in the last 8 years (4 times). 2 championships and good fan support. they get their share of media following, but near the level of teams 1-6, 8 and 12. recognized above any other team for their toughness (not of late though). also home to possibly the greatest nba player ever (magic).
12. arizona. were kings of the west for years until gonzaga came along and UCLA's resurgence. 1 championships, but made good runs in the last decade and are usually near the top of the polls. good fans too.
13. gonzaga. only because the adoration the media has on them and the very recent success of the program.
Last edited by i seen hippos : 06-16-2006 at 04:08 PM.
Reason: title.
if you include championships, overall win/loss record, recent success (last 10 years), fan support and media hype (goes hand in hand with marketability). it's very subjective, but here's my take:
1. kentucky. pains me to say it cause i hate everything kentucky. 7 championships, top three 3 fan support, won a title in '97 and has historical success. get's a lot of media hype (cbs). always in contention other than this past season.
2. UCLA. simply cause of the 11 championships. LA doesn't have the feel that other bball towns have...probably cause it ain't a town. still a big media following and does have many loyal fans (although you might not guess it when looking in the stands sometimes). legendary coach and players too.
3. indiana. desperately loyal fan base (in the top three also) even though the team has sucked for a while. great history and gets tons of media hype even though they don't deserve it with the talent they throw out there. this one's more about the history (5 championships) and the support i guess.
4. north carolina. 4 championships, top three coach, great fans, but they're not higher cause the top three raised the bar too high. barely above duke also cause of duke's success and hype the last decade or so. i believe they have a larger nationwide following than duke though and are like by more carolinians.
5. duke. simply because of the fans (the final one in my top three) even if it has a smaller following than other schools. great success in the last couple decades and 3 championships. media hype is beyond any other school and the players are legendary for the hate they endure from other school's fans. legendary coach still coaching too.
6. kansas. history galore, but only 2 championships. father of the game coached here. great support from fans. media following great, but not quite at the level of the schools above.
7. georgetown. great teams in the 80's (players and a coach). nothing really outside of that though. support is decent and the media only pays attention when they're doing good. still a historically important team in bball history though.
8. uconn. simply cause of their recent success. they are on such a roll it might never end. have they become the closest thing to duke...since duke? not really, cause duke recruits rich kids that pray a lot. 2 championships in the last 7 years along with the most talented lineups year in and year out.
9. st. john's. because of their historical success. nothing to speak of in the last while. only team worth noting in new york as well.
10. michigan state. has one of the top three coaches in the game right now. been to more final fours than anyone in the last 8 years (4 times). 2 championships and good fan support. they get their share of media following, but near the level of teams 1-6, 8 and 12. recognized above any other team for their toughness (not of late though). also home to possibly the greatest nba player ever (magic).
11. arizona. were kings of the west for years until gonzaga came along and UCLA's resurgence. 1 championships, but made good runs in the last decade and are usually near the top of the polls. good fans too.
12. gonzaga. only because the adoration the media has on them and the very recent success of the program.
"Prestigious" is a very arbitrary term. While I hold history in high regard, how much are those NC State titles doing for them these days? Or even Indiana, for that matter? Not a whole helluva lot. As much as some cling to that history, a great deal of it doesn't actually translate to anything in today's college basketball. There are quite a few programs who are more "prestigious" than Illinois, for example, in the historical sense (though with five Final Fours it isn't like we just got to the party), that can't hold a candle to us in today's college basketball. Or Texas, or a few other programs.
most prestigious college basketball schools.
