Kolek planning to go pro
Yep. They’ve been great since 2000, but had exactly 2 NCAA tournament appearances in the 20th century.
UConn is another with only recent success. They deserve the # 8 spot over the past 30 years.31 conference titles. Before the BigEast they were in the Yankee Conference butting heads with Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and UMass.Sagarin has UConn as #49 since 1939. Gonzaga at #102, although the Zags were #127 when the the list was compiled in 2000. It's a slow climb if all 80+ seasons are weighted evenly.
While UConn is fairly recent, they've put together a resume of final fours and championships that competes with pretty much anyone.
Agreed. I pondered whether UConn really belongs in the top 10 because of the recency factor, but gave them the nod because their 15-year run from 1999-2014 is arguably the most impressive extended run outside of UCLA's run from 1962-1976. Gonzaga has had a really nice run since 1999, but it is light years away from what UConn did.
UConn’s last two titles were pretty unlikely. The 2011 team was 20-9 (9-9 in conference). That was the year the Big East sent 11 teams to the tournament and I think UConn was safe heading into the Big East Toirnament but certainly didn’t have margin for error. The 2014 team was one of the worst national champions since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. Would be curious to see where they would be without those two unlikely titles. That isn’t to dismiss their accomplishments but what they did through 2009 was impressive on its own
Will this affect our seeding in March?
UConn’s last two titles were pretty unlikely. The 2011 team was 20-9 (9-9 in conference). That was the year the Big East sent 11 teams to the tournament and I think UConn was safe heading into the Big East Toirnament
That was one strange team. They never lost a game to a non Big East opponent all season and blew out quite a few non Big East Top 10 teams.