sagarin's all time rankings

[mugrad99]

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/1004/cbe1.pdf

too high? Too low? discuss amongst yourselves.

[wyoMUfan]

perfect. couldn't argue with that list but not sure why Illinois is higher than Duke....

[ZiggysFryBoy]

pretty good considering we were only ranked in the top 40 in 2 decades.

[Sir Lawrence]

Seems about right.  Surprised at how low Xavier is. 

[Dish]

#3 program during the 1970's.

[drewm88]

I have a problem with a lot of them, however I think 24 sounds just right for us.

[bma725]

#3 program during the 1970's.

Gotta disagree with UNC being above us that period.

MU has 1 National Championship, 1 National Runner Up, 1 Elite Eight, 3 Sweet Sixteens, 2 second round appearences, and 1 first round elimination.  They also have the 1970 NIT Championship. 

UNC has 1 National Runner Up, 1 Final Four, 1 Sweet Sixten, and 3 first round eliminations.  They didn't even make the NCAA Tournament in 4 of those years, and while they won the 1971 NIT, they also had two first round NIT eliminations.

How any one could view them objectively and think UNC was more successful that decade, I don't know. 

[ChuckyChip]

UNC has 1 National Runner Up, 1 Final Four, 1 Sweet Sixten, and 3 first round eliminations.  They didn't even make the NCAA Tournament in 4 of those years, and while they won the 1971 NIT, they also had two first round NIT eliminations.

How any one could view them objectively and think UNC was more successful that decade, I don't know.  

You have to remember that up until 1975, only one team from each conference was selected for the NCAA Tournament.  The four years UNC failed to make the tournament they finished second in the ACC.  In 1971, 1973, and 1974 they were ranked in the top 15 but had to settle for the NIT.  Things were a little different back then, which is why you had so many independents (like MU).

[HoopsMalone]

perfect. couldn't argue with that list but not sure why Illinois is higher than Duke....

Right?  Has Illinois ever even won a national championship?

[🏀]

Right?  Has Illinois ever even won a national championship?

Nope.

[Brewtown Andy]

perfect. couldn't argue with that list but not sure why Illinois is higher than Duke....

What about the number of Big Ten schools in front of Michigan State?

[GGGG]

What about the number of Big Ten schools in front of Michigan State?

Outside of the Magic Johnson era, Michigan State didn't do much pre-Izzo.

Illinois was a big power in the 40s and 50s.  But they have been fairly consistently good in the 20 years too.

[bma725]

You have to remember that up until 1975, only one team from each conference was selected for the NCAA Tournament.  The four years UNC failed to make the tournament they finished second in the ACC.  In 1971, 1973, and 1974 they were ranked in the top 15 but had to settle for the NIT.  Things were a little different back then, which is why you had so many independents (like MU).

I don't disagree with what you are saying, but even when you factor that in, they still didn't have nearly the success in that decade that MU had. 

[lurch91]

I'm really surprised taht ND is so far ahead of us.  I know our bad 80's teams work against us, but ND has had 1 Final Four in the past 30 years - and just spent the last 10 years getting the ^&)%$ kicked out of them in the Big East.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm getting ready for the game tonight...cold up here.  Saw this data this morning and it tells me that we've been inconsistent as hell.  Top 3 in one decade and number 32 this decade, other than that we couldn't crack the top 40 in ANY other decade.  Ouch.

Number 24 is a great ranking considering.  Just shows you how lost the 1980's and 1990's were....complete meltdown decades.

[Nukem2]

I'm getting ready for the game tonight...cold up here.  Saw this data this morning and it tells me that we've been inconsistent as hell.  Top 3 in one decade and number 32 this decade, other than that we couldn't crack the top 40 in ANY other decade.  Ouch.

Number 24 is a great ranking considering.  Just shows you how lost the 1980's and 1990's were....complete meltdown decades.

Actually the down time was late 80s through the early 90s.  Otherwise, not that poor.

[lurch91]

Marquette went a long way in a short period of time in the early 90's, but the momentum was lost after shortly after the Sweet Sixteen appearance.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Well, the 1980's we had only 3 NCAA appearances and one NCAA win.  Two years not even a NIT appearance.

I look at it this way, from 1980 until 1999 we had 7 NCAA appearances (35 percent) and 4 NCAA wins in 20 years.  One Sweet 16 appearance.

Consistency has been a huge problem until this decade (and even this decade has been a bit up and down....66.66 percent NCAA so far this decade)

[Golden Avalanche]

I'm getting ready for the game tonight...cold up here.  Saw this data this morning and it tells me that we've been inconsistent as hell.  Top 3 in one decade and number 32 this decade, other than that we couldn't crack the top 40 in ANY other decade.  Ouch.

Number 24 is a great ranking considering.  Just shows you how lost the 1980's and 1990's were....complete meltdown decades.

Just think how Badgers fans feel. They had four or five of those complete meltdown decades. 

[Sheriff]

Right?  Has Illinois ever even won a national championship?

The Loyola Ramblers are the only team from Illinois to have ever won the DI NCAA  Basketball national title.