So....What are we ranked on Monday - 1/6/2025?

[MattyWarrior]

Even UCLA has lost its shine, and ask Tommy about its Indiana,it's Indiana! To me there's just five UConn,  Duke, Kentucky,UNC and Kansas

[1SE]

As all bar stool discussions go, there is no absolute right answer. I respect that list. I'll just say that if UCONN isn't a blue blood, then that means the club is closed to any new members.

For me, MSU doesn't even register as even a candidate for blue blood.

Different folks' dimensions of blue blood criteria largely seem to be:

0) What is success (Natty, FF, NCAA appearances, etc.)

1) Total amount of success

2) Recent Success

3) Historic Success (First)

4) Consistency of Success (Multi-era - # of Decades w Success)

If 0 is Natty and a true blue blood has to have all 4, Kentucky is King and UNC is the only other BB.

UK

1) 8
2) 2012
3) 1948
4) 5

UNC

1) 6
2) 2017
3) 1957
4) 5

UCLA obviously most overall, but largely relegated to one era - win one again and they're there. Same with IU - need a recent one.

Duke & UCONN have a good trajectories - but Duke needs Post-K success and UCONN needs one in the 2030s. You certainly can't call Duke a blue blood and not call UCONN one - they're almost identical.

Kansas has the longevity but not the volume - also close.

So Blueblood tiers

1(a) UK
1(b) UNC

2 UCLA(2a), IU, Duke, UCONN, KU

[TallTitan34]

IMO, the only true destination jobs in MCBB are:  Duke, UNC, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA.  That's the list.

I'd put UCLA in the same boat as Indiana. 

[brewcity77]

I'd put UCLA in the same boat as Indiana.

Especially after Mick's comments about the state of their NIL.

Personally, though, I think I would put Kentucky and Kansas above the other two. You can argue history or merits, but when those programs have a vacancy, they simply go out and get the best coach they can get. UNC and Duke go out and get the best coach in their coaching tree. The first two command the national landscape, the latter two have a much narrower focus. So when it comes to elite jobs, I just don't think you can put UNC and Duke on the same tier because they restrict themselves in terms of the best candidates.

[Galway Eagle]

To me there's legacy blue bloods, these schools programs have loads of history and maybe they've lost their shine but when they won it was no less significant than today. That's your usual list. Then there's era blue bloods, Nova under Wright was this category, nobody 2 FF and 2 championships in 12yrs, insane. Arkansas in the 90s, Florida under Donovan etc. A single coach for about a decade shows that this school can win with the best. But these schools don't usually replace the guy and they fall off.

Lastly there's your off shade of blue blood, these schools might not have the national championships but are always in the Final Four or winning conference titles. MSU, Cuse before the ACC, and Zona are prime examples of this.

[TallTitan34]

Cuse before the ACC

[wisblue]

This conversation has strayed from the original point of which teams seem to get preferential treatment from voters in the voted polls to the definition of "blue blood".

In the former category I think there is a lot more recency bias. I don't think the programs that had the height of their success 30-60 years ago get the same treatment from pollsters as the ones who have had a lot of conference titles and deep tournament runs in the last 10-15 years.

Would a team like Pepperdine even be noticed if they were having the exact same season that Gonzaga is having? For one thing, they wouldn't get the same big game TV appearances that teams like Gonzaga gets.

Fox Big Game Saturday wants teams like Michigan State, not Northwestern or Nebraska.

[MU82]

This completely. I fully believe this team can beat anyone anywhere in the country. When we're on, we can compete with anyone else at this level. This team can certainly beat Butler and deliver a reminder to UConn that we are still the champs of this league.

Totally agree. I fully expect to beat Butler - we are the better team, and I am confident we'll play like the better team, especially after having lost to them at Fiserv. And then, barring some crazy rash of injuries or something, I believe our guys will compete big-time against UConn in a great game.

We'll probably get UConn's best, as well as a hostile crowd ... but when our team is on, we're as good as anybody. And I don't think that's looking through blue-and-gold glasses - we've proven it on the court.

[MUfan12]

The perimeter defense is gonna have to be a lot better this week. Both teams are capable of some real heaters from three.

[Elonsmusk]

This completely. I fully believe this team can beat anyone anywhere in the country. When we're on, we can compete with anyone else at this level. This team can certainly beat Butler and deliver a reminder to UConn that we are still the champs of this league.

I agree with this analysis.  Our massive 3-point shooting slump has ended, and even if we don't hit at the torrid 45% we've been shooting these last 5 games, I doubt we will slump back into the 25-30% range.

I don't feel this year's UCONN team is better than last year's, and I think we are trending toward being better than our team last year.

[PGsHeroes32]

Rothstein still has us 8

LOL

[Hards Alumni]

You're adopting a much different definition, and that's fine.

But MSU has been in 6 Final Fours since that championship and has been in the tournament almost every year.

UCLA has gone longer without a title and has been less successful than MSU over the last 25 years.

UCLA has also been to the NC game ('06) and had multiple final fours ('06, '07, '08, '21) since MSU's natty... Plus they have a much more storied history... 11 National Championships.

The definition I'm adopting is the conventional definition of blue blood, not one that has been altered to change the meaning.

Now, if we're going to add a team to that group I would agree UConn should be at the top of the list.

[muwarrior69]

Maybe we should have changed our mascot from Warriors to Blue Bloods; then no one could dispute that Marquette is not a Blue Blood.

[goldeneagle91114]

Up to 4 on ESPN Power Rankings:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39504897/men-college-basketball-power-rankings-questions-kentucky-wisconsin-uconn-purdue-continue-dominate

[cheebs09]

Rothstein still has us 8

LOL

Shaka must not be texting him back.

[Pepe Sylvia]

I'd guess 5, Behind Purdue, Uconn, Houston, Zona. But we shall see.

[Shooter McGavin]

Totally agree. I fully expect to beat Butler - we are the better team, and I am confident we'll play like the better team, especially after having lost to them at Fiserv. And then, barring some crazy rash of injuries or something, I believe our guys will compete big-time against UConn in a great game.

We'll probably get UConn's best, as well as a hostile crowd ... but when our team is on, we're as good as anybody. And I don't think that's looking through blue-and-gold glasses - we've proven it on the court.

Agree with you and Brew on this.

[Herman Cain]

Rothstein still has us 8

LOL

It has been pointed out by several on this site, that our upward gains have come from the bottom outlier pollsters moving their votes up. So in that context Rothstein moving from 11 to 8 helps our vote total. Now we Need JB Ricks to move up meaningfully from 13

[MU82]

Up to 4 on ESPN Power Rankings:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39504897/men-college-basketball-power-rankings-questions-kentucky-wisconsin-uconn-purdue-continue-dominate

From the article:

The Eagles' last loss came against Butler more than a month ago, when star guard Tyler Kolek had two points on 1-for-13 shooting. Since that loss, Kolek is averaging 19.7 points and 10.0 assists, shooting 47.4% from 3-point range.

All-American doing All-American things.

[Goose]

82

Pretty good run for TK. Another 16-17 games like that and we will all remember him fondly!!

[MU82]

82

Pretty good run for TK. Another 16-17 games like that and we will all remember him fondly!!

Yessir ... he's got a chance to be an OK player.

[lawdog77]

Yessir ... he's got a chance to be an OK player.

Transferring to Moserville?

[BrewCity83]

Another 16-17 games like that and we'll be seeing his #11 hanging from the rafters at the Fiserv.

[MarquetteMike1977]

Marquette is #4 in the USA Coaches Poll Today

[MarquetteMike1977]

Marquette is # 4 AP Poll  Today