Move over NBA, the most successful college basketball teams provide the same competition with a lot more hunger from the players. College basketball is governed by the NCAA division of Basketball Tournament and it has been branded the name NCAA March Madness. This is usually a single-elimination tournament that is played in the US during spring.
Many people are obsessed with the tournament and follow the statistics of the 68 teams involved in the tournament until a winner is crowned. The greatest thing about college basketball is that it has a rich sense of tradition and history. It was actually established in 1939 by basketball coaches and was the brainchild of Ohio State coach – Harold Olsen. It has become one of the most famous sporting events in the US.
This is the tournament that gave birth to some of the best basketball teams of all time, and the best players in the NBA. It is here that talent is discovered, and cultivated. In this review, we take a look at some of the most successful college basketball teams that have given birth to some of the most talented players we have today.
Kentucky Wildcats
Accomplishments
Total Wins – 2,092 and counting
NCAA Championships – 11
NCAA appearances – 59
Final four appearances – 17
To say that this is by far, the best and most successful college basketball team is an understatement. The Wildcats have the most wins of all time, and their 2,092 victories in basketball are more than any other school. Their winning percentage is also one of the best so far in the whole country, of 0.763%. This team has been dominating the game and has been extremely successful throughout the years.
UCLA Bruins
Accomplishments
All-Time Wins: 1,731
All-Time Win Percentage: 0.691%
NCAA Championships: 11
Final Four Appearances: 18
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 44
Conference Regular Season Titles: 30
This team can certainly boast of all its accomplishments, they are the all-time leader in NCAA appearances, and have already won 11 National titles. They also have three more championships than Kentucky, seven more than Duke, eight more than Connecticut and Kansas and seven more than Duke. They are however tied with North Carolina with 18 appearances in the final four. They truly are one of the best basketball teams of all time.
North Carolina Tar Heels
School Accomplishments
All-Time Wins: 2,065
All-Time Win Percentage: 0.738%
NCAA Championships: 7
Final Four Appearances: 20
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 50
Conference Regular Season Titles: 36
This team also has one of the highest Tournament appearances of all teams, and this is an excellent thing, also being in the final four consistently over the years, proves that this is a team to be reckoned with and to be respected. In terms of wins, they are in our third-place position behind the above two teams, they are however second in history in terms of winning percentage and they do top UCLA in that.
Duke Blue Devils
School Accomplishments
All-Time Wins: 1,971
All-Time Win Percentage: 0.755%
NCAA Championships: 5
Final Four Appearances: 16
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 36
Conference Regular Season Titles: 22
The reason why this team is in our team is purely because of their amazing coach Jim Calhoun who accomplished plenty during his tenure. Without him, they would probably be nowhere on our list. The greatest years of this team were between 1988 – 1922 where they won in their five consecutive appearances in the final four.
The school also boasts of an incredible conference record where they played in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, and they have had an on-going rivalry with the North Carolina team, which makes for some fun and memorable times.
Duke has also won 24 ACC tournament titles which are very good for them, plus their many appearances in the NCAA tournaments rank them very high in our list. Although they lack the more consistent and excellent results of the Kentucky team, they still have an excellent history in the game of Basketball.
Kansas Jayhawks
School Accomplishments
All-Time Wins: 2,274
All-Time Win Percentage: 0.725%
NCAA Championships: 3
Final Four Appearances: 15
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 48
Conference Regular Season Titles: 55
This is perhaps one of the hardest teams to rank. This is because very few teams can match their history, longevity, and tradition in the tournament. They hold the second place in all-time wins and counting. They trail Kentucky by 22 victories and hold a small minor lead to the North Carolina and Duke teams. They have an impressive winning percentage and have more conference regulars than any other team. They only lack the championship pedigree to back up their success.
The Most Succesful College Basketball Teams Of All TimeConclusion
This is one of the most comprehensive lists of the most successful college basketball teams of all time. We are almost headed to the March Madness season, and you need to pick a team to support. All the best to the fab-five teams, but also don't forget to cheer on the underdogs. Players on those underdog teams are even more hungry for the win, which makes March Madness one of the most exciting tournaments to watch.
