NCAA Basketball: Ranking the top 25 programs of all time
By Brian Rauf
Best NCAA Basketball programs of all-time: 10. Villanova basketball
Villanova cracks the top 10 on the back of their recent success, which has arguably made them the program of the decade.
With national championships in 2016 and 2018, the Wildcats now have three in their program history, all of which are firmly entrenched in college basketball lore.
The first, which came in 1985, made Villanova the first and only No. 8 seed ever to win a national title thanks to them shooting a record 78.6 percent from the field as a team.
The second came via the only national title-winning buzzer beater in the sport’s history, courtesy of Kris Jenkins.
The third was won in blowout fashion thanks to Donte DiVincenzo’s 31 points, which is the most points scored off the bench in a national title game.
Those championships are huge for Villanova’s place among college basketball’s greatest programs, as only eight schools have won at least three national titles. But the Wildcats have an extensive list of accomplishments that goes even deeper.
The have won nine Big East titles (including four straight from 2014-2017), made the NCAA Tournament 39 times (8th-most ever), and reached the Final Four six times. They also have six wins over No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, which ranks 6th-most all time.