Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Ranking the top 25 programs of all time

By Brian Rauf

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils grabs a rebound against the kentucky Wildcats during the State Farm Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils grabs a rebound against the kentucky Wildcats during the State Farm Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
20 of 26
Next
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 16: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans meets with head coach Tom Izzo in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers during the semifinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 16, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 16: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans meets with head coach Tom Izzo in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers during the semifinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 16, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Best NCAA Basketball programs of all-time: 7. Michigan State basketball

Now we start getting to the blue bloods!

Michigan State is the only program in the top 10 that does not have at least three national championships (they have two – 1979 and 100), but the Spartans make up for that in other areas.

They have played in 10 Final Fours, have 20 Sweet 16 appearances and 14 Elite Eight appearances, all of which rank in the top nine in college basketball history. They also rank 9th with an all-time NCAA Tournament win percentage of .683.

Most of those accomplishments have come since head coach Tom Izzo took over the program in 1995. Since 1998, the Spartans have appeared in eight Final Fours and won nine Big Ten regular-season titles along with six Big Ten Tournaments, which is the most conference tournament titles in Big Ten history.

Michigan State’s dominance in the Big Ten goes further back than Izzo, though. They have 15 conference regular-season titles in all and have a winning record against 10 of the conference’s 13 other teams.

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment in program history is that 1979 national championship, which remains the most-watched college basketball game of all time (35.11 million viewers) and is largely credited with generating significant nationwide interest in the NCAA Tournament. Magic Johnson and Michigan State beat Larry Bird and Indiana State, 75-64.

Home/NCAA Basketball News