NCAA Basketball: Ranking the top 25 programs of the 2010s

Now that the 2010s are over, let’s look back on the past few years of NCAA basketball. Who were the best programs in the country throughout the decade?

March Madness. Two words that simply bring excitement to any room. Over the past several years, fans have scribbled on brackets, taken off work, and stared unblinkingly at the unthinkable on the television screens. And why? Because NCAA basketball is one of the most exciting sports in the world and there are electrifying moments that occur throughout each season, especially once the Madness hits. Over the course of this past decade, programs around the nation showed their worth as perhaps some of the best of the 2010s.

There were several tremendous teams and outrageous finishes over the course of this past decade. Even though only seven programs were crowned champions, there were plenty of surprises that cropped every year. Mid-majors made magical runs to the Final Four, Kentucky went undefeated until the final weekend of the Big Dance, and championship games were decided in the final seconds on several occasions. To put it simply, this was an incredible decade of college basketball.

Now that the 2010s are complete, though, it is time to take a look back and analyze which programs were truly the most successful. In this article, I will break down my rankings for the top 25 programs of the decade. As one would expect, bluebloods are littered throughout the rankings as some of the top programs in the nation. Many of these schools, though, might not have been even on the radar to reach this list in 2009. Those teams truly shocked (that’s a little hint) the nation with their impressive play on the court.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive headfirst into this look at the best programs of the 2010s.