Ranking the top 25 NCAA men's basketball teams of all time

(updated through the end of calendar year 2016)

Let's look at some categories, and then add the rankings together.

Championships (weighted 2x)

1) UCLA (11) - 50 points
2) Kentucky (8) - 48 points
3) North Carolina (5) - 46 points
3) Indiana (5) - 46 points
3) Duke (5) - 46 points
6) UConn (4) - 40 points
7) Louisville (3) - 38 points
7) Kansas (3) - 38 points 
9) Florida (2) - 34 points
9) Michigan State (2) - 34 points
9) NC State (2) - 34 points
9) Cincinnati (2) - 34 points
9) Oklahoma State (2) - 34 points
9) San Francisco (2) - 34 points
9) Villanova (2) - 34 points
16) Syracuse (1) - 20 points
16) Utah (1) - 20 points
16) Arizona (1) - 20 points
16) Georgetown (1) - 20 points
16) Ohio State (1) - 20 points
16) Marquette (1) - 20 points
16) Oregon (1) - 20 points
16) Wisconsin (1) - 20 points
16) Stanford (1) - 20 points
16) Wyoming (1) - 20 points
16) Holy Cross (1) - 20 points
16) CCNY (1) - 20 points
16) La Salle (1)  - 20 points
16) California (1) - 20 points
16) Loyola Ill. (1) - 20 points
16) UTEP (1) - 20 points
16) Maryland (1) - 20 points
16) Michigan (1)  - 20 points
16) Arkansas (1) - 20 points
16) UNLV (1) - 20 points

Total Wins

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) Kansas - 24 points
3) North Carolina - 23 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) Temple - 21 points
6) Syracuse - 20 points
7) Notre Dame - 19 points
8) UCLA - 18 points
9) St. John's - 17 points
10) Indiana - 16 points
11) Louisville - 15 points
12) BYU - 14 points
13) Utah - 13 points
14) Illinois - 12 points
15) Texas - 11 points
16) Arizona - 10 points
17) Washington - 9 points
18) Pennsylvania - 8 points
19) Western Kentucky - 7 points
20) Cincinnati - 6 points
21) Purdue - 5 points 
22) Oregon State - 4 points
23) West Virginia - 3 points
24) Princeton - 2 points 
25) Villanova - 1 point

Winning percentage

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Kansas - 23 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) UCLA - 21 points
6) Syracuse - 20 points
7) Louisville - 19 points
8) Western Kentucky - 18 points
9) Arizona - 17 points
10) Notre Dame - 16 points
11) St. John's  - 15 points
12) Illinois - 14 points
13) Villanova - 13 points
14) Utah - 12 points
15) UConn - 11 points
16) Murray State - 10 points
17) Temple - 9 points
18) Indiana - 8 points
19) Arkansas - 7 points
20) Cincinnati - 6 points
21) Missouri State - 5 points
22) Purdue - 4 points
23) Texas - 3 points
24) BYU - 2 points
25) NC State - 1 point

Tournament Appearances

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Kansas - 23 points
3) UCLA - 23 points
5) Louisville - 21 points
6) Duke - 20 points
7) Indiana - 19 points
8) Villanova - 18 points
8) Notre Dame - 18 points
10) Syracuse - 16 points
11) Texas - 15 points
12) UConn - 14 points
12) Temple - 14 points
14) Arizona - 12 points
14) Marquette - 12 points
16) Michigan State - 10 points
16) Arkansas - 10 points
16) Georgetown - 10 points
16) Cincinnati - 10 points
16) Illinois - 10 points
16) Oklahoma - 10 points
22) Utah - 4 points
22) BYU - 4 points
24) St. John's - 2 points
24) Kansas State - 2 points

Final Fours

1) UNC - 25 points
2) Kentucky - 24 points
2) UCLA - 24 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) Kansas - 21 points
6) Louisville - 20 points
6) Ohio State - 20 points
8) Michigan State - 18 points
9) Indiana - 17 points
10) Cincinnati - 16 points
10) Oklahoma State - 16 points
10) Arkansas - 16 points
10) Syracuse - 16 points
14) Connecticut - 12 points
14) Georgetown - 12 points
14) Florida - 12 points
14) Houston - 12 points
14) Illinois - 12 points
14) Michigan - 12 points
14) Oklahoma - 12 points
21) Arizona - 5 points
21) Kansas State - 5 points
21) LSU - 5 points
21) UNLV - 5 points
21) Utah - 5 points
21) Villanova - 5 points
21) Wisconsin - 5 points

Tournament Wins

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Duke - 23 points
4) UCLA - 22 points
5) Kansas - 21 points
6) Louisville - 20 points
7) Indiana - 19 points
8) Syracuse - 18 points
9) Michigan State - 17 points
10) Connecticut - 16 points
11) Villanova - 15 points
12) Ohio State - 14 points
13) Arizona - 13 points
14) Michigan - 12 points
15) Georgetown - 11 points
16) Cincinnati - 10 points
17) Florida - 9 points
18) Arkansas - 8 points
18) Marquette - 8 points
18) Maryland - 8 points
18) Oklahoma - 8 points
22) Illinois - 4 points
23) Oklahoma State - 3 points
24) Utah - 3 points
25) NC State - 2 points
25) Notre Dame - 2 points

Tournament Win Percentage (min. 25 games)

1) Duke - 25 points
2) North Carolina - 24 points
3) UCLA - 23 points
4) Michigan - 22 points
5) Florida - 21 points
6) Kentucky - 20 points
7) Kansas - 19 points
8) Michigan State - 18 points
9) UConn - 17 points
10) Indiana - 16 points
11) Ohio State - 15 points
12) Louisville - 14 points
13) UNLV - 13 points
14) Wisconsin - 12 points
15) Syracuse - 11 points
16) Arizona - 10 points
17) Maryland - 9 points
18) Georgetown - 8 points
19) Villanova - 7 points
20) Memphis - 6 points
21) Cincinnati - 5 points
22) Butler - 4 points
23) San Francisco - 3 points
24) Seton Hall - 2 points
25) Oklahoma State - 1 point
25) Oregon - 1 point

Composite rankings (adding points for all lists)

1) Kentucky - 192
2) UNC - 190
3) UCLA - 181
4) Duke - 180
5) Kansas - 169
6) Louisville - 147
7) Indiana - 141
8) Syracuse - 121
9) UConn - 110
10) Michigan State - 97
11) Villanova - 93
12) Arizona - 87
12) Cincinnati - 87
14) Florida - 76
15) Ohio State - 69
16) Michigan - 66
17) Georgetown - 61
17) Arkansas - 61
19) Utah - 57
20) Notre Dame - 55
21) Oklahoma State - 54
22) Illinois - 52
23) Temple - 44
24) Marquette - 40
25) UNLV - 38

Kentucky basketball vs. Vanderbilt in 20 different arenas

(updated through 2016-17 regular season) 

Here are Kentucky's results in the 20 different arenas where they've met the Commodores, against whom they hold a 143-47 advantage all-time.


Home (80-14 overall - 85.1%)
Rupp Arena: 37-2 (had a perfect 28-0 record against them at Rupp, but then lost in 2006 and 2007)
Memorial Coliseum: 20-5
Alumni Gym: 17-2
Buell Armory: 5-2
Woodland Auditorium: 1-3


Road (56-28 overall - 67%)
Memorial Gymnasium: 38-25
Hippodrome: 12-3 (games from 1922-1946)
McQuiddy Gymnasium: 3-0 (1950-52)
East High School Gym: 1-0 (1949)
Father Ryan High School Gym: 1-0 (1947)
Navy Classification Center: 1-0 (1948)


Neutral sites (7-5 overall, 4-5 in SEC Tournament)
Alumni Memorial Gym, Knoxville: 1-0 (SEC Tournament)
Paducah Tilghman Gym, Paducah: 1-0
UT Armory Fieldhouse, Knoxville: 1-0 (SEC playoff)
Superdome, New Orleans: 1-0 (SEC Tournament)
Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati: 1-0
Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center: 1-1 (SEC Tournament)
Jefferson County Armory, Louisville: 1-1 (SEC Tournament)
Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville: 0-1 (SEC Tournament)
New Orleans Arena: 0-1 (SEC Tournament)
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville: 0-1 (SEC Tournament)

By type of game
SEC home games: 71-7
SEC road games: 53-27
SEC regular season record: 124-34

Pre-SEC home games (before 1932-33): 9-7
Pre-SEC road games (before 1932-33): 3-1
Pre-SEC regular season record: 12-8

SEC neutral site games: 2-0
SEC playoffs: 1-0

SEC tournament: 4-5

12 Coaching Matchups in UK/UofL Rivalry History

(updated through 2016)

UK and UofL are both storied programs (though of course, the former more than the latter).  They both have had success under multiple head coaches.


The biggest names are as follows...


For UK:
Adolph Rupp (6 Final Fours, 4 NCAA titles)
Joe B. Hall (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)
Rick Pitino (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)
Tubby Smith (1 Final Four, 1 NCAA title)
John Calipari (4 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)


For UofL:
Bernard "Peck" Hickman (1 Final Four)
Denny Crum (6 Final Fours, 2 NCAA titles)
Rick Pitino (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)


There have been twelve different coaching matchups in the rivalry's history.  Here's the rundown....


UK's John Tigert vs. UofL's Von Wolther: 1-0 (1913)


UK's Alpha Brumage vs. player-coached UofL squad: 3-1 (1914, 1915)


UK's James Park vs. UofL's Ed Bowman: 1-1 (1916)


UK's George Buchheit vs. UofL's John O'Rourke: 2-0 (1922)


UK's Adolph Rupp vs. UofL's Peck Hickman: 2-1 (1948, 1951, 1959)


UK's Joe B. Hall vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 2-2 (1983, 1984)


UK's Eddie Sutton vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 3-1 (1985-1988)


UK's Rick Pitino vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 6-2 (1989-1996)


UK's Tubby Smith vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 2-2 (1997-2001)


UK's Tubby Smith vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 4-2 (2001-2006)


UK's Billy Gillispie vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 0-2 (2008, 2009)


UK's John Calipari vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 8-2 (2010-2016)


As you can see, only one matchup in the history of the rivalry (Gillispie vs. Pitino) went in favor of the Cardinals.



Overall records for coaches with multiple matchups in the rivalry

Rick Pitino: 12-14 (6-2 for UK, 6-12 for UofL)

Denny Crum: 7-13 (all with UofL)


Tubby Smith: 6-2 (all with UK)


Among other websites consulted, one of my main sources for this and many other posts is the peerless UK resource (and probably the best site of its kind for any sports team) known as "The Kentucky Basketball Statistics Project" operated by Jon Scott.  Available at http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/statistics.html