(updated at the end of January 2017)
The top six programs in college basketball history are almost universally recognized among historians as: Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, Duke and Indiana. The first tier is clearly UK, UNC and UCLA, with the other three lagging a bit behind.
Here is a look at their head-to-head results, listed by winning percentage:
1) UNC .558 (177-140)
2) UK .553 (88-71)
3) IU .481 (51-55)
4) DUKE .466 (139-159)
5) UCLA .449 (31-38)
6) KU .361 (30-53)
The breakdown...
UK is:
32-25 against IU
22-8 against KU
15-23 against UNC
12-9 against Duke
7-6 against UCLA
UNC is:
134-108 against Duke
23-15 against UK
8-3 against UCLA
6-5 against KU
6-9 against IU
IU is:
25-32 against UK
9-6 against UNC
8-6 against Kansas
6-6 against UCLA
3-5 against Duke
Duke is:
108-134 against UNC
10-6 against UCLA
9-12 against UK
7-4 against KU
5-3 against IU
UCLA is:
10-7 against KU
6-6 against IU
6-10 against Duke
6-7 against UK
3-8 against UNC
KU is:
8-22 against UK
7-10 against UCLA
6-8 against IU
5-6 against UNC
4-7 against Duke
Notes:
- UNC has a winning record against everyone except IU (6-9)
- UK has a winning record against everyone except UNC (15-23)
- Obviously the most matchups in any series is UNC/Duke (242 games)
- Kansas has a losing record against every other blue blood
- UCLA's only winning record is against Kansas (10-7)
- UofL (probably the 7th best team all-time - although they rated above IU in my most recent analysis) has losing records against all the top six teams shown here. As of the end of January 2017, the Cardinals were 6-7 against Duke, 16-34 against UK, 8-10 against IU, 5-11 against UNC, 5-6 against Kansas, and 7-15 against UCLA. Total record = 47-83 (.362)
Showing posts with label unc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unc. Show all posts
Friday, January 27, 2017
Monday, January 23, 2017
Kentucky basketball's history in the AP Poll
As all UK fans know, the Wildcats dominate in virtually every way (other than total titles...a distinction belonging to UCLA only because of one Sam Gilbert...but that's none of my business).
Let's check out some AP poll statistics, shall we? This poll didn't begin until 1949, so it eliminates a few of UK's best seasons (1945-48).
Most weeks at #1:
1) UCLA - 134
2) DUKE - 129
3) KENTUCKY - 124
4) NORTH CAROLINA - 110
5) KANSAS - 63
6) INDIANA - 54
7) CINCINNATI - 45
8) ARIZONA - 37
8) OHIO STATE - 37
10) UNLV - 32
Most weeks in top 5:
1) KENTUCKY - 453
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 426
3) DUKE - 381
4) KANSAS - 333
5) UCLA - 308
6) INDIANA - 179
7) ARIZONA - 143
8) OHIO STATE - 142
9) CINCINNATI - 126
10) LOUISVILLE - 125
Most weeks in top 10:
1) KENTUCKY - 674
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 654
3) DUKE - 636
4) KANSAS - 520
5) UCLA - 455
6) ARIZONA - 288
7) INDIANA - 282
8) LOUISVILLE - 281
9) SYRACUSE - 255
10) OHIO STATE - 225
10) ILLINOIS - 225
Most appearances in the AP Poll:
1) NORTH CAROLINA - 871
2) KENTUCKY - 856
3) DUKE - 767
4) KANSAS - 720
5) UCLA - 682
6) LOUISVILLE - 616
7) INDIANA - 554
8) SYRACUSE - 547
9) ARIZONA - 513
10) ILLINOIS - 445
If you weight each of these evenly...
1) KENTUCKY - 37 points
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 35 points
3) DUKE - 33 points
4) UCLA - 28 points
5) KANSAS - 27 points
6) INDIANA - 18 points
7) ARIZONA - 14 points
8) LOUISVILLE - 9 points
9) OHIO STATE - 7 points
10) CINCINNATI - 6 points
Let's check out some AP poll statistics, shall we? This poll didn't begin until 1949, so it eliminates a few of UK's best seasons (1945-48).
Most weeks at #1:
1) UCLA - 134
2) DUKE - 129
3) KENTUCKY - 124
4) NORTH CAROLINA - 110
5) KANSAS - 63
6) INDIANA - 54
7) CINCINNATI - 45
8) ARIZONA - 37
8) OHIO STATE - 37
10) UNLV - 32
Most weeks in top 5:
1) KENTUCKY - 453
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 426
3) DUKE - 381
4) KANSAS - 333
5) UCLA - 308
6) INDIANA - 179
7) ARIZONA - 143
8) OHIO STATE - 142
9) CINCINNATI - 126
10) LOUISVILLE - 125
Most weeks in top 10:
1) KENTUCKY - 674
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 654
3) DUKE - 636
4) KANSAS - 520
5) UCLA - 455
6) ARIZONA - 288
7) INDIANA - 282
8) LOUISVILLE - 281
9) SYRACUSE - 255
10) OHIO STATE - 225
10) ILLINOIS - 225
Most appearances in the AP Poll:
1) NORTH CAROLINA - 871
2) KENTUCKY - 856
3) DUKE - 767
4) KANSAS - 720
5) UCLA - 682
6) LOUISVILLE - 616
7) INDIANA - 554
8) SYRACUSE - 547
9) ARIZONA - 513
10) ILLINOIS - 445
If you weight each of these evenly...
1) KENTUCKY - 37 points
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 35 points
3) DUKE - 33 points
4) UCLA - 28 points
5) KANSAS - 27 points
6) INDIANA - 18 points
7) ARIZONA - 14 points
8) LOUISVILLE - 9 points
9) OHIO STATE - 7 points
10) CINCINNATI - 6 points
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Kentucky's Worst NCAA Tournament Enemies
(updated through the 2016 tournament)
UK has had enormous success in the NCAA Tournament - 55 appearances, 36 Elite Eights, 17 Final Fours, 12 title games, and 8 championships.
Their overall record is 121-49. That's the most wins in the history of the tournament. Note that 2 wins (over Southern and Maryland) and 1 loss (to Villanova) in 1988 were voided by the NCAA.
But they have had trouble with certain opponents, and a number of these probably popped into your head before you even clicked this link. The following five teams combine to account for 19 of our 49 losses.
1) CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
UK's overall record against them: 1-4 (they never played each other until 2006)
UK's tournament record against them: 0-3
Tournament wins: none
Tournament losses: 2006 Round of 32, 2011 Final Four, 2014 championship game
Most significant loss: 2014 title game. But both of their recent titles basically came at our expense.
2) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
UK's overall record against them: 11-8
UK's tournament record against them: 1-5
Wins: 2011 Sweet 16 (a memorable upset on Brandon Knight's jumper)
Losses: 1945 Elite 8, 1961 Elite 8, 1962 Elite 8, 1968 Elite 8, 1987 First Round
Most significant loss: Probably 1962, because that was the best team of the bunch, ranked #3 nationally at the time. Ohio State won the national title in 1960 and was runner-up in 1961 and 1962, so losing to them certainly was no embarrassment.
3) MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
UK's overall record against them: 7-7
UK's tournament record against them: 4-6 (more NCAA defeats than any other opponent)
Wins: 1959 consolation, 1968 Sweet 16, 1972 Sweet 16, 1975 First Round
Losses: 1955 Sweet 16, 1969 Sweet 16, 1971 consolation, 1994 Round of 32, 2003 Elite 8
Most significant loss: 2003 Elite 8. Dwyane Wade helped end UK's 26 game winning streak and magical season.
4) MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
UK's overall record against them: 13-11
UK's tournament record against them: 1-3 (every game was a regional final)
Wins: 1978 Elite 8
Losses: 1957 Elite 8, 1999 Elite 8, 2005 Elite 8
Most significant loss: The double-overtime thriller in 2005. Patrick Sparks' heroics at the end of regulation went for naught. The most lasting memory is their failure to get a shot off at the end of the first overtime.
5) NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
UK's overall record against them: 15-23 (our worst mark against any of the "blue bloods")
UK's tournament record against them: 1-2 (every game was a regional final)
Wins: 2011 Elite 8. Our 2011 team got some vengeance against two teams on this list.
Losses: 1977 Elite 8, 1995 Elite 8.
Most significant loss: Impossible to choose. The 1977 and 1995 teams were incredibly similar - the year before a championship, with lots of talent and a high ranking but not quite ready to seal the deal. Really should've beaten UNC both times, but both UNC teams had quite a bit of talent as well.
Just for the heck of it, here are UK's records against other teams they've met multiple times.
6-0 vs. Utah
4-0 vs. Miami (Ohio)
4-0 vs. Illinois
4-2 vs. Louisville
3-0 vs. Notre Dame
3-0 vs. Wake Forest
3-1 vs. Florida State
3-2 vs. Indiana
3-2 vs. Duke
2-0 vs. Cincinnati
2-0 vs. Kansas State
2-0 vs. UMass
2-0 vs. Baylor
2-0 vs. Iowa State
2-0 vs. Kansas State
2-0 vs. Penn State
2-1 vs. Wisconsin
2-1 vs. Kansas
2-1 vs. West Virginia
2-1 vs. Western Kentucky
2-1 vs. Michigan
2-1 vs. Iowa
2-1 vs. Syracuse
2-1 (2-0) vs. Villanova (the loss, in 1988, was vacated)
1-1 vs. UCLA
1-1 vs. Ohio
1-1 (0-1) vs. Maryland (the win, in 1988, was vacated)
1-2 vs. UAB
And some memorable teams they've faced only once:
1-0 vs. UNLV
1-0 vs. Arkansas
1-0 vs. Alabama
1-0 vs. Wichita State
0-1 vs. UTEP
0-1 vs. LSU (our only loss against an SEC school in the tournament)
0-1 vs. Arizona
UK has had enormous success in the NCAA Tournament - 55 appearances, 36 Elite Eights, 17 Final Fours, 12 title games, and 8 championships.
Their overall record is 121-49. That's the most wins in the history of the tournament. Note that 2 wins (over Southern and Maryland) and 1 loss (to Villanova) in 1988 were voided by the NCAA.
But they have had trouble with certain opponents, and a number of these probably popped into your head before you even clicked this link. The following five teams combine to account for 19 of our 49 losses.
1) CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
UK's overall record against them: 1-4 (they never played each other until 2006)
UK's tournament record against them: 0-3
Tournament wins: none
Tournament losses: 2006 Round of 32, 2011 Final Four, 2014 championship game
Most significant loss: 2014 title game. But both of their recent titles basically came at our expense.
2) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
UK's overall record against them: 11-8
UK's tournament record against them: 1-5
Wins: 2011 Sweet 16 (a memorable upset on Brandon Knight's jumper)
Losses: 1945 Elite 8, 1961 Elite 8, 1962 Elite 8, 1968 Elite 8, 1987 First Round
Most significant loss: Probably 1962, because that was the best team of the bunch, ranked #3 nationally at the time. Ohio State won the national title in 1960 and was runner-up in 1961 and 1962, so losing to them certainly was no embarrassment.
3) MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
UK's overall record against them: 7-7
UK's tournament record against them: 4-6 (more NCAA defeats than any other opponent)
Wins: 1959 consolation, 1968 Sweet 16, 1972 Sweet 16, 1975 First Round
Losses: 1955 Sweet 16, 1969 Sweet 16, 1971 consolation, 1994 Round of 32, 2003 Elite 8
Most significant loss: 2003 Elite 8. Dwyane Wade helped end UK's 26 game winning streak and magical season.
4) MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
UK's overall record against them: 13-11
UK's tournament record against them: 1-3 (every game was a regional final)
Wins: 1978 Elite 8
Losses: 1957 Elite 8, 1999 Elite 8, 2005 Elite 8
Most significant loss: The double-overtime thriller in 2005. Patrick Sparks' heroics at the end of regulation went for naught. The most lasting memory is their failure to get a shot off at the end of the first overtime.
5) NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
UK's overall record against them: 15-23 (our worst mark against any of the "blue bloods")
UK's tournament record against them: 1-2 (every game was a regional final)
Wins: 2011 Elite 8. Our 2011 team got some vengeance against two teams on this list.
Losses: 1977 Elite 8, 1995 Elite 8.
Most significant loss: Impossible to choose. The 1977 and 1995 teams were incredibly similar - the year before a championship, with lots of talent and a high ranking but not quite ready to seal the deal. Really should've beaten UNC both times, but both UNC teams had quite a bit of talent as well.
Just for the heck of it, here are UK's records against other teams they've met multiple times.
6-0 vs. Utah
4-0 vs. Miami (Ohio)
4-0 vs. Illinois
4-2 vs. Louisville
3-0 vs. Notre Dame
3-0 vs. Wake Forest
3-1 vs. Florida State
3-2 vs. Indiana
3-2 vs. Duke
2-0 vs. Cincinnati
2-0 vs. Kansas State
2-0 vs. UMass
2-0 vs. Baylor
2-0 vs. Iowa State
2-0 vs. Kansas State
2-0 vs. Penn State
2-1 vs. Wisconsin
2-1 vs. Kansas
2-1 vs. West Virginia
2-1 vs. Western Kentucky
2-1 vs. Michigan
2-1 vs. Iowa
2-1 vs. Syracuse
2-1 (2-0) vs. Villanova (the loss, in 1988, was vacated)
1-1 vs. UCLA
1-1 vs. Ohio
1-1 (0-1) vs. Maryland (the win, in 1988, was vacated)
1-2 vs. UAB
And some memorable teams they've faced only once:
1-0 vs. UNLV
1-0 vs. Arkansas
1-0 vs. Alabama
1-0 vs. Wichita State
0-1 vs. UTEP
0-1 vs. LSU (our only loss against an SEC school in the tournament)
0-1 vs. Arizona
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Head-to-head records of college basketball "blue bloods"
(updated at the end of calendar year 2016)
The top six programs in college basketball history are almost universally recognized among historians as: Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, Duke and Indiana. The first tier is clearly UK, UNC and UCLA, with the other three lagging a bit behind.
Here is a look at their head-to-head results, listed by winning percentage:
1) UNC .558 (177-140)
2) UK .557 (88-70)
3) IU .481 (51-55)
4) Duke .466 (139-159)
5) UCLA .449 (31-38)
6) KU .354 (29-53)
The breakdown...
UK is:
32-25 against IU
22-7 against KU
15-23 against UNC
12-9 against Duke
7-6 against UCLA
UNC is:
134-108 against Duke
23-15 against UK
8-3 against UCLA
6-5 against KU
6-9 against IU
IU is:
25-32 against UK
9-6 against UNC
8-6 against Kansas
6-6 against UCLA
3-5 against Duke
Duke is:
108-134 against UNC
10-6 against UCLA
9-12 against UK
7-4 against KU
5-3 against IU
UCLA is:
10-7 against KU
6-6 against IU
6-10 against Duke
6-7 against UK
3-8 against UNC
KU is:
6-8 against IU
7-10 against UCLA
7-22 against UK
5-6 against UNC
4-7 against Duke
Notes:
- UNC has a winning record against everyone except IU (6-9)
- UK has a winning record against everyone except UNC (15-23)
- Obviously the most matchups in any series is UNC/Duke (242 games)
- Kansas has a losing record against every other blue blood
- UCLA's only winning record is against Kansas (10-7)
- UofL (probably the 7th best team all-time - although they rated above IU in my most recent analysis) has losing records against all the top six teams shown here. As of the end of calendar year 2016, the Cardinals are 5-7 against Duke, 16-34 against UK, 8-10 against IU, 5-11 against UNC, 5-6 against Kansas, and 7-15 against UCLA.
The top six programs in college basketball history are almost universally recognized among historians as: Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, Duke and Indiana. The first tier is clearly UK, UNC and UCLA, with the other three lagging a bit behind.
Here is a look at their head-to-head results, listed by winning percentage:
1) UNC .558 (177-140)
2) UK .557 (88-70)
3) IU .481 (51-55)
4) Duke .466 (139-159)
5) UCLA .449 (31-38)
6) KU .354 (29-53)
The breakdown...
UK is:
32-25 against IU
22-7 against KU
15-23 against UNC
12-9 against Duke
7-6 against UCLA
UNC is:
134-108 against Duke
23-15 against UK
8-3 against UCLA
6-5 against KU
6-9 against IU
IU is:
25-32 against UK
9-6 against UNC
8-6 against Kansas
6-6 against UCLA
3-5 against Duke
Duke is:
108-134 against UNC
10-6 against UCLA
9-12 against UK
7-4 against KU
5-3 against IU
UCLA is:
10-7 against KU
6-6 against IU
6-10 against Duke
6-7 against UK
3-8 against UNC
KU is:
6-8 against IU
7-10 against UCLA
7-22 against UK
5-6 against UNC
4-7 against Duke
Notes:
- UNC has a winning record against everyone except IU (6-9)
- UK has a winning record against everyone except UNC (15-23)
- Obviously the most matchups in any series is UNC/Duke (242 games)
- Kansas has a losing record against every other blue blood
- UCLA's only winning record is against Kansas (10-7)
- UofL (probably the 7th best team all-time - although they rated above IU in my most recent analysis) has losing records against all the top six teams shown here. As of the end of calendar year 2016, the Cardinals are 5-7 against Duke, 16-34 against UK, 8-10 against IU, 5-11 against UNC, 5-6 against Kansas, and 7-15 against UCLA.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The blue bloods of college basketball
Consulting a variety of sources I was able to compile rankings among NCAA men's basketball teams in the following categories:
All-time wins
NCAA tournament appearances
NCAA tournament wins
NCAA Final Fours
NCAA titles
By averaging the rankings through the end of the 2011-2012 season, you get the following output:
1 - Kentucky - average ranking of 1.6
2 - UNC - 2.2
3 - UCLA - 3.6
4 - KU - 4.2
4 - Duke - 4.4
6 - Indiana - 7.0
7 - Louisville - 8.4
8 - Syracuse - 10.4
9 - UConn - 14.2
10 - Cincinnati - 15.2
11 - Michigan State - 16.8
12 - Arizona - 16.8
13 - Utah - 17
14 - Georgetown - 17.6
15 - Arkansas - 17.8
16 - Villanova - 18.6
17 - Ohio State - 19.2
18 - Oklahoma State - 19.8
19 - Marquette - 22.8
20 - NC State - 24.2
UK has a record of 149-96 against the rest of the top 10.
UK has a record of 227-139 against the rest of the top 20.
The teams UK has beaten up on, among the all-time top 20:
Kansas 21-6
Louisville 30-15
Syracuse 8-3
Cincinnati 27-10
Utah 9-2
Arkansas 25-8
Villanova 6-1
UK also has winning records against UCLA, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and NC State. UK is 7-7 against Marquette.
The only losing records for UK against the teams in the all-time top 20:
UNC 13-22
UConn 1-3
Arizona 2-3
Georgetown 0-2
Teams with top credentials in at least one area but lacking either longevity or tournament success:
Temple (6th in wins)
St. John's (7th in wins)
Notre Dame (9th in wins)
Penn (10th in wins)
Washington (14th in wins)
BYU (15th in wins)
Western Kentucky (16th in wins)
Purdue (17th in wins)
Florida (t-8th in titles)
Texas (t-11th in appearances)
Illinois (t-15th in appearances)
Overall, I think this system does a good job assessing each school's relative merits. Most people (with any historical knowledge of the game) would subjectively name the same top 6 that were produced here. Below the top 6, you see a mixture of teams with upward momentum (Syracuse, UConn, Mich. St., Ohio St.) and downward (Utah, Arkansas, NC State). Most importantly, UK is #1.
All-time wins
NCAA tournament appearances
NCAA tournament wins
NCAA Final Fours
NCAA titles
By averaging the rankings through the end of the 2011-2012 season, you get the following output:
1 - Kentucky - average ranking of 1.6
2 - UNC - 2.2
3 - UCLA - 3.6
4 - KU - 4.2
4 - Duke - 4.4
6 - Indiana - 7.0
7 - Louisville - 8.4
8 - Syracuse - 10.4
9 - UConn - 14.2
10 - Cincinnati - 15.2
11 - Michigan State - 16.8
12 - Arizona - 16.8
13 - Utah - 17
14 - Georgetown - 17.6
15 - Arkansas - 17.8
16 - Villanova - 18.6
17 - Ohio State - 19.2
18 - Oklahoma State - 19.8
19 - Marquette - 22.8
20 - NC State - 24.2
UK has a record of 149-96 against the rest of the top 10.
UK has a record of 227-139 against the rest of the top 20.
The teams UK has beaten up on, among the all-time top 20:
Kansas 21-6
Louisville 30-15
Syracuse 8-3
Cincinnati 27-10
Utah 9-2
Arkansas 25-8
Villanova 6-1
UK also has winning records against UCLA, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and NC State. UK is 7-7 against Marquette.
The only losing records for UK against the teams in the all-time top 20:
UNC 13-22
UConn 1-3
Arizona 2-3
Georgetown 0-2
Teams with top credentials in at least one area but lacking either longevity or tournament success:
Temple (6th in wins)
St. John's (7th in wins)
Notre Dame (9th in wins)
Penn (10th in wins)
Washington (14th in wins)
BYU (15th in wins)
Western Kentucky (16th in wins)
Purdue (17th in wins)
Florida (t-8th in titles)
Texas (t-11th in appearances)
Illinois (t-15th in appearances)
Overall, I think this system does a good job assessing each school's relative merits. Most people (with any historical knowledge of the game) would subjectively name the same top 6 that were produced here. Below the top 6, you see a mixture of teams with upward momentum (Syracuse, UConn, Mich. St., Ohio St.) and downward (Utah, Arkansas, NC State). Most importantly, UK is #1.
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