Even though the Crimson Tide had much more success in the earlier years than these rankings cover, their best finish did come in 2004. They made the Elite Eight as a No. 8 seed, where they lost to eventual champion UConn.
22) Florida Gators – Total Points: 500
- 2 NCAA Championships, 1 Championship Game Appearance, 1 Final Four Appearance, 2 Sweet 16 Appearances, 10 Missed Tournaments
- ESPN Rank: 21
The success of the Florida basketball program over the past 10 years has catapulted them into the elite of college basketball. The Gators did miss out on the NCAA tournament this past season, but after losing all of their starting players on a team that won two straight NCAA Championships, they deserve a little bit of a break.
In addition to their championships in 2006 and 2007, Florida also played in the final game of the tournament in 2000 as a No. 5 seed, losing to Michigan State.
Outside of the last 10 seasons, the main accomplishment for Florida in this time period was a Final Four appearance in 1994 as a No. 3 seed.
Four first-round losses and four second-round losses, along with 10 missed tournaments, keep Florida from being higher in the rankings.
21) Cincinnati Bearcats – Total Points: 504
- 1 Final Four Appearance, 2 Elite Eight Appearances, 1 Sweet 16 Appearance, 10 Missed Tournaments
- ESPN Rank: 19
Cincinnati has not made the NCAA tournament in the past three seasons. They also did not qualify for the tournament at all from 1985-1991. They did, however, make the tournament for every season in between.
In their streak of 14-straight tournament appearances, the Bearcats only lost in the first round twice. They had slightly more trouble with their second-round games, losing eight times in the round of 32.
Cincinnati’s best finish was a Final Four appearance in 1992 as a No. 4 seed. They lost to No. 6 seeded Michigan in their semifinal matchup.
It’s important to remember that the biggest point jump comes from a team winning a first-round tournament game, since most of the teams are eliminated at this point.
The consistency of the Bearcats is enough to beat out the four Final Fours (including two championships) of the Florida Gators.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete