Ranking States by Their College Basketball Teams

Villanova is college basketball's reigning national champion, bringing the state of Pennsylvania its first NCAA title since the Wildcats won it all in 1985. In between, there have been some strong teams to come out of the Keystone State, but how does Pennsylvania stack up as a whole against every other state in the country?

Good question. Thankfully we've had time during college basketball's long offseason to calculate this.

Using the combined record of every Division I team from the 2015-16 season but also factoring in their performance over the past five years, we've ranked the United States in terms of college hoops accomplishment. This format places just as much value on a state's top programs as it does on the little guys, the ones that most college basketball fans probably don't know where they're located.

We've broken out the top 20 states into more detail, and we've pointed out the 10 states (with at least three Division I schools) who are least successful in college basketball.

The Bottom 10

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Every state in the U.S. has at least one Division I college basketball program except Alaska, but thanks to the District of Columbia serving as the home to four D-I teams, there are 50 rankable entities for this list. To make the top 20 is admirable; to fall into the bottom 10 is not.

Of the 37 states that have at least three D-I programs, these are the ones who collectively did the worst in 2015-16 and over the past five seasons. They're listed alphabetically, so as to save them from additional ridicule.

• Alabama: Nine schools combined to go 123-166 last season, with only UAB managing to win more than 20 games. The Blazers won Conference USA's regular-season title a year after reaching the NCAA tournament and upsetting Iowa State, but they couldn't get back a second time.
• Arkansas: Arkansas-Little Rock was one of just six Division I teams to win at least 30 games in 2015-16, and the Trojans even grabbed an NCAA tourney win by upsetting Purdue. They also accounted for nearly half of the 72 wins the state's five D-I schools collected last year, with three others losing 20 or more games.
• Connecticut: UConn has won a pair of national titles since 2011, but otherwise this tiny state isn't making the most of its seven Division I programs. The Huskies and Yale made the NCAA tournament in 2015-16, but that's it. And in the previous four seasons, Connecticut was the state's only postseason representative, while the likes of Central Connecticut State, Hartford and Sacred Heart routinely struggle.
• Illinois: Nine states have at least 13 Division I programs, and seven of them made our top 10, while the eighth just missed the cut. And then there's Illinois, which despite three power-conference schools (DePaul, Illinois, Northwestern) among the group, the state has managed a single NCAA tournament appearances since 2012. That was the Fighting Illini, which reached the round of 32 in 2013.
• Louisiana: It wasn't just LSU that was an epic disappointment from the Bayou State last season. Louisiana, as a whole, averaged 14.3 wins among its 12 Division I teams in 2015-16 with seven schools dropping 20 losses or more. Five of those were from the Southland Conference, along with Grambling and Tulane.
• Maryland: Maryland's rise to prominence since moving into the Big Ten hasn't been enough to lift its state out of the bottom tier, since the rest of the lot hasn't been so good. The Terps were one of just two 20-win teams in 2015-16, along with Towson, among the nine. Five others lost 20 or more games.
• Massachusetts: When the most notable team in a state achieves that distinction because it went winless in its league, it hasn't been a good year. Boston College's 0-18 run in the ACC, part of a 7-25 season, highlighted an altogether unimpressive 2015-16 season for the Commonwealth. It also didn't help that Harvard had a down year after three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
• Mississippi: Mississippi's six Division I schools are spread over three conferences, and last year three of them finished in the bottom four spots of those leagues. The only one to get to 20 wins was Jackson State, which needed 36 contests to do so.
• Missouri: At 51-104, Missouri's .329 win percentage ranked fourth-worst in the country and dead last among schools with more than two Division I teams. And this isn't a one-year trend, either: No team from the state has made the last two NCAA tourneys.
• New Jersey: Five of the state's nine D-I schools won at least 20 games last year, including a combined 53 from Monmouth (28) and Seton Hall (25). But New Jersey's most well-known program, Rutgers, lost 25 games and has lost 20 or more three years in a row. Seton Hall and Fairleigh Dickinson made the NCAA tourney in 2016, but both lost immediately, and they're the state's only NCAA reps the last five seasons.

20. New Mexico

Aaron Sweet/Getty Images

Division I teams: 2

Combined 2015-16 record: 40-26

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 7

The Land of Enchantment only has two Division I programs, but that's more than enough to get into our top 20. New Mexico State reached the NCAA tournament four straight times before getting upset in the WAC tournament final in March, while New Mexico has qualified made it three years in a row from 2012-14.

Only Kansas has a higher ratio of bids to teams over the last five seasons, and as you read on, you'll see where that state ended up. New Mexico isn't higher because while its pair has managed to get into the postseason quite a bit, it only went a combined 1-7 in those trips.

19. Oregon

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Division I teams: 4

Combined 2015-16 record: 80-58

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 5

There's a clear pecking order within the state of Oregon when it comes to college basketball supremacy: Oregon and then everyone else. But with Oregon State ending a 25-year NCAA tournament drought this year, the gap could be narrowing.

Oregon might say otherwise, though. The Ducks dominated the Pac-12 and made the Elite Eight, riding four consecutive NCAA tourney appearances and four in a row getting at least one postseason win, and they bring back almost their whole team for 2016-17.

Portland and Portland State round out the state's roster, though that pair is actually holding the top two back. Portland State's only two NCAA bids came in 2008-09, while Portland last qualified in 1996.

18. New York

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Division I teams: 21

Combined 2015-16 record: 353-324

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 19

New York has a long tradition of success thanks to programs such as Syracuse and St. John's, while its overabundance of smaller programs take turns jumping up and having a notable season here and there. The likes of Albany, Buffalo, Iona and Stony Brook seem to always be good for either an NCAA tourney upset or a close call every year or so.

But there are just too many of the good-for-a-bit-not-for-a-bit-longer teams in the Empire State to earn it a higher ranking. And with only one-third of the group getting to 20 wins this past season, that means there are far more middle-of-the-road programs than ones achieving at a high rate.

Getting St. John's back to winning ways will help, but the Red Storm are coming off an 8-24 campaign that included a 1-17 mark in Big East play.

17. Texas

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Division I teams: 23

Combined 2015-16 record: 400-348

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 17

Texas has teams in eight of the 30 Division I conferences, with at least two of them in six different leagues. That resulted in six NCAA tournament bids in 2015-16, three of those coming from the Big 12 and one each from the SEC and American.

That strong effort in the power leagues is what's helping Texas overcome lackluster performance from its smaller schools. Outside of Stephen F. Austin, the perennial Southland champions who nearly made the Sweet 16 in March, the Lone Star State has a lot of bad mid- and low-major programs.

That makes for a lot of opportunities for the in-state big boys to beat up on the smaller nearby schools, thus beefing up their records, but it also creates a clear separation between the haves and the have-nots.

16. Arizona

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Division I teams: 4

Combined 2015-16 record: 72-58

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 5

Without a deep group to fall back on, Arizona has to rely on quantity instead of quality. The Wildcats more than handle that on their own, having made the Elite Eight three times since 2011 and routinely finishing at or atop the Pac-12.

When either Arizona State or Northern Arizona come along for the ride, the Grand Canyon State becomes more than a one-trick pony, though that's not an annual occurrence.

NAU had a breakout year in 2014-15, reaching the CollegeInsider.com Tournament final, but last season was one of 16 schools in the country with 25 or more losses. ASU had 17, finishing second-to-last in the Pac-12 after making the NCAA tourney two seasons earlier.

Grand Canyon could become a perennial power, too, having won 27 games in 2015-16 in its third season since moving up from Division I.

15. California

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Division I teams: 24

Combined 2015-16 record: 400-374

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 21

California accounts for nearly seven percent of Division I's 351 college basketball programs, and their 400 combined wins in 2015-16 tied with Texas for most in the country. The reason the Golden State stands above the Lone Star State is due to the quality of those wins and the ability to convert them into tangible results.

Those 24 schools are wedged into just five different leagues, including eight of the Big West's nine members. Ironically, that was the only conference from which a California school didn't either make the NCAA tournament or win a game in the NIT.

Cal and USC came out of the Pac-12, while in previous years UCLA and Stanford made it to the Sweet 16. Fresno State was the surprise Mountain West winner after shocking San Diego State to end its streak of six consecutive NCAA bids. West Coast Conference standout Saint Mary's couldn't sneak in with an automatic bid because of its weak nonconference schedule, but the Gaels did reach the NIT quarterfinals, a tourney that saw SDSU get to the semifinals.

Lastly, Cal State-Bakersfield claimed the WAC bid for its first-ever NCAA tourney appearance.

14. Virginia

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Division I teams: 14

Combined 2015-16 record: 253-212

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 13

Virginia has been the ACC's best and most consistent program the last three years, winning two regular-season titles and earning no worse than a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament during that run. Yet the Cavaliers have failed to convert that into a Final Four appearance, coming closest in March when Syracuse upset them in the Elite Eight.

Along with VCU, which has elevated itself from being labeled a dangerous mid-major to one worthy of being included among the national powers, Virginia has a great top two among its roster. They also account for all but four of the state's NCAA tournament appearances the last five years.

Add back-to-back trips by Hampton out of the MEAC, and the rest of Virginia has been down for a bit. James Madison and Liberty went dancing in 2013, and Norfolk State qualified in 2012. But for the other eight schools, it's been five or more years since an appearance. Longwood and William & Mary never have, with the latter among the five original Division I programs never to have reached the NCAA tourney.

13. Tennessee

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Division I teams: 12

Combined 2015-16 record: 240-165

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 13

An average of 20 wins per school and the second-best win percentage among states with 10 or more teams, trailing only Indiana. Four teams in the NCAA tournament, one of whom pulled off arguably the biggest upset in tourney history. And only two schools with a losing record in 2015-16.

So why isn't Tennessee ranked higher on this list? As solid as this past season was, there wasn't anything about it that stood out as extraordinary. It didn't help that the state's power programs (Memphis, Tennessee and Vanderbilt) were a combined 53-48, with Vandy the lone NCAA tourney entrant and one that was eliminated in the First Four.

Chattanooga won 29 games and the Southern Conference title, a tremendous achievement for first-year coach Matt McCall. Same goes for Austin Peay getting hot late to steal the Ohio Valley automatic bid and Middle Tennessee winning Conference USA's tourney and then shocking the world with its win as a No. 15 seed over Michigan State.

Those accomplishments get Tennessee to this point. Getting higher requires the big names to do better.

12. Utah

Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images

Division I teams: 6

Combined 2015-16 record: 112-86

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 7

Outside of California, no state in the western part of the country has more Division I programs than Utah. Four of them have made the NCAA tournament in the last six years, with Utah making consecutive trips and winning at least one game each time.

BYU earned bids in 2012, 2014 and 2015 to give it 29 all-time NCAA appearances, but that also puts them atop the list of schools with the most tourney trips without making a Final Four (while Utah State is tied for fifth with 20 Final Four-less visits). Utah has gotten there four times, most recently in 1998, helping to fill the void for the rest of the state.

Weber State is among the best mid-major programs in the country, with two NCAA trips in the last three years, though Southern Utah hasn't been there since 2001 and Utah Valley is still seeking its first bid since upgrading from the junior college ranks in 2003.

11. West Virginia

Andrew Ferguson/Associated Press

Division I teams: 2

Combined 2015-16 record: 43-25

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 3

One of two states to make our top 20 with fewer than three schools, along with New Mexico, West Virginia gets in there because its namesake has established itself as a Big 12 power. If Marshall can continue the climb it's been on, this underrepresented state will continue to rise.

Unlike their football program, the Mountaineers have thrived since moving from the Big East in 2012-13. The past two seasons have seen them finish in the top three, reaching the conference tournament final in March.

Marshall went from 11-21 in Dan D'Antoni's first season in 2014-15 to 12 wins in Conference USA this past year. The Thundering Herd haven't made the NCAA tourney since 1987, but Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has them among the teams with the best shot to end their long tournament droughts in 2016-17.

10. Oklahoma

J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Division I teams: 4

Combined 2015-16 record: 75-57

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 9

Oklahoma's push to the Final Four this past season helped lift its state into the top 10 in our rankings, as did a surprise appearance by Tulsa in the NCAA field. It also helped offset underachieving years by Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts, though those programs have had success in the past.

The Sooners have made the Final Four five times in their history, one behind OK State, though the Cowboys' last appearance came in 2004.

Tulsa, which has made the NCAA tourney twice in the last three years, is one of 14 Division I schools to make the NCAA field at least 16 times but not make a Final Four. The Golden Hurricane's best effort came in 2000, when Bill Self took them to the Elite Eight before leaving to coach Illinois.

9. Pennsylvania

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Division I teams: 14

Combined 2015-16 record: 232-226

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 17

Villanova not only won the NCAA title but also had more wins than any other Division I team this past season, going 35-5 en route to its championship. Take that mark away and the rest of Pennsylvania's D-I schools won just over 47 percent of their games in 2015-16.

The city of Philadelphia propped up the rest of the state but also held it down a bit. Saint Joseph's won 28 games and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, and Temple won 21 games and the American regular-season title. But fellow Big Five schools La Salle and Penn combined to go 20-39.

La Salle was among the state's four 20-loss teams from this past season, along with Drexel (6-25), Lafayette (6-24) and Robert Morris (10-22).

8. North Carolina

Lance King/Getty Images

Division I teams: 18

Combined 2015-16 record: 307-288

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 22

The overall strength of a state is based on the sum of its parts, or rather schools. That's why North Carolina sits where it does in the rankings despite powers Duke and North Carolina having represented the state in the NCAA title game the last two seasons (with Duke winning it all in 2015). As good as the Blue Devils and Tar Heels are, they only comprise 11 percent of the programs.

And when there are nearly as many 20-loss teams in the state (five) this past season as those with 20 wins (six), you end up with a collective .516 win percentage. That ranks 28th in the country, 20th among states with at least three Division I schools and eighth among states with 10 or more D-I programs.

Duke and UNC have comprised nearly half of the state's NCAA bids over the last five years, with North Carolina State (four) and Davidson (three) adding another seven bids. The rest of the state's 14 schools have gone four times since 2012, two of those by UNC-Asheville and none by ACC mainstay Wake Forest.

With schools in nine different leagues, North Carolina isn't lacking for postseason opportunities.

7. Michigan

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Division I teams: 7

Combined 2015-16 record: 139-96

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 11

Thanks to Michigan and Michigan State annually being among the top programs in the country, this state can withstand some mediocrity and still rank high. Just not much higher, unless one of the directional schools in the Mid-American or the private institutions in the Horizon League break out.

Oakland came close this past season, with electric guard Kay Felder pacing the Golden Grizzlies to 23 wins, but they lost to Green Bay in the Horizon tournament final. Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan finished second, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the MAC's West Division. But only Western Michigan (2014) has made an NCAA tournament in the past 12 years.

Michigan and Michigan State do most of the hard work, combining for a national final, two Final Fours and four Elite Eights since 2013.

6. Ohio

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Division I teams: 13

Combined 2015-16 record: 252-183

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 18

With 13 teams spread across six conferences, Ohio has the opportunity each year to show its mettle. This past season was a banner year for the state, with at least one Division I program finishing third or better in five of those six leagues.

Dayton won a share of its first Atlantic 10 regular-season title, and Akron claimed the Mid-American's East Division title (with Ohio schools Ohio and Kent State finishing second and third, respectively). Xavier was second to eventual national champion Villanova in the Big East, beating the Wildcats along the way, while Wright State took third in the Horizon League, and Cincinnati was tied for third in the American.

Ohio State was seventh in the Big Ten, but that still counts as finishing in the top half of its 14-team league. The Buckeyes missed the NCAA tournament, though, snapping a run of seven consecutive appearances that included a Final Four trip in 2012.

5. Iowa

David K Purdy/Getty Images

Division I teams: 4

Combined 2015-16 record: 75-60

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 10

Iowa's four Division I basketball programs have a great tradition of facing off each season in a doubleheader in December. Known as the Big Four Classic since 2012, it's been held in Des Moines and featured Iowa and Iowa State playing either Drake or Northern Iowa, with Iowa and ISU meeting up at another point in the season and Drake facing UNI at least twice during Missouri Valley Conference play.

That series of games might not resonate as well on a national basis as the Big Five from Philadelphia or the Crossroads Classic featuring top-tier Indiana teams, but it's still a good one. And with three of those four programs being regular entrants in the NCAA tournament, that adds to the drama.

Drake is the team that keeps Iowa from challenging for a top-four spot in our rankings, having not made the NCAA tourney since 2008 and currently on a run of four straight losing seasons.

4. Kentucky

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Division I teams: 7

Combined 2015-16 record: 127-98

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 13

The Bluegrass State features two of college basketball's most storied programs, blue bloods Kentucky and Louisville, each of whom have won a national title in the past five seasons. Their annual success is pretty much a given, to the point where Kentucky losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament and only winning 27 games feels like a down year.

They're not the only strong programs in the state, however, as four other programs have made at least one NCAA tourney appearance since 2011. Only Northern Kentucky, which moved up from Division II in 2012-13, has yet to earn a bid as the Norse try to establish themselves among the state's strong lineup.

Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State and Murray State are among the class of the Ohio Valley Conference, combining to win five division titles since 2013, while Morehead State played in the CBI championship series against Nevada in March. And Western Kentucky has won at least 18 games the past four seasons despite shifting from the Sun Belt to Conference USA.

3. Indiana

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Division I teams: 10

Combined 2015-16 record: 222-121

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 15

One of the greatest sports movies ever made, Hoosiers, chronicles the passion and desire that Indiana residents have toward basketball. The focus is on high school hoops, but anyone who's spent time in that state knows how important basketball at any level is, and the college game is a big part of that.

And the results of late have shown that the interest is being matched by the performance. Half of the state's 10 Division I programs have made the NCAA tournament the last five seasons, including four this past season, while Indiana, IPFW and Valparaiso all won at least a share of their conference's regular-season titles in 2015-16.

Indiana schools have also made a pair of national championship games in the past two seasons, albeit not the big one. Valpo fell to George Washington in this year's NIT final, while in 2015, Evansville claimed the CollegeInsider.com Tournament crown over Northern Arizona.

And the big boys are doing their job, too. Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue won a combined 99 games overall and 48 between them in the ACC, Big East and Big Ten.

2. Wisconsin

Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Division I teams: 4

Combined 2015-16 record: 88-52

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 9

Wisconsin has a clear standard bearer in the Badgers, the biggest program in the state and one that made back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015 with a title game appearance the second time around. If they were the only strong program in the state, they wouldn't be ranked this high, however.

Last season was a strong example of how solid the state is, across the board. All four Division I programs won at least 20 games, and two made the NCAA tournament. Green Bay stole a bid by winning the Horizon League, while Wisconsin locked up an 18th consecutive tourney appearance.

Marquette and Milwaukee have also made trips to the Big Dance in the past few seasons, meaning every program in the state has been a postseason contributor this decade.

1. Kansas

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Division I teams: 3

Combined 2015-16 record: 76-30

NCAA tournament bids since 2012: 13

Kansas is the geographic center of America, and it's also the heart of college basketball in this country. No state is better on the hardwood, and it's not even close.

Kansas has made the last 27 NCAA tournaments, tied with North Carolina's run (from 1975-2001) for longest in Division I history. Wichita State has been there five years in a row, making the Final Four and heading into the tourney with an unbeaten record along the way. And Kansas State, though only 32-33 the past two seasons, made the NCAA field five straight seasons before that.

It's not just about making the tournament that stands out for this state, as Kansas and Wichita State also dominate their leagues. The Jayhawks have won at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title for 12 consecutive seasons, while Wichita has claimed four of the last five Missouri Valley crowns, including the last three.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information from 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.