Fansided

College basketball blue bloods ranked by all-time legacy

By Mike Phillips

Michael Jordan is all smiles along with coach Dean Smith as Jordan announces at a 1984 press conference that he will forgo his senior year in college to play professional basketball. (Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images)
Michael Jordan is all smiles along with coach Dean Smith as Jordan announces at a 1984 press conference that he will forgo his senior year in college to play professional basketball. (Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 21
Next
6 MAR 1994: UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HEAD COACH DENNY CRUM COACHES FROM THE BENCH DURING THE CARDINALS VERSUS UCLA BRUINS GAME AT THE PAULEY PAVILION IN WESTWOOD, CALIFORNIA. Mandatory Credit: J.D. Cuban/ALLSPORT
6 MAR 1994: UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HEAD COACH DENNY CRUM COACHES FROM THE BENCH DURING THE CARDINALS VERSUS UCLA BRUINS GAME AT THE PAULEY PAVILION IN WESTWOOD, CALIFORNIA. Mandatory Credit: J.D. Cuban/ALLSPORT /

9. Louisville

  • Record: 1,803-901 (.667 Winning Percentage)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 43
  • Final Fours: 10 (1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 2005, 2012, 2013)
  • National Titles: 3* (1980, 1986, 2013)
  • Notable Alums: Wes Unseld, Darrell Griffith, Pervis Ellison

Our second ACC school on the list is Louisville, which has built quite a resume for itself over the years. The Cardinals have gone to the NCAA Tournament a whopping 43 times, with the school making its first trip to March Madness back in 1951.

Although Louisville was a moderately successful program in the early years of the NCAA Tournament, things really took off when Denny Crum was named head coach in 1971. Crum took the Cardinals to the Final Four in his first year as a head coach, becoming the first man ever to accomplish that feat.

The Cardinals didn’t win that year, but they continued to dominate the college hoops landscape, finally cutting down the nets in 1980 with a victory over UCLA in the championship game. Louisville made two more Final Fours before winning it all again in 1986 when Crum led the Cardinals past Duke to claim the school’s second national championship.

Crum retired in 2001, and Louisville turned the program over to another legendary head coach in Rick Pitino. Pitino continued the Louisville tradition of success, getting the program to three Final Fours and winning a national title in 2013.

The reason Louisville isn’t higher on these rankings is that third title and two of Pitino’s Final Four appearance had to be vacated due to numerous rules violations. Louisville is the only school in history to have to vacate a championship, which does hurt their legacy considerably.