College basketball blue bloods ranked by all-time legacy

1. Kentucky

• Record: 2,293-706-1 (.765 Winning Percentage)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances: 59
• Final Fours: 17 (1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• National Titles: Eight (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)
• Notable Alums: Pat Riley, Frank Ramsey, Anthony Davis

We have finally hit the cream of the crop, the bluest of all the blue bloods, and fittingly they wear blue. The Kentucky Wildcats, owners of eight national championships and a record 59 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, are the most successful program in college basketball history.

The winning tradition at Kentucky was established early on when Adolph Rupp became the head coach back in 1930. Rupp would coach in Lexington for 42 years, winning four national championships and guiding the Wildcats to six Final Four appearances.

The tradition continued when Rupp was succeeded by one of his former players, Joe B. Hall, who took Kentucky to a national title in 1978. The Wildcats then had a bit of a lull in terms of success after Hall left, but Rick Pitino rebuilt Kentucky into a champion, winning the championship in 1996.

Pitino’s successor, Tubby Smith, built on Pitino’s foundation and won a championship of his own in 1998. Smith couldn’t sustain that run, however, and after a brief run of “mediocrity” by Kentucky standards the Wildcats brought in John Calipari to revive the winning tradition.

Calipari has adapted Kentucky to the new age of college basketball, relying on one-and-done players to put together a consistent winner at Kentucky. The Wildcats won another national title in 2012 and should be poised for more success as the nation’s best recruits continue to flock to Lexington in pursuit of glory.