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) /
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18 Jan 1988: Vinnie Del Negro of the North Carolina State Wolfpack poses with coach Jim Valvano at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport
18 Jan 1988: Vinnie Del Negro of the North Carolina State Wolfpack poses with coach Jim Valvano at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport /

19. North Carolina State

  • Record: 1,737-1,068 (.619 Winning Percentage)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 27
  • Final Fours: Three (1950, 1974, 1983)
  • National Titles: Two (1974, 1983)
  • Notable Alums: David Thompson, Nate McMillan, Dereck Whittenburg

It wouldn’t be a blue blood ranking without plenty of representation for the ACC, which begins here with North Carolina State. The Wolfpack may not have as many accolades as their in-state rivals in Chapel Hill or Durham, but they have put together a very compelling basketball history.

N.C. State made its NCAA Tournament debut in 1950 and exploded onto the scene, advancing all the way to the Final Four before falling to the eventual national champs, City College of New York. The Wolfpack remained consistent contenders throughout the years, but they also became known for pulling off tremendous tournament upsets.

The first came in 1974 when the Wolfpack faced off with John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins’ dynasty in the Final Four. The Bruins had won seven consecutive national championships entering the matchup, but the Wolfpack emerged with an 80-77 overtime win to mark the beginning of the end of the Bruins’ reign atop the college basketball world.

N.C. State then beat Marquette to win its first national championship, but their most memorable upset came nine years later, with Jim Valvano at the helm. The Wolfpack, a 6-seed that scraped by a number of opponents to reach the title game, faced off with the high-flying Houston Cougars and their “Phi Slama Jama” offense.

Valvano came up with a brilliant game plan, slowing down the tempo and keeping the Cougars at bay, and the result was a tie game late. The Wolfpack ended up winning the title on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles, cementing their place among college basketball’s elite programs with a second championship.

Things haven’t gone as well for the Wolfpack since, but they are still tournament regulars despite playing in the rugged ACC.