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NCAA basketball: 10 most underrated college basketball programs of all time

By Mike Phillips

SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 1974: Head coach Digger Phelps of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish talks to players on the bench during a college basketball game against the Marquette Warriors at Notre Dame in February 1974 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 1974: Head coach Digger Phelps of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish talks to players on the bench during a college basketball game against the Marquette Warriors at Notre Dame in February 1974 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /
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March 15, 2014: Creighton Bluejays Forward Doug McDermott (3) attempts to inspire his team during the Providence Friars versus the Creighton Bluejays game at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images)
March 15, 2014: Creighton Bluejays Forward Doug McDermott (3) attempts to inspire his team during the Providence Friars versus the Creighton Bluejays game at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images) /

10. Creighton

  • All-Time Record: 1,534-996 (.606 Winning Percentage)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 21
  • Final Fours: Zero
  • National Championships: Zero
  • Notable Alums: Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Doug McDermott

Let’s start with a look at the Creighton Bluejays, a program that always seems to be in the mix for an at-large bid as March rolls around. The Bluejays haven’t advanced to the Final Four yet, but they did get as far as the Elite Eight back in 1941.

Creighton spent a lot of time as an independent program early in its history but eventually settled in as one of the premier members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The MVC has always been an underrated league, and a lot of that came as a result of a lack of respect for what Creighton has managed to accomplish.

The Bluejays have had quite a few notable players go through the program, including a future NBA head coach in Paul Silas and sharpshooters Kyle Korver and Doug McDermott. McDermott, the son of current coach Greg McDermott, received consideration for the National Player of the Year awards when he was wrapping up his collegiate career in 2014.

Creighton has also launched the coaching careers of several notable figures, including Oklahoma State legend Eddie Sutton and current Oregon coach Dana Altman. Altman coached Creighton from 1994-2010, taking the school to seven NCAA Tournament appearances before jumping to Oregon.

As a small school based in Omaha, Nebraska, it isn’t easy to land elite talent at Creighton, but the Bluejays have found ways to be consistent winners anyway. That caught the attention of the reconstituted Big East, which invited Creighton to be a member after the 2013 season, a sign of the respect that Creighton is starting to earn nationally.