Fansided

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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NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 24: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars drives against Kenny Boynton #1 of the Florida Gators during the Southeast regional of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 24, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 24: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars drives against Kenny Boynton #1 of the Florida Gators during the Southeast regional of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 24, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

9. BYU

  • All-Time Record: 1,810-1,082 (.626 Winning Percentage)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 29
  • Final Fours: Zero
  • National Championships: Zero
  • Notable Alums: Danny Ainge, Tyler Haws, Jimmer Fredette

Another school with a storied basketball history that doesn’t get enough credit for their success is BYU, which often gets overlooked by in-state rival Utah. The Cougars have had a tough road to get to the NCAA Tournament in recent years having to compete with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference, but they have always found a way to remain competitive.

Like Creighton before them on this list, BYU hasn’t been to the Final Four yet, but they do have three trips to the Elite Eight in 1950, 1951, and 1981. The last of those trips was headlined by shooting guard Danny Ainge, who won the Wooden Award as National Player of the Year in his senior season.

Ainge went on to have tremendous success at the NBA level, winning two championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s and building another champion for Boston in the front office. The Cougars have also had another National Player of the Year play for them in point guard Jimmer Fredette, whose sharpshooting helped him take home the honors in 2011.

BYU also gets to the tournament on a routine basis, with its 29 appearances in March Madness rating as the second most from a program outside the Power 5 conferences. Power 5 schools often have the benefit of playing each other in league games that will bolster their RPI’s and strength of schedule figures, giving themselves opportunities to pile up marquee wins while avoiding bad losses.

BYU has spent its existence as either an independent or a member of one of several smaller leagues, making it very difficult to build the kind of resume that merits inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. The fact that BYU has become as much of a March Madness staple as they are shows how truly underrated the program has been over the years.