What other kinds of challenges can Tom Crean have next season? What else can happen to a team that won't have any returning scholarship players to start the season?

Maybe Indiana should play with the old three-point line while all the Hoosiers' opponents get the newer, shorter one. Should the Hoosiers only get two timeouts in a half? Or maybe they should all be forced to wear Chuck Taylors, like Branch McCracken's team would've.

It was already going to be a long season in Bloomington. Not having redshirt senior forward Kyle Tabor for the next 10 weeks isn't going to be a huge setback, but it's just one of those things that piles onto an already a brutal players exodus.

Eric Gordon and D.J. White went to the NBA. Armon Bassett and JaMarcus Ellis were dismissed from the team, as was DeAndre Thomas. Promising sophomore Jordan Crawford transferred to Xavier, while Eli Holman got mad enough to transfer to Detroit.

To top it off, incoming freshman Devin Ebanks opted out of his letter-of-intent and headed to West Virginia.

Ouch, man.

Now Crean, he of the big new contract with the Hoosiers, has his biggest coaching job ahead of him. A losing record and no postseason tournament seem likely. But Crean should have other concerns.

How does a roster with eight freshmen and two junior college players compete in the Big Ten? (Rivals.com also has a pro-con on that topic.)

Seeing Indiana last among Big Ten teams would like seeing the Washington Colonels beat the Harlem Globetrotters. It just doesn't happen (only twice since 1925). The Hoosiers have won nearly 60 percent of their Big Ten games, best in the conference.

Still, finishing last in the Big Ten can be overcome (though I doubt IU fans would forget anytime soon). The tougher task is rebuilding Indiana, which Crean has started doing. He's putting together a decent 2009 freshman class, with more interested in what he's building.

There better be more, though. The 2008-09 season is gonna be rough on one of college hoops' proudest programs. It'll be up to Crean how long it lasts.

Quick: The most storied coach in your school's history has retired and you're trying to maintain your status among the all-time elite programs. How do you do it? By transitioning from one Hall of Fame coach to a future Hall of Famer.

That's how they roll at Louisville, No. 7 on the list of greatest college basketball programs.

When the Cardinals made the transition from Denny Crum – he of the two NCAA tournament titles, five Final fours and nearly 700 career wins – to Rick Pitino in 2001, they'd just missed the NCAA tourney for the second time in four seasons. Heck, it was the second time in four years that they'd failed to finish above .500.

When Pitino guided Louisville to its eighth Final Four in 2005 – four years into the job – it was a sign that one of the game's legendary schools was firmly re-established as a perennial contender. Must be nice to have that kind of coaching pedigree in Freedom Hall.

Consider what Crum, Pitino and Louisville's first great coach, "Peck" Hickman have built:

• Louisville's one of 14 schools with multiple NCAA titles and is the only school to win the Big Dance, NIT and NAIB (a pre-cursor to the NAIA, which was second-fiddle to the NIT in 1948). Its eight Final Fours are tied with Indiana for seventh most all time.
• The Cardinals' 1,556 wins are more than Arizona or UConn, while their .654 win percentage is better than Indiana.
• Louisville's 57 NCAA tourney wins are seventh most, the sixth most appearances in the Big Dance (34) and has 20 regular-season conference championships (same as Indiana).
• The Cards have had five players be named consensus All-American six times, the 1980 Wooden Award winner (Darrell Griffith) and has always featured NBA talent on the roster, giving them some of the best players in NCAA history.

This all started with Hickman, who never had a losing season at Louisville and turned a middling basketball school into one to watch. (His career record, 443-183, actually gives him a better win percentage than Crum or Pitino, amazingly enough.)

After winning the NAIB in '48, the Cards were a regular in the NIT, which was vying with the NCAAs to be the postseason tourney. Louisville went for five consecutive seasons before winning in 1956 behind massive post player Charlie Tyra, the school's first big star.

Tyra still holds school records for most rebounds for a game (38), season (645) and career (1,617). He also ranks fourth in career scoring average (18.2). The guy could play.

Three years later, Hickman's squad was in the school's first Final Four, losing to Jerry West's West Virginia team. He closed out his coaching career in 1967, coaching a 23-5 Cardinal team that featured Wes Unseld and Butch Beard, two Louisville natives.

Unseld – a two-time consensus All-American – could be considered the school's best player, though he and Beard could never break through in the Big Dance. Louisville made the NCAA or the NIT in each of John Dromo's four seasons, but when a heart attack forced him to retire in 1971, it opened the door for Crum, who wasted no time in making his mark at Louisville.

His first team went 26-5 and reached the Final Four.

That Final Four was the first of two in which Crum, as an assistant coach and lead recruiter for John Wooden at UCLA, faced his former mentor. The first time wasn't so pretty, losing 96-77. The second time, during Wooden's final season in 1975, nearly set up a bluegrass showdown for the NCAA title.

But the Bruins' 75-74 overtime win prevented a final against in-state rival Kentucky, which would've simply added to the lore between the two schools.

So Crum hit the recruiting trail. His eyes must have bulged when he saw this 1976 photo of Griffith soaring over an opponent. With Griffith -- a 6-4 guard with a 48-inch vertical leap -- coming to Louisville, the Cards started to build a rep as a high-flying, exciting team to watch.

By the late '70s, they sported one of the game's great monikers, "Doctors of Dunk" and were a force on the court. Whether it was Griffith making a steal, Derek Smith soaring above the rim or Rodney McCray controlling the boards, few teams wanted to play the Cards. (They even invented the High-5!)

Louisville entered the 1980 NCAA tournament 28-3 and was a serious contender. When every No. 1 seed was knocked out, the Cards' path for their first title was cleared (not that beating UCLA in the championship was an easy task.)

Crum's squad reached the Final Four again in 1982 and 1983, the second time with another highlight-reel, talent-rich team. When they played Houston – "Phi Slamma Jamma" – in the '83 Final Four, the result was one of the game's most jaw-dropping aerial spectacles that was essentially a precursor to today's above-the-rim game.

When Crum had Louisville in the Final Four again in 1986, the Cards were viewed as a good, but not great team. Most thought Duke or Kansas would win the title. But Louisville, coming off another season that featured a brutal non-conference schedule, surprised Duke in the title game with some steady play from Milt Wagner and two late free throws by freshman Pervis Ellison. Maybe you've heard of his nickname.

Louisville never reached the same heights again under  Crum, though there were more years of conference titles, trips to the Elite Eight and the occasional group that didn't feature NBA caliber players but still managed to win plenty of games.

Crum retired in 2001 with a résumé that included two titles, 3 coach of the year awards and a spot in the Hall of Fame.

If Pitino were to replicate the success he had at Kentucky – three Final Fours and a title in eight seasons – he would begin to match what Crum did at Louisville and could help take the Cardinals futher up this list. But that's what they do at Louisville.

Coming next Tuesday, No. 6 on the list of greatest programs.

 

No. 8, Arizona.

 

No. 9, Syracuse.

 

No. 10, Connecticut.

 

No. 11, Cincinnati.

 

No. 12, Utah.

 

No. 13: Villanova.

 

No. 14: Illinois.

 

No. 15: Michigan State.

 

No. 16: Georgetown.

 

No. 17: Arkansas.

 

No. 18: Ohio State.

 

No. 19: St. John's.

 

No. 20: UNLV.

 

No. 21: Texas.

 

No. 22: Notre Dame.

 

No. 23: Temple.

 

No. 24: Oklahoma.

 

No. 25: N.C. State.  

Say this about Kansas coach Bill Self – he's earning that new contract.

Self, who guided the Jayhawks to their third NCAA tournament title in April and first since 1988, signed a mega $30 million deal in the offseason. He'll get a short grace period from fans and school officials because they're elated to raise another banner in Allen Fieldhouse, but Self admits the pressure will build for KU this season.

"That's the way it should be, to be honest with you," Self told the Journal-World. It's one of those things you have to keep striving to get better.

Then again, I'm not sure Self would've envisioned things to start quite like this.

Most of last year's title team is gone. The one returning player who saw significant minutes, Sherron Collins, is already behind on rehab from offseason knee surgery. (Did he lose focus because of ongoing issues with an alleged 2007 incident where he exposed himself and rubbed against a girl in the dorms? Couldn't have helped. Self may be calling out Collins to motivate him, but he could just be mad.)

"He is a month behind where I thought he'd be at this stage. He is just in bad shape," Self said. Collins, a 5-11 guard, has always played heavy, usually around 200 pounds, sometimes heavier. The extra pounds make him a formidable force when driving the lane, but also create extra stress on his knees.

As a result, Collins didn't participate in Kansas' first practice on Thursday, and isn't expected to play with Kansas during their upcoming three-game trip in Canada.

Self is hopeful freshmen twins Markieff and Marcus Morris will be cleared by the NCAA in time to practice for the Canada trip. "Missing today didn't kill the twins. It won't kill them to miss more days. Certainly for the betterment of the team it'd be good to get them out there," Self said.

Especially when it comes to taking attention away from Markieff's recent off-court incident where he allegedly fired a BB gun from his dorm window. A woman in the dorm's courtyard reported being shot in the arm with a BB at that time.

Yes, it sounds like typical behavior for a freshman boy – any freshman, not just an athlete – but it's something Kansas could have done without.

An attorney entered a plea of not guilty for Markieff on Thursday. A Dec. 12 hearing has been set, which means it's an incident that will linger around the defending champs when the season begins.

As if defending an NCAA title wasn't hard enough.

Arizona hasn't missed the NCAA tournament since 1984. That streak alone – the second longest in NCAA history – would necessitate inclusion among the greatest college basketball programs of all time.

 

But the Wildcats have done more since '84 than just consistently win. They've produced some of the NCAA's most talented teams, several memorable games (the '05 regional final against Illinois still amazes) and developed into one of college hoops' truly elite programs.

 

How else would they end up at No. 8 on this list?

 

Arizona's won at least 25 games 12 times during that remarkable streak, a feat few teams can match. Same with their 29 weeks atop the AP rankings. Even more impressive are Arizona's five times as a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. Only UNC, Duke, Kentucky and Kansas have more.

 

The Wildcats' 1,547 wins are more than Cincinnati, while their .645 win percentage is better than UConn's.

 

They've reached four Final Fours won a title, and have won their 41 NCAA tournament games at a better rate than Syracuse.

 

Arizona also sports 21 regular-season conference titles, 27 Big Dance appearances and when it comes to NBA players, few schools can match their sheer number or All-Star players.

 

Most of this starts with Lute Olson, who arrived in Tucson in 1983 and has won nearly 600 games in that span. But even Olson had some minor Arizona success to build on.

 

Because before they were Wildcats, there was Pop McKale. He won more than 80 percent of his games in seven seasons, still a school record for a coach with at least 3 years' experience. Arizona kept winning with three coaches in the four seasons, then had 36 seasons of stability under Fred Enke, who remains the longest tenured coach in school history.

 

Enke's teams won 509 games and claimed 11 Border Conference titles, though they weren't nearly as consistent as later years. The 'Cats could go 25-5 or 4-22.

 

Perhaps more important than wins was Fred Snowden's hiring in 1972, which made him the first black coach in major college basketball.

 

His squads started fast, reaching the Elite Eight during his fourth season, but after three straight losing seasons, he was out by 1982. Still, his influence on coaching hires and Arizona basketball was significant.

 

"He comes and turns Tucson into a basketball town and just as McKale Center rocks now, it rocked then," says former Wildcat All-American Bob Elliott.

 

"Lute took the path that Freddy had paved and added to it, but he didn't have to start with a dirt road."

 

One thing's for sure, Olson didn't waste any time.

 

By 1986, the Wildcats had won their first of 10 regular-season Pac-10 crowns. That season also featured Olson's first superstar recruit in Sean Elliott, who most consider the best player to ever wear a Wildcats uniform.

 

(Not that there's much debate. Elliott was a two-time consensus All-American and won the Wooden award his senior season AND led the 'Cats to their first-ever Final Four. That's what you call a lasting legacy.)

 

The 1988 squad was even better, and perhaps the best in school history. The 35-3 team was atop the rankings for five weeks and ran away with the Pac-10, finishing 17-1. Some claimed they were rarely tested during the season, but there was no denying their talent, especially when they hammered North Carolina for their first Final Four berth.

 

It set up one of those classic games, where 34-3 Oklahoma loomed as the national semifinal opponent and most thought the winner would breeze to the national title. (It didn't happen, but that's another post.)

 

After a few more runs to the Sweet 16, Arizona had been established as a perennial contender. Of course, there were a few hiccups in the early '90s.

 

A 24-7 in 1992 ended with a loss to Eastern Tennessee State. The next year was a stunning upset to No. 15 Santa Clara. The next year, the 'Cats were in the Final Four. In '95, it was another first-round NCAA tourney loss.

 

And just when Olson was dealing with a growing reputation as a coach who couldn't win the big one, along came the 1997 team.

 

Arizona entered the Big Dance at 19-9, but reeled off six straight wins, including a stunning upset of 34-1 Kansas. When the 'Cats followed that with wins against North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four, they became the only team to ever beat three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tourney.

 

The close-knit group featured what was one of the biggest NCAA trends in the '90s and early 2000s, a three-guard offense that presented all sorts of matchup problems for opponents. With MOP Miles Simon, point guard Mike Bibby, big guard Michael Dickerson and scoring sensation Jason Terry off the bench, Olson utilized his most talented players and cemented Arizona's rep as a guard-oriented school. (Which has morphed into Wing U lately.)

 

It also set up the Wildcats as one of the scariest teams around. For the next six years, Arizona could score in bunches because of their athletic, NBA-caliber guards. (You know the ones: Guys like Gilbert Arenas, Andre Aguodala, Richard Jefferson, and Damon Stoudemire.)

 

The uber-talented 2001 squad lost to Duke in the national title game, while the 2003 incarnation was tabbed the preseason favorite.

 

Sure, neither team won a title, but the steady pipeline of pro players continued into Tucson. Even Arizona's recent struggles haven't dried up the talent well (though Brandon Jennings' flight to Europe was a stunner).

 

At this point, the only thing that can derail Arizona's overall program is Olson's retirement. The 'Cats continued their NCAA streak last season without Olson, but it wasn't the same Arizona team we're used to seeing.

 

Olson turns 74 in September, but says he wants to coach for another four or five seasons. If that happens, don't expect Arizona to drop on this list anytime soon.

 

Coming next Tuesday, No. 7 on the list of greatest programs.

No. 9, Syracuse.

 

No. 10, Connecticut.

 

No. 11, Cincinnati.

 

No. 12, Utah.

 

No. 13: Villanova.

 

No. 14: Illinois.

 

No. 15: Michigan State.

 

No. 16: Georgetown.

 

No. 17: Arkansas.

 

No. 18: Ohio State.

 

No. 19: St. John's.

 

No. 20: UNLV.

 

No. 21: Texas.

 

No. 22: Notre Dame.

 

No. 23: Temple.

 

No. 24: Oklahoma.

 

No. 25: N.C. State.  

Blogging during college basketball's summer months requires a little creativity, which always leads to some sweet projects and posts during July and August.

People toss out "prestige" rankings, improve on those "prestige" rankings or an attempt to rank programs by historical success.

But those are the serious attempts at summer blogging. Others can be a little more creative.

Take this post from A Sea of Blue: Kentucky's returning scholarship players as movie characters. Now that's perfect fodder for random discussion among 'Cat fans.

I especially like Perry Stevenson as Kurt Sloane from Kickboxer. Tons of players enter a program as raw talents, but not everyone develops into a tough-as-nails bad-ass fighter. Yes, I made up that last part.

The one drawback? Not everyone is familiar with every player on the Kentucky roster. This is when you localize the idea for your team. Maybe I'll throw together a version for Kansas' returning players later on this week.

The fine folks over at Storming the Floor have started their own summer ranking project, the State Project – ranking each state by their college hoops win percentage. (Three-team minimum required for entry, thus the reason for starting at 36.)

Coming at 36 was New Jersey (blame NJIT's 0-fer season), while Colorado was No. 35. Good stuff on both, but is Stew Morrill really the Centennial State's favorite coach?

This Wyoming native likes questioning all things Colorado. Can't help it.

Few college basketball programs can match Syracuse's consistent excellence. Yes, the Orange have had their postseason bumps (Richmond, Vermont), but that's true for any elite team. Everyone has an occasional NCAA tournament misstep.

And 'Cuse more than makes up for any misstep with their overwhelming hoops résumé. That's why they're No. 9 on the list of greatest programs.

Since 1912, Syracuse has had just six losing seasons, and none since 1969. That's success most teams dream of.

• Syracuse has 1,725 wins, fifth most all-time. Its .684 win percentage is seventh best.
• The Orange have 31 NCAA tournament berths (eighth most), been in 14 Sweet 16s (as many as Indiana), four Final Fours and a national title.

That's damn impressive.

Coaching's been a crucial part. It's had just seven coaches since the program began in 1900. (By comparison, Kansas has had eight coaches overall, while Kentucky and Duke are on No. 19.)

Two early coaches, Ed Dollard and Lew Andreas, set high marks early on for 'Cuse, both winning more than 71 percent of their games (and each claiming a Helms national title).

Even under coaches like Fred Lewis – who brought in the Orange's first big-time recruit in Dave Bing – and Roy Danforth – who took the school to its first Final Four – Syracuse continued to grow as a program.

But nothing has elevated it more than Jim Boeheim.

In 32 seasons under Boeheim, the Orange have won less than 60 percent of their games just twice. In that span, they've won an NCAA title, been to three Final Fours, claimed eight Big East regular-season titles and won at least 25 games 14 times.

When you're a perennial contender, it's usually because you have a coach who keeps the program at that level. And that's exactly what Boeheim's done for Syracuse.

Listen to a legendary player like Bing, who played with Boeheim during a brilliant three-year career (check out the 1965-66 team that averaged nearly 100 points a game!), state the case for the Hall of Fame coach: "Jim Boeheim is Syracuse basketball."

Early on, he was pegged as a whiner, but that image has changed somewhat in recent years. During his induction ceremony, Boeheim shrugged off that notion. "I've always been a happy guy."

But, before the Boeheim proclamations become too great, I'll turn the attention to the great players and teams under him.

Starting with Dwayne "Pearl" Washington in 1984, Syracuse has consistently featured some of the NCAA's best players. In fact, most times the Orange revolve around one or two great talents and find role players to fill the rest of the spots.

Washington, an electric ball-handler and brilliant passer, set the tone upon his arrival in 1983 and ensured more top-flight talent would follow. (Because of this, Boeheim called Washington "the most important player that ever came to Syracuse" in 1996.

After Washington, Sherman Douglas assumed play-making duties and the Orange didn't miss a step. In fact, between the 1985-86 and 1990-91 seasons, they enjoyed probably their best run of success, winning at least 26 games every year, claiming four Big East titles and reaching the 1987 NCAA tournament title game.

(That loss to Indiana remains one of the all-time Big Dance classics, a game that featured NBA talent, two Hall of Fame coaches and a shot that remains among the most replayed clips during March.)

It was during this period that Syracuse's stature grew the most, both because of the Big East rise and the Orange's heated rivalry with Georgetown, the conference's other perennial contender.

After an NCAA violation that resulted in a one-year tournament ban, 'Cuse was back in the championship game by 1996, featuring a team markedly different from Boeheim's last Final Four squad, which was an up-tempo, high-scoring group.

Instead, the Orange grew into a defensive terror – teams hate that 2-3 zone – and put together an unexpected run to the title game behind a brilliant tournament from one-man wrecking crew John Wallace.

The '96 Final Four was cast as the two best teams, Kentucky and UMass, playing in a semifinal, leaving the winner as a given for the title. That wasn't the case here. The Wildcats would go down as one of the great single-season teams, but Syracuse nearly overcame a 13-point deficit, before losing 76-67.

For the next six years, 'Cuse didn't sniff another Final Four and Boeheim was tagged with the rep of "the best coach to never win a title."

That changed in 2003.

The arrival of Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse's best player? Perhaps. It's most important recruit? Maybe. It's biggest winner? Certainly.) gave the 2002-03 team a go-to guy it hadn't had since the likes of Bing.

'Cuse missed the Big Dance before Anthony arrived and wasn't ranked to start the season. But they only lost twice in the final two months, survived a couple of close calls in the NCAA tournament and beat Kansas for the title.

The Orange haven't hit the same heights since, mostly due to early player defections and a spate of injuries the last two seasons. (Though some wonder if Boeheim's starting to lose his touch.)

But that's all nitpicking. Syracuse has built up too much history for a couple of OK seasons to derail it now.

Coming next Tuesday, No. 8 on the list of greatest programs.

No. 10, Connecticut.

No. 11, Cincinnati.

No. 12, Utah.

No. 13: Villanova.

No. 14: Illinois.

No. 15: Michigan State.

No. 16: Georgetown.

No. 17: Arkansas.

No. 18: Ohio State.

No. 19: St. John's.

No. 20: UNLV.

No. 21: Texas.

No. 22: Notre Dame.

No. 23: Temple.

No. 24: Oklahoma.

No. 25: N.C. State.  

It's impossible to avoid the Olympics right about now. Even in a college hoops blog.

Sure, the build-up to the Games seems quieter than ever before (ESPN usually sets the tone for sports on TV and it doesn't do wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympics the way it focuses on Brett Favre or the trade deadline, but you'd think we'd see a little more of it before the Opening Ceremony. And no, I wasn't told to write that.), but it's still the Summer Olympics. (When some us have to work overnight shifts to accommodate the time change…)

After all, we all know what's coming. The 100-meter dash. Pixie gymnasts. Gold medals. And hoops. Blessed hoops.

The 'Redeem Team,' as the U.S. men's hoops squad has been labeled, opens against China on Sunday. Kobe, LeBron, 'Melo & Co. have spent the last three years practicing together, working out some of the kinks and trying to get Team USA back on the gold medal podium after a horrid finish at Athens four years ago.

Will that happen? That's for another post. What I'm interested in is this fabulous post from the guys at Storming the Floor, where they imagine a world (before 1992 and the 'Dream Team') where the U.S. squad is comprised entirely of college players.

They went with only guys who are playing in college next year, but I'm sticking with the old way of choosing a roster – anyone who played college hoops during the 2007-08 season is eligible.

My roster, broken down by position (starters in italics):

Guards

Derrick Rose, Memphis. One of two no-brainers. D-Rose would run the show and run it well. He'd be one of the tourney's fastest players, taking advantage of the wider lane to split defense at will and he's no size issues against foreign players. I worry about him hitting his jumper consistently, though.

James Harden, Arizona State. At 6-4, Harden may be a little undersized at off-guard, but I love his overall game. He's a stellar defender and underrated scorer.

Russell Westbrook, UCLA. Another lock-down defender and ultra-athletic guard. The roster needs plenty of these. If the U.S. were to have any chance against teams with lightning quick guards, you need defenders like Westbrook and Harden.

Mario Chalmers, Kansas. Same goes for Chalmers, who may be this group's best on-ball defender. In case you didn't know, he also can hit the big shot.

Stephen Curry, Davidson. Every team needs shooters. The NCAA's deadliest marksman is a no-brainer for this team.

Robbie Hummel, Purdue. Same goes for the sharp-shooting Hummel, who, at 6-foot-8, shouldn't have much trouble getting off his shot.

Forwards

Michael Beasley, Kansas State. The other no-brainer. Beasley's game is tailor-made for international competitions -- he can take defenders off the dribble, post-up or hit the three. He'd be used at either forward spot.

Joe Alexander, West Virginia. Alexander's mid-range game makes up for any defensive deficiencies or average height for a small forward. If he struggles, Team USA would have options….

Blake Griffin, Oklahoma. A nice option off the bench. He and Beasley would make a rugged frontline – and neither would have trouble scoring.

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky. Tough call here, but I love Patterson's effort, even if he would be undersized as a power forward against teams like Spain or Germany. He'd be perfect for short bursts or a defensive push.

Kyle Singler, Duke. Singler's versatility is tough to pass up, though I wonder if he'd be too passive for this team. Gotta like his shooting range, though.

Darrell Arthur, Kansas. Gets last forward spot over Cal's Ryan Anderson. Arthur's a little faster, stronger and his mid-range jumper is solid.

Centers

Brook Lopez, Stanford. Lopez would likely struggle against more seasoned centers, but with this roster, he wouldn't have to score much. I'm looking more for defense and rebounds.

Robin Lopez, Stanford. See Lopez, Brook. Need the same thing.

Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State. Yes, he's undersized for a center. No, he probably wouldn't get that much playing time. But consider this: "If somebody comes in there with a shot, I have to go get it." Sounds perfect to me.

Once upon a time, Connecticut hoops had a nice, cozy existence as a regional powerhouse.

Between 1947 and 1967, the Huskies won 17 Yankee Conference regular-season titles and reached the NCAA tournament 11 times. Sure, they only won onethree games in the Big Dance during that time, but that didn't prevent them from developing a rabid local fan base.

Then two things happened: UConn joined the fledgling Big East in 1979, and it hired Jim Calhoun as its head coach in 1986.

Those two signaled the change from regional powerhouse to No. 10 on the list of greatest college basketball programs.

Yes, that's a massive jump. But there's plenty behind it.

• UConn is one of college hoops' elite teams from the last 20 years. It's won 2 NCAA tournament crowns, reached five Elite Eights and been atop the AP rankings for 24 weeks in that time.
• The Huskies have claimed 10 Big East regular-season titles and 28 overall, including their time in the Yankee Conference (only UCLA has had a better run than their 10 consecutive Yankee crowns, while only six have more total titles).
• UConn's 28 NCAA tournament berths are more than Arizona or Cincinnati. It's also won Big Dance games at a better rate than Syracuse.
• The Huskies have a respectable 1,486 victories (better than Georgetown), won at a .6382 clip (better than Cincinnati).

Keep in mind, most of this has been built up since Calhoun's arrival. But some attention needs to be paid to the Hugh Greer era.

Greer won nearly 72 percent of his games as UConn's coach, including most of those Yankee titles. He died of a heart attack during the 1962-63 season, leaving a legacy that Fred Schabel and Dee Rowe tried to continue, but didn't have the same kind of consistent success.

The main problem? UConn couldn't compete nationally. That changed under Calhoun.

"The guy who's considered the greatest coach here, Hugh Greer, died on the job of a heart attack," Calhoun told the N.Y. Times in 1990. "The next guy, Fred Shabel, left over the fact that they would not become more of a national team. Burr Carlson, a great player, lasted two years and was asked to leave. Dee Rowe was taking nitroglycerine pills. Dom Perno resigned. Those were my five predecessors. And let me tell you something. Most of that was before the Big East." 

 

Calhoun, who came from Northeastern after winning 248 games in 14 seasons, set about recruiting top-flight talent who could compete for Big East titles – and as a result, national titles.

 

Once better players started arriving in Storrs, UConn took off. It won 31 games in the '89-'90 season, the Big East title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney, it's first in school history.

That tourney also gave the Huskies one of their first classic finishes. Tate George's last-second buzzer-beater against Clemson was one of that year's highlights.

Duke's Christian Laettner beat UConn with a buzzer-beater of his own, preventing keeping the Huskies from the Final Four, but the stage was set for Calhoun's squad to become one of the nation's elite programs.

Between the 1993-94 and '98-99 seasons, UConn won nearly 29 games a season and reached two Elite Eights before finally breaking through in that final year with a balanced, talented team – perhaps Calhoun's best.

Driven by talkative, pudgy and charismatic point guard Khalid El-Amin, the sharp-shooting of Rip Hamilton and stellar defense of Ricky Moore, UConn rolled to a 32-2 record before finally breaking through for the school's first Final Four. The basketball-crazed state went nuts, but somehow UConn entered the Final Four as second fiddle to a Duke team that was trying to make its mark as one of the best of all time.

When UConn cut down the nets (and left Duke at 37-2), it gave UConn and Calhoun a long-awaited title and set the expectations even higher for the future.

Five NCAA tournaments later, UConn and Duke met again with title implications. The two programs had established a mini-Big Dance rivalry to this point, with the Devils spoiling UConn's title hopes in the '90s before UConn got its revenge in the title game.

This time around, the Huskies and Devils met in the Final Four. Another classic game had the same result, and UConn went on to claim its second national title.

That's quite a trip.

In just under 20 years, Calhoun took a school that had never been to a Final Four to winning two titles in five years and building perhaps the nation's preeminent program (to say nothing of his own Hall of Fame credentials).

Besides the titles, the Huskies attract future NBA players with ease and are a TV staple (though the latter is helped by their proximity to ESPN's headquarters). A rise like that doesn't happen often in college hoops.

Only among the great ones.

Next Tuesday, No. 9 on the list of greatest programs.

No. 11, Cincinnati.

No. 12, Utah.

No. 13: Villanova.

No. 14: Illinois.

No. 15: Michigan State.

No. 16: Georgetown.

 

No. 17: Arkansas.

 

No. 18: Ohio State.

 

No. 19: St. John's.

 

No. 20: UNLV.

 

No. 21: Texas.

 

No. 22: Notre Dame.

 

No. 23: Temple.

 

No. 24: Oklahoma.

 

No. 25: N.C. State.