The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 350 is Maine basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Maine basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 0
- Bids: 0
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 10.4
- Bids per season: 0
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 1
- Conference Players of the Year: 2
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 0
- Conference tournament titles: 0
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Maine basketball
Of teams in Division I college basketball who have never made the big dance, Maine’s 96 seasons and counting is one of the longest streaks. It’s a bit tough to recruit to a school pretty far from the rest of American society, and the Black Bears have never really been able to overcome that struggle. In fact, Maine’s never been invited to a postseason tournament of any kind, besides their conference tournament.
Still, two players from Maine have won the America East Player of the Year. Rufus Harris in 1980 and Jeff Cross in 1983.
Perhaps the biggest name in program history is Rick Carlisle, who enjoyed a solid NBA career and is one of the best coaches in league history. Carlisle played two years at Maine before transferring, sitting out a year, and playing two more at Virginia.
We should note the 20-win season the Black Bears just had in 2024-25, especially because they’ve only exceeded that mark ONCE – with 24 in 1999-00. So sure, they’ve had some years here and there, but overall, the program just hasn’t clicked after nearly a century.