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 297 is Jacksonville State 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 Jacksonville State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 0
- Bids: 2
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.7
- Bids per season: 0.06
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 1
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 1
- Conference tournament titles: 1
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Jacksonville State basketball
Jacksonville State basketball has been in the DI scene for 31 seasons, making 2 NCAA Tournaments in 2017 and 2022.
When the Gamecocks first got to this level, things weren’t great. Mark Turgeon got them a winning season in his second year as head coach and their fifth in DI, but he left for Wichita State. They enjoyed some solid years under Mike LaPlante, including a 20-win season in 2002-03, but for the most part, where near the bottom of the Atlantic Sun and OVC.
But when Ray Harper was hired in 2016, things changed. Harper led the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament in his first season as head coach and started a streak of three straight seasons of at least 20 wins. Harper’s led Jacksonville State to 5 20-win seasons and 6 winning seasons in 10 tries.
Incredibly, JSU has played in the OVC, back in the A-Sun, and now Conference USA, all since Harper got there in 2016. They’ve put some great teams on the court, and the program is really trending in the right direction.