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 191 is Canisius 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 Canisius basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 2
- Sweet 16s: 3
- NCAA wins: 6
- Bids: 4
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 11.3
- Bids per season: 0.03
- AP Polls: 11
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 7
- Conference Players of the Year: 4
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 8
- Conference tournament titles: 1
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Canisius basketball
There is a lot of history of college basketball in New York state, and Canisius often gets left out. However, the Golden Griffins had a very respectable run in the 1950s and 1970s.
The program actually made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments in ’55, ’56, and ’57, winning a few games in March each year. In 1955, Canisius took down Williams and Villanova, falling to La Salle in the Elite 8. The following season, they beat NC State and Dartmouth, but lost to Temple, again in the Elite 8. And in 1957, they made a Sweet 16 run, losing to blue blood North Carolina. Joseph Curran was the head coach during that run, and Hank Nowak was the star, averaging double-doubles all three years. In the 56-57 season, they were even ranked as high as 10th in the country.
Canisius would make waves in the ’70s, not for making the NCAA Tournament, but for having a star in Larry Fogle. After transferring in from Louisiana, Fogle had an absurd sophomore season with the Golden Griffins. He was a Consensus All-American, averaging 33.4 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. The PPG mark helped him lead the country in scoring. However, Fogle would play just two games in the NBA.
Canisius would be competitive in the 1980s under head coach Nick Macarchuk, who had a 149-128 record in his time there. And then in the 1990s, John Beilein helped jumpstart his career, leading them back to the big dance. They lost in the first round in 1996, but for Beilein, it helped propel an eventual Hall of Fame career.
Since Beilein left, Canisius has had 29 seasons of not much. In that time, they’ve had five different coaches and just eight winning seasons. In terms of the competition in Western New York, Buffalo has surpassed them. However, we have to respect historical programs, and that is what gets Canisius a top 200 spot.