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 128 is Grand Canyon 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 Grand Canyon basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 1
- Bids: 4
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 21.2
- Bids per season: 0.31
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 1
- Conference Players of the Year: 1
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 2
- Conference tournament titles: 4
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Grand Canyon basketball
We won’t lie, one thing our system definitely helped out with is programs that have been red hot out of the gates. But that shouldn’t take away from how awesome the Antelopes have been since going Division I in 2013. They’ve only played 13 seasons so far, but they are averaging over 21 wins per season, the highest we’ve had in these rankings and quite possibly the most we will see.
From 2013-2020, Dan Majerle coached the squad and did an excellent job, going 136-89 with four 20-win seasons. That included a 27-7 record in 2015-16.
However, when Bryce Drew took over in 2020, they went from being a great up-and-coming program to one of the best mid-majors in the country. Drew has never had a losing record and is 140-52 through six seasons. He has helped GCU create one of the most unique home crowd atmospheres and has had five straight 20-win seasons. The valley? A 17-7 record during the COVID-shortened season. The peak? A 30-5 record in 2023-24 that included an appearance in the round of 32. That was just one of four NCAA Tournament bids and counting in the Bryce Drew era.
But the craziest fact for Grand Canyon basketball? In 13 seasons, they have never had a losing record in conference play. And under Drew, the Lopes are 74-28 in their league, which changed from the WAC to the Mountain West this past season. It has been utter dominance for GCU ever since they went DI, and there doesn’t seem to be anything getting in their way.