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 124 is Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 2
- Final Fours: 2
- Elite Eights: 5
- Sweet 16s: 2
- NCAA wins: 10
- Bids: 7
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 11.0
- Bids per season: 0.06
- AP Polls: 5
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 7
- NBA players drafted & played: 3
- Conference Players of the Year: 2
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 12
- Conference tournament titles: 0
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Dartmouth basketball
Even if you took every statistic in the history of college basketball and tried to make the perfect rankings system, you could never find the right place for Dartmouth basketball. They have one of the most interesting resumes in college hoops history.
Like the other Ivy League schools, the early 1900s were a dominant time for Dartmouth. They were voted as National Champions in 1906 and had Consensus All-Americans in George Grebenstein (1906), Ernest Mensel (1912), and Rufus Sisson (1912).
But Dartmouth’s success continued for a while, with a ridiculous lasting 24 seasons, from 1920 to 1944. More Consensus All-Americans followed in the ’40s, with Gus Broberg (1940 & 1941), George Munroe (1942), and Audie Brindley (1944), all getting those honors.
But it wasn’t just about having outstanding players. Dartmouth made it count, going to the NCAA Tournament in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1956, 1958, and 1959. The first four appearances all counted as Elite 8s, thanks to such a short field. But they didn’t stop there. In 1942 and 1944, Dartmouth would advance to the National Championship game, falling by just two points to Utah in the ’44 title. Head coach Ozzie Cowles was there for the first three, later coaching Michigan and Minnesota. Earl Brown stepped in for Cowles, who served in the Navy, for the 1943-44 season.
In the 50s, head coach Doogie Julian led them to the trio of tourneys. In 1956, they won one game to make it back to the Sweet 16. Two years later, they would take down UConn and Manhattan for their fifth Elite 8 appearance.
Unfortunately, 1959 was the last time Dartmouth basketball played in March Madness. It is the longest active streak of not making the tournament, and the second-longest of all-time. In that span, Dartmouth has had just 11 winning seasons. The last winning record was all the way back in 1998-99, with 26 seasons over losing records since.
At its height, Dartmouth didn’t just run the Ivy League – they were a contender for National Championships. But it was DECADES since that was true, and now, they almost always find themselves at the bottom of the conference. We’ll have to wait and see what it takes for the Big Green to be a big-time team once again.