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 103 is Nevada 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 Nevada basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 2
- NCAA wins: 6
- Bids: 11
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 15.4
- Bids per season: 0.15
- AP Polls: 63
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 11
- Conference Players of the Year: 9
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 12
- Conference tournament titles: 5
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 1
Overall scoop on Nevada basketball
Just outside the top 100 at No. 103 is a Nevada basketball program that could enter the top 100 in a couple of years. The Wolf Pack have been great in the 21st century, with coaches like Mark Fox, Eric Musselman, and Steve Alford combining for eight NCAA Tournament bids since 2005. They have won four March Madness games in that span, with a Sweet 16 in 2018. That team, coached by Musselman, featured star brothers Caleb and Cody Martin, and was a bit of a Cinderella squad as a 7-seed.
But we also can’t forget when head coach Trent Johnson took Nevada hoops to the Sweet 16 in 2004. At that point, the program was just getting started and won its first two games ever in the tourney, including an upset of 3-seed Gonzaga.
Previously, Nevada hadn’t really done much in March, only going to the big dance in 1984 and 1985, repping the Big Sky. But since moving to the WAC at the turn of the century, and then the Mountain West in 2012, it has proved to make a big difference, elevating the ‘Pack to an even higher standard. In fact, while the program has had 19 20-win seasons, 15 have come since 2003-04. And even when it hasn’t led to March Madness appearances, they’ve had other successful seasons, like a CBI title in 2016.
Of course, the constant winning has also turned out some solid NBA players. JaVale McGee, Ramon Sessions, and Luke Babbitt all turned into solid NBA vets. And in 2007, Nick Fazekas became the first and only Consensus All-American in Nevada history.
As we speak, Nevada is a top 50 program in the 21st century, and just keeps getting better, with four straight winning seasons. Head coach Steve Alford is one of the most underrated of all-time, and should continue to keep them at the top of their game as long as he stays there.