Programs that use to be relevant

jedwar

Heisman
Moderator
Dec 30, 2002
19,583
32,793
113
Yes, it has been far too long, but bottom has been reached and it is all up from here. Coach Mussel man is the real deal, and already has 5 top 100 recruits comitted for next year. The Hogs may lose today, but it will be against a decent opponent in our third true road game this season.
I’ve been to NWA many times and love the area. Have been to BB and FB games there. Always been treated well. I hope y’all get it going to some degree.
 

jedwar

Heisman
Moderator
Dec 30, 2002
19,583
32,793
113
UCLA is just a shell of their former selves. Yes, they would occasionally have a good team but, for the most part, they have been irrelevant for a long, long, time.
Good call.

I’ll add St. John’s. They have fallen big time.

UCONN. I don’t ever see them coming back. But man they had a heck of a run. ANd two of our titles. Gag.
 

akaukswoosh

Hall of Famer
Jan 14, 2006
80,450
123,441
93
WKU has been mediocre for a while as well. Last NCAA appearance was 2013 and that team lucked in (finished with 16 losses).
Stansbury wasn’t the answer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CROCAT

Xception

Heisman
Apr 17, 2007
26,407
22,344
0
Have they really fallen or just leveled out? I think Arkansas in the mid 90’s was way out of their norm. They’ve recently probably fell below their norm but are still closer to it than their pinnacle. If anybody disagrees then show me all the final fours or titles they have outside the mid 90’s.

Indiana is the bigger fall but their success is mostly wrapped up in one coach and they’ve done almost nothing outside the Knight era. Winning a game against UK is now considered a crowning achievement for that program. Butler is a better program and has been for awhile, Indiana is not coming back either. There’s nothing there that an elite coach couldn’t get at a better program, time has passed Indiana by.
 

Wildcats1st

Heisman
Sep 16, 2017
18,949
28,911
0
Yes, it has been far too long, but bottom has been reached and it is all up from here. Coach Musselman is the real deal, and already has 5 top 100 recruits comitted for next year. The Hogs may lose today, but it will be against a decent opponent in our third true road game this season.

Here we go. A hint of success and the arrogance runs rampant with the Arkansas fans.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kl40504_rivals

NCPurplecat

All-Conference
Aug 3, 2019
1,104
1,070
0
Indiana and UCLA have to top the list as the schools have the fan bases and locations that should allow them to recruit. IU Can still pack an arena yet the results achieved are weak given the advantages and history. Butler and Xavier have done so much more right in IUs back yard. Georgetown may be another for the list but they were more of an 80s run.
 

ThreeHogNight

All-Conference
May 17, 2002
3,214
1,599
0
I’ve been to NWA many times and love the area. Have been to BB and FB games there. Always been treated well. I hope y’all get it going to some degree.
It is well past due, football has been brutal, basketball mediocre, but thank God for baseball. I believe that Coach Musselman is going to have huge success, his preparation and attention to detail is off the charts, and Calipari has stated that he is one of the best in the business. Most people don't realize that he was second in voting for NBA Coach of the Year, so he obviously knows something.

Happy to hear that you were treated well, every fan base has those that are unbearable, and ours is no different.
 
Last edited:

MEMEBLUE

Senior
Mar 4, 2009
1,378
408
0
Have they really fallen or just leveled out? I think Arkansas in the mid 90’s was way out of their norm. They’ve recently probably fell below their norm but are still closer to it than their pinnacle. If anybody disagrees then show me all the final fours or titles they have outside the mid 90’s.

Indiana is the bigger fall but their success is mostly wrapped up in one coach and they’ve done almost nothing outside the Knight era. Winning a game against UK is now considered a crowning achievement for that program. Butler is a better program and has been for awhile, Indiana is not coming back either. There’s nothing there that an elite coach couldn’t get at a better program, time has passed Indiana by.
Not sure they will ever return to prominence, but all they need is a coach who can keep all the talent in the state.Indiana high school basketball produces a ton of talent.
 

akaukswoosh

Hall of Famer
Jan 14, 2006
80,450
123,441
93
Not sure they will ever return to prominence, but all they need is a coach who can keep all the talent in the state.Indiana high school basketball produces a ton of talent.
Same applies to UGA and the state of Georgia but I for one am glad it has not happened.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEMEBLUE

CROCAT

All-Conference
Nov 20, 2018
987
4,525
0
UNLV was a big program under Tark, but they have been irrelevant for a long time. One example of the NCAA actually punishing a program for cheating instead of looking the other way like it did for UNC.
Even then, they only did it because of their personal vendetta against Tark, not because it was the right thing. Screw the NCAA
 

JC CATS

Heisman
Jun 18, 2009
23,517
12,221
0
Yes, it has been far too long, but bottom has been reached and it is all up from here. Coach Musselman is the real deal, and already has 5 top 100 recruits comitted for next year. The Hogs may lose today, but it will be against a decent opponent in our third true road game this season.
Please don't lose to IU
 
May 4, 2015
10,475
13,528
86
Houston. They have the most Final Fours without a title. It’s amazing how unlucky they’ve been with how good some of those Cougar teams were; The Hayes teams (had the misfortune of being great in the middle of UCLA’s dynasty) of course Phi Slamma Jamma (who got in the way of NC State’s miracle run and Ewing’s Georgetown.)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: richbrookstomato

mgrody

Sophomore
Apr 20, 2014
210
155
0
Louisville has been to one final four since the 80's? Georgia Tech used to make some noise. Arizona has fallen well below what it was under Lute.
UL went to FF's in 2005, 2012, 2013. The 2012 and 2013 appearances were vacated by the NCAA. But, even the NCAA can't change reality.
 

Robcatt24

Heisman
Sep 17, 2005
18,214
17,622
113
Good call on some these programs.

DePaul, Georgetown, St. John's, Houston..

Wow, those names bring back a lot of memories.

Memphis back in the 80's, when they were called Memphis State, was a top program.

Guys like Keith Lee and William Bedford.

Louisville and Memphis State was a great rivalry back in the old Metro Conference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEMEBLUE

BBUK_anon

Hall of Famer
May 26, 2005
52,358
124,843
0
Indiana. Except for one FF run in 2002, which was18 yrs ago, they haven’t done anything since 1993. 27 years of blah.

Arkansas. Since 1995 they haven’t done anything. 25 years of blah.

Folks. That’s a long time.

Most new posters introduce themselves first. Who you be?
 

mjj_2K

All-American
Jul 11, 2010
12,439
7,007
0
Some of the winningest programs have been on the skids for a while:
Syracuse (4)
UCLA (7)
Indiana (9)
Illinois (12)
Texas (13)
Temple (14)
Marquette (15)
St Johns (16)
Syracuse is a weird case.

Syracuse in the 80's was famous for having great teams that flamed out early in the tournament.

Syracuse the past 10 years has become famous for having mediocre teams that barely scrape into the tournament, then go on a miracle run.

There has always been a certain level of instability in terms of who is good and who isn't, but I think the nationalization of recruiting plays a big role here. IU could be a national power for 20 years just by focusing on its home state, and drawing a few players from neighboring states. Illinois could be a power in the 80's just by getting a lot of Chicago players. St. John's could keep enough NYC kids home to stay relevant.

I think fewer great HS players care about staying home now, and that trend extends even to the HS level. How many top recruits move away from home to attend prep schools/academies with elite teams?

I also don't think it's a coincidence that the schools that have risen the last 10 years are mostly schools that don't even attempt to compete for the very best recruits. Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler- those are places that have effectively found alternate pipelines of talent. And Virginia and Villanova seem to target specific types that aren't really on the radar of UK, Duke, or UNC.