alexrgct
RIP, Alex
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The NCAA Tournament era (NCAATE) is a readily definable era in WCBB. It began in 1982, concurrent with the AIAW tournament drawing to a close. So, from 1982 through 2015, which programs have accomplished the most?
I went ahead and tabulated numbers based on a series of threads I started in 2012 and have continued every year after the conclusion of each NCAA tournament. The scoring methodology rewards regular season success (the proxy for which being tournament seeding), as well as tournament success. The system awards five points for a #4 seed, 10 for a #3, 20 for a #2, and 30 for a #1. It also awards five points for making the Sweet 16, 15 for the Elite Eight, 30 for the national semis, 40 for being national runner-up, and 70 for a national championship.
So from Numbers 10 to 1, here are the top programs of the NCAATE:
#10: Baylor (455 total points)
Baylor is not a program steeped in tradition, but it has reaped the benefits of one fantastic coach for 15 years. The 2000s were an up-and-down decade that included a surprising national championship in 2005. Kim Mulkey then successfully recruited Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims in 2009 and 2010, and the rest has been history. The outcome has been another national championship in 2012, with more high seeds and points-earning NCAA tournament finishes. Baylor is only going to continue movin' on up.
#9 University of North Carolina (475 points)
Sylvia Hatchell has enjoyed three decades of earning points. The thrilling national championship in 1994 has been the highlight, but UNC had a very successful decade in the 2000s. Meanwhile, the 2010s have been somewhat successful, with a trip to the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16, along with some decent tournament seeds. Hatchell's health and the loss of Diamond Deshields, as well as the ascent of South Carolina to UNC's direct detriment, may hurt the Tar Heels' ranking in the future.
#8 Maryland (505 points)
Maryland has had three separate decades with point-scoring seasons, including, of course, the decade featuring the 2006 national championship. Meanwhile, the 2010s have been very solid, including consecutive trips to the national semis. Finally, Maryland was very sound in the 1980s as well. The 1990s were pretty much a lost decade for the Terps, but Brenda Frese certainly brought UMD to national prominence.
#7 Notre Dame (530 points)
The Irish became a blip on the RADAR in 1997, when they shockingly made the national semis as a #6 seed. Four years later, Notre Dame was the national champion. For 10 years, Muffet didn't have much in the way of NCAA tournament success until 2011, and since then, the Irish have been national runners-up four times. ND has been the clear #2 program of the 2010s and may just surge ahead given how successfully McGraw has been recruiting.
#6 Georgia (630 points)
Good ol' Andy Landers may never have won a national championship, but he came damn close. He also coached Georgia to top-15 program ratings in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, a rare feat indeed. In the 2010s, Georgia hasn't done much, but the Bulldogs did make the Elite Eight in 2013. No one knows what future is in store for Georgia going forward, but the past is rich in tradition (even if it never included the Grand Prize of any season).
#5 Duke (660 points)
Gail Goestenkors pretty much built Duke from scratch in the early 1990s. The Devils made their presence known in 1998 when they made the regional finals. A year later, they were national runners-up, and Duke has been very, very successful ever since. Duke was the clear #3 program of the 2000s and is currently the #6 program of the 2010s. As long as they get top-four seeds and make the regional semis or better, Duke will continue to accumulate points. No national championship, but being a top-five program is nothing to sneeze at.
#4 Louisiana Tech (855 points)
La Tech is one of the most storied programs in WCBB starting at the tail end of the AIAW era. Even though the Techsters get no points for the penultimate AIAW championship in 1981, their stunning success gave them the momentum to win the inaugural NCAA tournament championship in 1982. The Lady Techsters were a serious powerhouse for the remainder of the 1980s, the clear #1 program of that decade. After winning the 1988 national championship, La Tech remained in contention throughout the 1990s and were a top five program of that decade. It's been slow going ever since, but you can't take away the points La Tech has already earned. Will they ever return to national prominence? To be continued...
#3 Stanford ( 1,030 points)
Tara's Cardinal have done nothing but rack up points since making the regional semis and finals in the late 1980s and winning national championships in 1990 and 1992. The Cardinal were the clear #2 program of the 1990s, the #6 program of the 2000s, and the #3 program thus far of the 2010s. From 2008 through 2014, The Cardinal were very high seeds (usually #1), made at least the national semis for five straight seasons, and were national runners-up twice. It doesn't look like Stanford will move up in the rankings, but the Cardinal certainly aren't in any position to move down.
#2 UConn (1,590 points)
Look, you know UConn. You know Geno. You know 10 national championships and six more trips to the national semis. You know about top-two seeds. You know about the surprise run to the national semis in 1991, and all the success that followed. You know Kerry Bascom, and you know Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. If you don't, you'll see their names on the Huskies of Honor wall sometime. The Huskies were the #3 program of the 1990s, the #1 program of the 2000s, and are in the lead as the #1 program of the 2010s. The only thing keeping them from being the #1 program of the entire NCAATE is a complete lack of point-scoring seasons in the 1980s. I personally wouldn't trade UConn's 10 NCs for any other program's lesser number, but nevertheless, it's clear the Huskies are squarely behind...
...#1 Tennessee (1,910 points)
Hey, no UConn fan wants to give the LVs their due, but it is what it is (as we say in the business world in lieu of something meaningful). Pat Summitt coached her kids to the #2 program of the 1980s, the clear #1 program of the 1990s, and the #2 program of the 2000s. Eight national championships, five national runners-up finishes, and five more trips to the national semis- I mean, that's a lot of points! Add in the high seeds, and there you have it. The other thing: the LVs aren't done. Holly and Pat have made the LVs the #5 program of the 2010s thus far and will finish as a top-five program of the decade as long as Tennessee continues to earn top-two seeds and flirt with winning its regional bracket. No team has come close to a top-five program for four decades in a row, hence the #1 spot here. A 320 point lead over #2 UConn is surmountable, but the Huskies' seasons with Katie Lou Samuelson (and beyond) will have to mimic their seasons with Breanna Stewart before #1 is in any danger.
Well, thanks for reading. Any thoughts?
I went ahead and tabulated numbers based on a series of threads I started in 2012 and have continued every year after the conclusion of each NCAA tournament. The scoring methodology rewards regular season success (the proxy for which being tournament seeding), as well as tournament success. The system awards five points for a #4 seed, 10 for a #3, 20 for a #2, and 30 for a #1. It also awards five points for making the Sweet 16, 15 for the Elite Eight, 30 for the national semis, 40 for being national runner-up, and 70 for a national championship.
So from Numbers 10 to 1, here are the top programs of the NCAATE:
#10: Baylor (455 total points)
Baylor is not a program steeped in tradition, but it has reaped the benefits of one fantastic coach for 15 years. The 2000s were an up-and-down decade that included a surprising national championship in 2005. Kim Mulkey then successfully recruited Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims in 2009 and 2010, and the rest has been history. The outcome has been another national championship in 2012, with more high seeds and points-earning NCAA tournament finishes. Baylor is only going to continue movin' on up.
#9 University of North Carolina (475 points)
Sylvia Hatchell has enjoyed three decades of earning points. The thrilling national championship in 1994 has been the highlight, but UNC had a very successful decade in the 2000s. Meanwhile, the 2010s have been somewhat successful, with a trip to the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16, along with some decent tournament seeds. Hatchell's health and the loss of Diamond Deshields, as well as the ascent of South Carolina to UNC's direct detriment, may hurt the Tar Heels' ranking in the future.
#8 Maryland (505 points)
Maryland has had three separate decades with point-scoring seasons, including, of course, the decade featuring the 2006 national championship. Meanwhile, the 2010s have been very solid, including consecutive trips to the national semis. Finally, Maryland was very sound in the 1980s as well. The 1990s were pretty much a lost decade for the Terps, but Brenda Frese certainly brought UMD to national prominence.
#7 Notre Dame (530 points)
The Irish became a blip on the RADAR in 1997, when they shockingly made the national semis as a #6 seed. Four years later, Notre Dame was the national champion. For 10 years, Muffet didn't have much in the way of NCAA tournament success until 2011, and since then, the Irish have been national runners-up four times. ND has been the clear #2 program of the 2010s and may just surge ahead given how successfully McGraw has been recruiting.
#6 Georgia (630 points)
Good ol' Andy Landers may never have won a national championship, but he came damn close. He also coached Georgia to top-15 program ratings in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, a rare feat indeed. In the 2010s, Georgia hasn't done much, but the Bulldogs did make the Elite Eight in 2013. No one knows what future is in store for Georgia going forward, but the past is rich in tradition (even if it never included the Grand Prize of any season).
#5 Duke (660 points)
Gail Goestenkors pretty much built Duke from scratch in the early 1990s. The Devils made their presence known in 1998 when they made the regional finals. A year later, they were national runners-up, and Duke has been very, very successful ever since. Duke was the clear #3 program of the 2000s and is currently the #6 program of the 2010s. As long as they get top-four seeds and make the regional semis or better, Duke will continue to accumulate points. No national championship, but being a top-five program is nothing to sneeze at.
#4 Louisiana Tech (855 points)
La Tech is one of the most storied programs in WCBB starting at the tail end of the AIAW era. Even though the Techsters get no points for the penultimate AIAW championship in 1981, their stunning success gave them the momentum to win the inaugural NCAA tournament championship in 1982. The Lady Techsters were a serious powerhouse for the remainder of the 1980s, the clear #1 program of that decade. After winning the 1988 national championship, La Tech remained in contention throughout the 1990s and were a top five program of that decade. It's been slow going ever since, but you can't take away the points La Tech has already earned. Will they ever return to national prominence? To be continued...
#3 Stanford ( 1,030 points)
Tara's Cardinal have done nothing but rack up points since making the regional semis and finals in the late 1980s and winning national championships in 1990 and 1992. The Cardinal were the clear #2 program of the 1990s, the #6 program of the 2000s, and the #3 program thus far of the 2010s. From 2008 through 2014, The Cardinal were very high seeds (usually #1), made at least the national semis for five straight seasons, and were national runners-up twice. It doesn't look like Stanford will move up in the rankings, but the Cardinal certainly aren't in any position to move down.
#2 UConn (1,590 points)
Look, you know UConn. You know Geno. You know 10 national championships and six more trips to the national semis. You know about top-two seeds. You know about the surprise run to the national semis in 1991, and all the success that followed. You know Kerry Bascom, and you know Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. If you don't, you'll see their names on the Huskies of Honor wall sometime. The Huskies were the #3 program of the 1990s, the #1 program of the 2000s, and are in the lead as the #1 program of the 2010s. The only thing keeping them from being the #1 program of the entire NCAATE is a complete lack of point-scoring seasons in the 1980s. I personally wouldn't trade UConn's 10 NCs for any other program's lesser number, but nevertheless, it's clear the Huskies are squarely behind...
...#1 Tennessee (1,910 points)
Hey, no UConn fan wants to give the LVs their due, but it is what it is (as we say in the business world in lieu of something meaningful). Pat Summitt coached her kids to the #2 program of the 1980s, the clear #1 program of the 1990s, and the #2 program of the 2000s. Eight national championships, five national runners-up finishes, and five more trips to the national semis- I mean, that's a lot of points! Add in the high seeds, and there you have it. The other thing: the LVs aren't done. Holly and Pat have made the LVs the #5 program of the 2010s thus far and will finish as a top-five program of the decade as long as Tennessee continues to earn top-two seeds and flirt with winning its regional bracket. No team has come close to a top-five program for four decades in a row, hence the #1 spot here. A 320 point lead over #2 UConn is surmountable, but the Huskies' seasons with Katie Lou Samuelson (and beyond) will have to mimic their seasons with Breanna Stewart before #1 is in any danger.
Well, thanks for reading. Any thoughts?
